OCTOBER 2016 NEWSLETTER

HAPPINESS at ALSI by Sharon Marotte

September 11 – a day we will remember forever. Our ALSI meeting was full of music

once again. Players around the village were: Brandel – Sharon Marotte - Cafeteria –

Vicki Eriqat. Bob Warner was the MC, Jack Marotte ran the sound board & mics,

Mary Lou Erwin was at the front table greeting folks as they came into Bailey Hall. -The first player of the day was yours truly, Sharon Marotte. My songs were:

Sweet Georgia Brown, Tarantella Napoletana & My Way. -Jerry Odling played next.

His songs were: Cabaret, Till There

Was You, Good Night Sweetheart,

Sound of Music. Jerry uses the

bass note only, no chord. Nice

technique. -Marilyn Harkins played

only one song….There is a Tavern

in the Town. Next time you must

play 3 songs!! Good job, you get

better every time you play. -Ron Griffin is back in

town!!!! He spent time demon-

strating his accordion and some of the sounds it can make – very interesting. He is an

engineer so this is right up his alley!!! He played: Your Cheating Heart, Besame Mucho,

Scuzi mi, Amore & Polkan Gar. Good job, Ron. Nice to have you back with us. -Al Jacobs had lots of time to play for us. He played Cabaret which has lyrics in

German, French & English. Some Italian songs – Volare, Oh Marie, Tarantella. Some Irish

songs –When Irish Eyes are Smiling and Irish Jig. He also played several songs from Fid-

dler on the Roof.

Volume 3 Issue 10

Happiness continued —

September 11 – a day we will remember forever. Our ALSI meeting was full of music once again. Players

around the village were: Brandel – Sharon Marotte - Cafeteria – Vicki Eriqat. Bob Warner was the MC,

Jack Marotte ran the sound board & mics, Mary Lou Erwin was at the front table greeting folks as they came

into Bailey Hall. -The first player of the day was yours truly,

Sharon Marotte. My songs were: Sweet Georgia

Brown, Tarantella Napoletana and My Way. -Jerry Odling played next. His songs were:

Cabaret, Till There Was You, Good Night Sweet-

heart, Sound of Music. Jerry uses the bass note only,

no chord. Nice technique. -Marilyn Harkins played only one

song….There is a Tavern in the Town. Next time you

must play 3 songs!! Good job, you get better every

time you play. -Ron Griffin is back in town!!!! He spent time

demonstrating his accordion and some of the sounds

it can make – very interesting. He is an engineer so

this is right up his alley!!! He played: Your Cheating Heart, Besame Mucho, Scuzi mi, Amore and Polkan Gar.

Good job, Ron. Nice to have you back with us. -Al Jacobs had lots of time to play for us. He played Cabaret which has lyr-

ics in German, French & English. Some Italian songs – Volarie, Oh Marie, Tarantella.

Some Irish songs –When Irish Eyes are Smiling &an Irish Jig. He also played several

songs from Fiddler on the Roof. -Gordon Kohl stopped by to greet all of the ALSI members. He stayed to

visit for a bit before continuing on his way. We had our coffee/cake break in the new addition dining room, right next to Bailey

Hall. All the tables had white linen tablecloths, plenty of room to sit and visit. Jane

Ford had bright colored tablecloths on the serving tables. It was very nice. The Accordion Band played after the break. Vicki Eriqat was the director & Lois Lahoud played

percussion instruments. Their songs were: 76 Trombones, Blue Tango, King of the Road – Al Piselli on vocals,

Janet’s Waltz, Happy Wanderer, Five Foot Two – Linda Hibbert on vocals, Bubbles in the Wine, Too Fat Pol-

ka – Vicki Eriqat on vocals, California Here I Come & Adios. We were all excited to hear Bob Page play his Showcase & especially to

have Lou Fanucchi with us again. We really enjoyed his playing.

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Hello ALSI music friends!

