ABSTRACT: 01:30 Ancelet gets into the history of the accordion, explaining that its first patent was acquired in 1829 in Vienna, and how it works as an instrument. He says that after developing between the 1820’s and 1840’s it spread like wildfire in the 1840’s, which he attributes to the fact that it was compact, simple, sturdy, and loud. He explains that it traveled through the world without instructions, leading people to simply figure out how to make it make the music they heard in their heads, “and that’s the magic of the accordion.” 06:08 Marc Savoy explains how he believes the accordion came to be so popular amongst Cajuns and Creoles. He believes that its loudness had a lot to do with it, citing how at jam sessions you can hear a single accordion from afar without hearing a thing from the accompanying ten fiddles, given that Cajuns are known as a rather rowdy bunch, and that its indestructability helped, particularly given the climate of Louisiana, which wreaks havoc on stringed instruments. He also praises the ease of learning on certain accordions, noting that with some of them it’s a different story. 07:50 Savoy explains how accordions were imported to LA from Germany, seemingly through a network in the Jewish community, as there were major Jewish importers in New York and all the Jewish-owned dry goods stores in LA began selling them. He explains why – due to the bell metal that was being used in the reeds – the accordions were flimsy compared to those made today, which use refined steel. 10:20 Savoy explains that there is proof to how early the accordion arrived in Louisiana: C. Bruno & Son, a music company, had about three hundred different types for sale (ranging from one seventy-five to four fifty) in their 1854 catalogue. 11:30 Savoy gets into the evolution of the quality of the instruments. For a while, no accordions were sold, because people believed the factories in Germany had been destroyed in World War II, including soldiers who came home and had memories of kicking accordions out of their way. This, however, was not the case: stores had been demolished, but the factories were beyond the war zone. They were, however, on the east side. 13:09 Savoy explains how he got into accordion making: the dearth of German imports left people with only one choice as their old ones began to fall apart, a model from Hohner (based in West Germany) that got so streamlined it began unappealing. People began repairing their old ones, including, in 1955, a man named Sidney Brown, who eventually branched out into fabrication. He used Hohner models as the base, but, notably, re-tuned them, figuring out a system for doing so himself, so that they sounded more like the older East German models. 15:28 Savoy explains that a French Canadian, Philippe Brunot, inspired him to try and make exactly the instrument that he, who Savoy considered to put him to shame on the accordion, requested. He didn’t have quite enough musical knowledge for that, so it took him years, but he says now he feels it’s good enough. 16:31 Savoy explains that he now makes accordion to play as he likes them to – for him, this means they’re responsive, have a good, strong bite, and don’t require being wrestled to get a good air flow going. 17:30 Demonstration 19:31 Ledet speculates that Clifton Chenier opted for a piano accordion because he felt it had a bit more versatility, and had been accustomed to playing keyboards. 20:39 Ledet demonstrates the different sound stops on his piano accordion. 21:34 Demonstration of piano accordion zydeco, by Ledet 23:44 Hartman explains an idiosyncrasy of the diatonic accordion, its rhythmic clicking that comes from changing the direction of the bellows. 25:00 Hartman tells how his father used to play accordion, which he found silly. It was moving to Louisiana and seeing Clifton Chenier that changed his mind about the instrument. He explains that the instrument has a hard time most other places, as he recounts in a story about a contest in San Francisco where contestants got equal points for their playing and their apparel. 27:37 Demonstration, klezmer accordion, by Hartman 31:52 Demonstration, “soulful sound” 32:37 Savoy explains that the Cajun and piano accordions tune differently. 33:14 Demonstration, blues by Ledet 34:30 Demonstration, Yiddish intonation by Hartman 35:10 Hartman explains that the music of an accordion lives in is bellows. 36:27 Demonstration “Crowley Two-Step” by the Savoys 37:40 Savoy explains why some more amateur players only play one side, as there are only two chords on the bass side and they’re difficult to maneuver. 38:21 Demonstration by Ledet 40:03 Demonstration, “La Adelita” Yiddish mash-up by Hartman 42:52 Demonstration, modulation by the Savoys