Hi Everyone. May I wish you a very Harry Easter

and I hope that you can resist overdosing on

chocolate - Not much hope for me though!!

MMaarrcchh CClluubbnniittee Richard Adey returned to Holditch as our guest at the March clubnite, on the 25th (a week later than the usual 3rd Tuesday). He has always had a lovely welcome from our members, who seem to really like his gentle laid-back style of playing. With him, this time, were his musician friends, clarinettist Harry Christian and guitarist Mike Bethal. Together they have formed a trio and we witnessed their very first performance. Although they had no name when they arrived – during the evening it was decided that Bon Accord seemed a good one. French – because they played in a French style.

Richard played alone for the first half and he thrilled everyone right from the start with his lovely mix of light, popular pieces and wonderful jazzy arrangements. He used his backing tracks to good effect and played many accordion favourites including Autumn Leaves, La Mer and Tico Tico. He certainly gets lost in his music and it showed on his face which registered pure pleasure as he closed his

eyes and wove rhythmically around the floor.

During the break we were served with a hot cross bun supper, delivered to the tables with lashings of butter. Many went on to have seconds and some even thirds until all of the buns were gone.

Three of our members played during the break. Helen Brown played Musicality and Dakota, Wilf Bailey played Shufflin’ Samuel and Jimmy Shand’s Francis Wright Waltz and mouth organist Derek Wilton gave us Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White and I was Born under a Wandering Star.

Bon Accord (?) then took off with what Richard had described as ‘40’s Parisian street music’. That was a good description and the style worked well with the mix of the three instruments. Harry Christian led the trio and has a good sound too especially in the lower registers. Amusingly, he apologized to the audience for his photo in March’s newsletter, as he said that it was taken at least twenty years ago. My excuse is that that was all that I could find on the Worldwide Web.

I thought that Mike Bethal did a great job on guitar. In the absence of a bass player (next on their list) he provided solid bass notes together with great chords. Richard’s subtle backing blended very well with the others. Their programme included Django Reinhardt compositions such as Swing 42 and Oriental Shuffle,

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TThhee NNoorr tthh SSttaaff ffss AAccccoorr ddiioonn CClluubb welcomes all accordion enthusiasts playing or non-playing.

We hold a ‘Clubnite’ at Holditch Miner’s Welfare Cl ub, Chesterton at 8 p.m. on the third Tuesday of each month

where entertainment is provided by club members or guest artists. The venue also hosts a band rehearsal all other Tuesdays

and a beginners’ class every Monday at 7.30 pm and a class for schoolchildren on Mondays 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Phone 01782 823668.

there was Spring is Here by Rogers and Hart, Edith Piaf’s Under Paris Skies, Richard Galliano’s Furia, and Durad Smitdt’s Bossa Durado.

Sadly it all came to an end too soon and it was time to disband until the next clubnite. We all wish Richard and his trio well and look forward to the next time.

AApprriill CClluubbnniittee This month’s clubnite on April 15th at 8.00pm is a players’ night. There is no theme this month and so, in the words of Ken Barlow, the world’s your lobster. You can play what you like. There will be the usual playing in the circle and also individual playing and a selection

from the Monday beginners’ group.

As this clubnite falls just before Good Friday, we are asking any adventurous ones of you to come in some kind of Easter bonnet or (for men) Easter hat. I thought that we could judge them and award an Easter egg to the winner.

BBllaacckkppooooll FFeessttiivvaall This year’s ‘Accordions at the Castle’ festival takes place at the Norbreck Castle Hotel, Blackpool, from May 11th to 16th. The festival includes concerts, ‘meet the guest’ sessions, workshops, Scottish dancing, and a trade show.

The guests booked to date include Giancarlo Caporilli (Italy), David Vernon (Scotland), Denise Leigh (operatic soprano) & Stefan Andrusyschyn (accordion), Harry Hussey, Gennaro Ruffolo (Italy), Rosemary Wright, and Bert Santilly. Caroline Hunt will display some of her large collection of antique accordions and memorabilia, which will be a special attraction and well worth seeing. There is also an organ/keyboard festival taking place in the hotel, which has its own huge trade show and is open to all.

The festival organiser is Heather Smith, and for booking, telephone Sceptre Productions on 01780 782 093 between 10am and 4pm.