The season is changing here in San Diego. The early mornings

are “crispy” and the clouds are just blowing in the wind. For

me, this means the Oktoberfest season is here and the fun

events too. ALSI will be having a day of fun music in Balboa

Park on October 9th, Sunday. Accordionists will come and

play a variety of songs listened to at the world famous Ok-

toberfest held in Munich, Germany.

I hope that all ALSI friends will bring family and friends to take part in our fantastic

event. A visit to Balboa Park, the museums, walking areas, gardens and a world re-

nowned zoo will also bring us all out Sunday, October 9th. The accordion event will

be held over by the natural history and science museum, just west of a spectacular

water fountain. Please come early and enjoy time with your friends and accordion en-

tertainment.

All the Best, Gordon

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE - by Gordon Kohl

From the collection of Rena Walton, most accordion players seem to collect

these things, have any yourself ?

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Gordon Kohl Plays Casuals, Wedding Dances and Special Events. Gordon’s Combo is noted for their repertoire of

ethnic music such as Italian, French, German and Latin. Their specialty is Private Parties & Dancing Mu-

sic. (For more information and availability, please call Gordon at: (619) 395-0454.

Harold & Helen Estok Founders of A.L.S.I. — President: Gordon Kohl 619 395-0454

Presidents Emeriti: (Founder) Harold Estok, Ron Griffin, Kjell Holmes, Gloria Ensign

Vice President: Mary Lou Erwin 619 448-9588

Meeting Coordinator: Bob Warner

Treasurer & Band Director: Vicki Eriqat 619 563-5586

Recording Secretary: Sharon Marotte 619 286-3948

Newsletter/Webmaster: Bob Page, Lois Lahoud, Al Piselli

The REED BLOCK

c/o Mary Lou Erwin

P.O. Box 712571

Santee, CA 92072

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BOB PAGE SHOWCASE SEPTEMBER 11, 2016

Review by Bob Warner

For some time we have been

looking forward to having Bob do a

program for us. He was one of the

first members to buy a Roland reed-

less accordion, the model FR7x. Since

then I believe we now have a total of

5 members playing a Roland of one

model or another. Bob has devoted a huge

amount of time studying the extensive

capabilities his instrument has. He is a

regular member of the ALSI accordi-

on ensemble and has played frequent-

ly during the open mic sessions at our

meetings. I must say that his efforts

have produced excellent results. Bob

has a smooth style of playing using a

clean keyboard technique. His music preferences include the familiar contemporary ballads. He

pays particular attention to the voicings for his pieces where there is a lot to draw from with the

Roland. Although it is not necessary to use an external amplifier with the FR7x Bob chose to setup

with one. He began his program with a swing version of the ballad “MOONGLOW” using a bassoon

voicing and a smooth chord technique. In the old standard “TALK OF THE TOWN” he picked up

the swing tempo and used the same voicing. Bob likes to carry the melody and harmony using four

finger chords which is a signature of his playing style. With” AMAZING GRACE” he played a sin-

gle note introduction and added organ and orchestral voicings for the rest of the piece to demon-strate some of the versatility of his instrument. His arrangement of “LARA’S THEME” from the

movie Dr. Zhivago used a pre-recorded rhythm track that followed the harmony of the piece. This

was very effective.

Changing genre, Bob next played the beautiful ballad “SABOR A MI”, again using a pre-

recorded rhythm track. Everybody should have this beautiful song as part of their repertoire and

Bob does it justice. He continued with the sentimental song ”LA VIEN ROSE” which was made

popular by the French singer Edith Piaf. Augmented by a rhythm background with orchestra and

using a French accordion voicing this piece came alive. His version of “AUTUMN LEAVES” used an

orchestral background and swing rhythm backup. It produced a rich sound overall. His arrange-

ment of “LA PALOMA” with orchestral background and other instruments was performed beauti-

fully. Being able to create your own ensemble with the ROLAND and mix it with the accordion

sound is a significant feature of this instrument.

