Richard Galliano

french musette // accordion // tango

My first mental association with an accordion is my father playing christmas carrols on his, being so geeky it’s charming. But Richard Galliano has taken the accordion places I’d never imagine that old reedy squeezebox going. He revived the turn-of-the-century Parisan dancehall music known as musette which is often credited with introducing tango to the world. Once it hit the Paris scene in the 1930’s, as Paris was the center of fashion, it instantly became hip and spread. Galliano plays the works of his mentor, the tango great Astor Piazolla, with unmatched brilliance (‘Libertango’) as he does with the more traditional musette, ‘La Valse A Margaux’.
This ain’t your father’s squeezebox.

Richard Galliano – Libertango
Richard Galliano – La Valse a Margaux
buy this cd

Posted by Paul Irish on Sunday, January 29th, 2006 under global.

9 Responses to “Richard Galliano”

  1. L.N. Hammer said on January 30th at 8:14 am :

    Crunchy. I love it.

    Reminds me in some ways of how some klezmer bands use accordion, though I’m sure the influence runs the other way. I’m thinking in particular of some tracks by the New Orleans Klezmer Allstars, but I’ve heard others live.

    —L.

  2. Jakob said on January 30th at 12:29 pm :

    Dude, I was just planning on digging out Galliano today after work, coz I heard him on radio. You always hit the right notes!

  3. carolbee said on January 31st at 8:57 pm :

    fabulous! take a listen to Galliano and Ron Carter in Panamanhattan. its alchemy. I love the way the pull and stretch the music between them.

  4. Anonymous said on February 7th at 4:54 pm :

    neat!

    thanks .. brought this cd

  5. skeenbr0 said on February 27th at 7:45 pm :

    Further proves my theory that an accordion in the right hands can be cool as hell

  6. Jez said on March 7th at 6:22 pm :

    I saw him play live here in the UK some months ago, in duo with French clarinettist Michel Portal.

    Have you heard Portal’s work with a set of American musicians, with the “Minneapolis” album?

  7. michelle said on March 24th at 7:00 pm :

    gotan’esque…with all the mystery of phantom

  8. Anonymous said on April 6th at 2:38 pm :

    Thank you for the introduction!

  9. sorley said on November 18th at 8:24 am :

    Heard Galliano with Gary Burton last night in Cartagena, Spain, and I am still shaking.Phenominal, like MJQ, Paris of the 30’s, swings like mad.

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