For further information contact Heather on 01482 805 387; email: heather@accordions.karoo.co.uk

WWeellccoommee ttoo tthhee MMoonnddaayy ggrroouupp Around seven years ago, Geoff Millward started the Monday Beginners’ and Improvers’ Group

because, as a relative beginner on the accordion himself, he felt that he would benefit from like minded people to practise and play with. The evening was advertised and over time has gradually

built up until now, when they are all there, the numbers are pushing 20. He likes to think of it as a self help group and also works hard to impart his vast knowledge of music to them, gained from a lifetime of orchestral experience as a percussionist and also as a valued conductor of our band for many years. There is a lovely atmosphere in the Monday group, as I found out when I paid them a visit last week. Geoff obviously is very inspirational and is laying the ground work of some very solid foundations in their musical journey.

They meet at 7 and the first half hour is devoted to individual tutoring with the newer beginners and he has help with this from Greta Moseley, Helen Brown, Steve Hughes and Graham Butler. At 7.30pm they get into a circle (top picture) and first of all go through scales, exercises, time keeping etc. and any music

that they are getting ready for the clubnite, and all of them are encouraged to use both hands from the beginning. For the last half hour the group is encouraged to bring along music that they would like to play and share with the others and they sit in a circle and play together, guided by Geoff, who is obviously very thorough and dedicated to training them into good practice. Hopefully,

over time, members will eventually be invited to join the band.

In the second picture on the previous page, Geoff is guiding Bill Lucy with something that he is working on. Bill also plays the violin, but the accordion is the first keyboard instrument that he has ever tackled. Next to them is Greta giving some individual help to Paul Compton, also a beginner. He told me that he had had a few lessons from Bert Santilly, in Cambridge, before moving to this area. He looked on the internet and found our club and immediately joined the Monday group.

Pictured (above left) is Steve Hughes guiding Roy Kenny from Abbey Hulton. Roy has dabbled in music already with keyboard and guitar but had never tried the accordion before. Above right are a couple, Bill and June Mountford, pictured here with Helen Brown, who is sitting between them. June told me that Bill had always said that he wanted to play the accordion. After a final push from her he is pursuing that wish and she has joined him in the beginners too.

Pictured below are John Cordon (left) and Moira Hague (centre) who is a pianist, which is a great advantage when learning to play the accordion. She lives in Macclesfield and already plays with the Stockport club band, but still values the work that she is doing with Geoff too. To Moira’s left is Ken Marek. He had played as a child but gave up at 13 after an illness. He came to our club after seeing a newspaper ad for the group – as did Rosey Galley pictured right.

Below right is Idris Lancet , who had played the piano until the age or 7 or 8 and whose son is a trombonist. Ann Fieldhouse (centre) saw an ad in the local paper for the group. She bought an old accordion and came along and has been coming

ever since, making good progress. To Ann’s left is Gordon Hunter who had played in the RAF and then gave up until about 2 years ago. There are several who sadly were not there on Monday.

I came away with a memory of a lovely atmosphere and hard work and most important of all – enjoyment. It is a credit to Geoff and his helpers. Geoff told me that his aim was to guide them through working together into something like a self help group that could still continue to progress even on the occasions when he was not there. Lily

MMaayy CClluubbnniittee Barry Smith will be our guest for our May clubnite, on May 20th. If you remember he kindly agreed to be our subject for the ‘In the Spotlight’ feature in the January and February newsletters this year. There will be more information about the May clubnite next month.

NAO UK Championships reminder The NAO UK Championships take place at the Adelphi Hotel, Liverpool, from April 25th to 27th.

The Adelphi has proved to be a good venue, there is a multi-storey car park across the road, and the hotel is very close to Lime St. railway station. I’ll be there on the Saturday as part of the trade show, which is set in the large, spacious and particularly comfortable foyer, next to the front entrance. Rob Howard

CClluubb BBaanndd ccoommeess 33rrdd iinn BBaanndd CCoommppeettiittiioonn The band competition, which was part of the Newcastle Festival for Music, Speech and Drama, took place in the afternoon of March 15th at St. John Fisher Catholic College

For the third year in succession our band competed in the ‘Open Band’ competition and there were 7 bands in our group. We played Shufflin’ Samuel and

Morning at Seven and were scheduled for 2.45 p.m. We arrived early although we were fifth in the order of playing. It gave band members time to relax or to slip into the back of the hall and get a listen to the opposition. There were all ages and types of bands. There was The Reed Warblers from Alsager, Stafford Grammar School Big Band, Two Moss Rose Community Bands, Hassell Street Jazz Guitar Group and Malbank Big Band from Nantwich and of course, ourselves, The North Staffs Accordion Band.