Continue next page —

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Although we played for free, we presented our accordion music under a small gazebo and

were well received.

POLKA DOTS performed at Grossmont Center September 18, 2016

Showcase Continued —

We were pleased to see that Bob had invited Lou Fanucchi to join him at this point in the

program. They began with “TWILIGHT TIME”, a THREE SUNS favorite. Lou added his variations

and frills as only Lou can do. Their next duet was the ever popular “AROUND THE WORLD IN

EIGHTY DAYS”. They finished with “SENTIMENTAL JOURNEY” using a nice swing tempo with

Bob on melody and Lou backing him up. Lou plays the same model Roland as Bob. Since we had Lou here it was only natural for us to have him play a solo or two. His first

number was an excerpt from Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto #2. He used orchestra background

along with the piano voicing. It was outstanding. The second piece was Anthony Galla-Rini’s ar-

rangement of “MALAGUENA” composed by Ernesto Lecuona. It was superb. It was our pleasure

to see and hear Lou again. We hope to hear more from Bob in the future. His elegant playing using the features of the

Roland was very enjoyable.

ALSI BAND Concert at Vi La Jolla on 9/25/16

Singing at Petco Park by Sharon Marotte

September 9, 2016

was an opportunity

that will stay with me

for a long time. I got

to sing the National

Anthem at the Padres

ballgame at Petco

Park. They played the

Colorado Rockies and lost, however. Of course, I did not sing a solo – I was part of the Lutheran

Choir night at Petco. There were 160+ singers in our group, all from different Lutheran churches in

San Diego, and some from Ramona. There were 11 of us from Ascension that attended. It is an awe-

some sight to be on the field by the second base line and sing with others. At times I felt like a kid in a

candy store…saying WOW!! We had to walk quite a bit, but oh well. We stayed to watch the game

and spent most of our time watching people, got on the jumbo viewing screen, sang along with songs,

etc. I hope to sign up again next year!!!

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We (Sharon, Erica, Ron, Lois, Jim, Ken, Linda, Loren, and Vivien) played from 2-3 pm. Under Vicki’s leadership,

the band took the music around the world beginning with Italy (Bionda), Finland (Finn Polka), Mexico (De Colores),

Pennsylvania (Pennsylvania Polka), Norway (Polkan Gar), Chicago (Chicago), New York (New York, New York), Ger-

many (Happy Wanderer) Liechtenstein (Liechtensteiner Polka), Scotland (Harvest Schottish), back to California

(California, Here I come) before signing off with Adios, AuRevoir, Auf Wiedersehn.

It was a National Geographic excursion dotted with facts of life: Mack the Knife (a kitchen knife or a murder

weapon?), King of the Road (Al was not around to divulge the vagabond life

style in America. No pressure, Al), Too Fat Polka (Vicki gave women’s view

on fat men), Just Because (Got attitude, no need to explain anything), Bubbles

in the Wine (Too drunk to observe those wunnerful, wunnerful bubbles?),

Five Foot Two (Linda described a beauty in a small package), Hey, Good Looking

(Lois taught a lesson on flirtation), assorted dances and marches (Johnson

Rag, Soldier’s March, Janet’s Waltz, 76 Trombones, and of course the Beer Bar-

rel Polka).

The program was a huge success, thanks to the excellent rhythm support

from Jim and Lois, vocal presentation from Vicki, Lois, and Linda, and the diverse timbre from Ken and Linda’s

electronic Rolands, which intrigued the audience and added much to our sound-

scape. Did I mention the excellent musicianship of the band?

We got to sing Happy Birthday to our own Loren. We are not sure if Loren

turned 62 or 102, even Marilyn does not know for sure. That soon became less

important when the birthday cake showed up with bubbling champagne chilled

to perfection.

We were very happy to see Chris recovering nicely from her shoulder surgery. We miss the folks that were not

able to be a part of this festivity. In the meantime, Let’s get ready for the next gig!

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ALSI MEETING CALENDAR

Gwendalle Cooper 10/3 none - no members were married in October

Jane Ford 10/3

Vivien Steger 10/4

Erika Bailer 10/6

Barbara Odling 10/17 Gloria Ensign 10/19

October Birthdays Anniversaries

October 9th Octoberfest Celebration at Balboa Park, starting at 11:30 AM. Gordon will be a fea-

tured player. Practice your Oktoberfest music so that you can add to the festivities at

this event. Tents an chairs will be provided for your listening comfort. Come early as

parking can be a challenge later in the day.

November 13th ALSI Heritage Day or Festival Day. We will have sub sandwiches and members will

bring dessert.

December 11

Look forward to some Holiday Music.

OTHER DATES TO REMEMBER

January 21-22 2017 Dates have been confirmed for the Oktoberfest in Yuma, Arizona presented by the

Das Bratwurst House. Our members who attended had a great time last year. We

hope more of us will be inspired to attend this one. Gordon will be have the stage on

Saturday. There will be a concert given on Sunday by the ALSI and Arizona clubs.

Yolanda and Carlos Meneses

Carolyn and Larry Kaiser

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In order to save on postage and also create less work for

our publishing staff we request that you evaluate your need

for a hard copy. If you wish to receive a computer PDF file in place of your

printed copy, please contact Lois by phone or email.

Lois Lahoud (619) 582-1427 or loislahoud@cox.net.

Please update your ReedBlock subscription preference.

ALSI

Statement Of

Purpose:

ALSI is San Diego’s

forum for appreciat-

ing and performing

accordion music,

including the MIDI

electronic accordion We welcome mem-

bers who enjoy lis-

tening to or playing

accordion music. We have an accordi-

on ensemble group,

monthly meetings,

local concerts featur-

ing local and interna-

tionally famous per-

formers, an annual

picnic and a monthly

newsletter.

Page 10

Heritage Day Accordion Festival

November 13, 2016

ACCORDION LOVERS SOCIETY INTERNATIONAL (ALSI)

PROUDLY PRESENTS OUR 21ST ANNUAL HERITAGE DAY.

Come dressed up in your ethnic costume, bring a friend, and enjoy an afternoon

of fantastic music, special guests, and delicious food for just $8.00 per person with advance reservations only. No food tickets at the door. RSVP as soon as possible to join us

at The Bailey Hall Auditorium.

Highlights Accordion Music from around the world

Ethnic Costumes

Crescent Sandwiches with meal ticket

Please bring your favorite dessert to share

Time: 1:00—4:00 PM

Where: BAILEY HALL AT MT. MIGUEL COVENANT VILLAGE

325 Kempton Ave., Spring Valley, CA 91977

Contact person: Mary Lou Erwin Phone: 619.448.9588

Heritage Day Festival Registration Form —

November 13, 2016 at 1-4 pm in Bailey Hall at Mt. Miguel Covenant Village in Spring Valley.

Advance Tickets $8 per person

Names in party:___________________________________________________

Number attending:__________

Amount Enclosed: $_________________

Please forward this form and payment to:

ALSI c/o Mary Lou Erwin at P.O. Box 712571 Santee, CA 92072

by November 4, 2016

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Quick Notes: October 9th

Meet in Balboa Park for our Oktoberfest

program from 11:30 to 4:00

Gordon Kohl will be featured.

* ALSI Band will also play for us.

ALSI is on the WEB at www.accordion-club-sandiego.org

Time for 2017 Membership renewal Dues to remain the same at $25 for US and Canada

International—please check for rate

Name(s): _________________________________________________________

Address, if new or changed: _________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Important dates for above names (birthdays, anniversaries, etc), please

specify name with dates: ___________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

Email, if new or changed: ____________________________________________

Newsletter preference: _______ mailed printed copy ______email copy

Please forward this form and payment to ALSI:

ALSI c/o Mary Lou Erwin at P.O. Box 712571 Santee, CA 92072