With very stiff opposition, especially from the big bands, to our delight we were awarded 3rd place and received a glowing report and 87 points out of 100 from the adjudicator with the following comments…..

1.Shufflin’ Samuel. ‘This was a characterful performance and it was played with lots of musicality. You performed with a blended ensemble sound and with a secure rhythm section. Accurate playing. Full of dynamic contrasts’.

2. Morning at Seven. ‘Once again there was an effective performance. I really enjoyed the crescendos and diminuendos, throughout the piece. Some lovely solo lines. Each part fitted together and the overall sound was secure. A lovely programme!’

FFoorrtthh CCoommiinngg CChhaarriittyy CCoonncceerrtt Your committee is organising a charity concert to help fund research into a cure for RETINITIS PIGMENTOSA (RP) and we're doing this because Stefan & Denise (Leigh) Andrusyschyn are club members and their young son, Dimitri, has inherited the gene that causes RP.

RP is a hereditary disease of the retina that results in the progressive loss of sight and blindness and in the UK, it is estimated that some 25,000 families are affected. Currently there is no available cure or treatment.

The money that we generate from our charity concert will be donated to ‘RP Fighting Blindness’ - registered charity number 271729 - who fund research into a cure for this disease.

The concert will take place later on in the year (probably November). It is still at the planning stage, so I can't provide you with any precise details. However, I can tell you that we plan to involve Stefan & Denise, a local male voice choir and some accordionists. If we can find a nice venue - what more could we ask for?

I'll keep you informed as our plans develop but in the interim there'll be some collecting boxes at our clubnites, so you can start to fill them up. Mike

TTuullllee FFaaccttoorryy KKeeeeppss oonn SSqquueeeezziinngg This news item was handed to me by member Graham Hughes…..

‘Who says that professional footballers are overpaid prima donnas? Quite a lot of people, in fact, but from now they won’t be able to include Laurent Koscieiny in that number. The Arsenal defender and French international has just saved his home country’s oldest accordion factory from closure in the town where he was brought up, saving 20 jobs.

The business in Tulle (also hapless President Francois Hollande’s constituency) dates back to 1919 but was under threat from cheap Chinese and eastern European imports. Koscieiny, 28, is part of an investment group that has just pumped in nearly £500,000. That should stop it feeling the squeeze’.

The local mayor, Bernard Combes, an adviser to President Hollande, had contacted the player to raise the plight of the factory.

Diary

Members’ Adverts

Accordion Tuition .

Pauline Hardwick Tel 01782 397248 Accordion and/or piano Stefan Andrusyschyn Tel 07958261024 Accordion and/or piano Mike Gibson Tel 01782 660865 Piano

For Sale

Hohner Atlantic IV DeLuxe accordion, black, 120 bass, 11 treble couplers, 3 bass, double octave straight tuning, highly polished metal casing, case, £500. Tel. 01543 276500 or email g.green604@btinternet.com

President Brian Shufflebotham 01538 382610 Chairman Mike Richards 01782 642101 Secretary Shelagh Mayer 01782 783821 Treasurer Ann Millward 01782 638570

Committee Tony Britton, Helen Brown, Graham Hughes, Steve Hughes, ,

Lily Lynch and Greta Moseley.

web address - www.northstaffsaccordionclub.co.uk

Editor Lily Lynch email - accordions@northstaffsaccordionclub.co.uk

Every Monday 5.00pm-6.00 pm Accordion classes for young players at Holditch Every Monday 7.30 p.m. Beginners’/Improvers’ night at Holditch Tuesdays other than 3rd 8.00pm Band rehearsal at Holditch Every 3rd Tuesday of month 8.00pm Clubnite at Holditch Every 1st Thursday of month 1 p.m. Solo Session, Knutton Ex-Servicemens Club April 23rd-27th NAO UK Championships, held at the Adelphi

Hotel in Liverpool

11th/16th May Blackpool Accordions International 2014 Bookings 01482 805387 or email heather@accordions.karoo.co.uk

Saturday May 17th or Sunday 18th Band concert at Endon Boat Club Tuesday May 20th (clubnite) Guest night: Barry Smith June 17th Themed clubnite – Wartime Songs Tuesday July 15th (clubnite) Guest night: Julie Best & Jean Corrighan Saturday September 13th Band concert at St Peter’s Church, Elworth Saturday September 20th Band concert at Milton Church 20th/24th October Mundesley Accordions International 2014 Tuesday October 21st Malachy Cairns