The sound of free reeds filled Manhattan’s Bryant Park for three evenings when Accordions Around the World brought together 45 accordionists and ensembles, presenting an exceptionally diverse showcase of accordion / bellows-instrument music.
Held from 5pm to 7pm each evening, the free event placed musicians at five locations around the park’s lawn and Fountain Terrace. Fifteen acts performed each day, allowing visitors to wander between performances or settle on the lawn to hear a changing program of musical traditions.
The opening day illustrated the extraordinary range of the accordion, with Ben Rosenblum presenting world-influenced jazz, Gregory Grene Irish rock, Sadys Rodrigo Espitia Colombian cumbia and vallenato, and Maestro Tito Castro Argentine tango on bandoneón. Other styles ranged from Brazilian and Balkan music to American folk, alternative pop and rock and roll.
Monday September 21, Session 1: 5pm-5:40pm
- Station 1: Ben Rosenblum, World-infused jazz
- Station 2: Gregory Grene, Irish rock
- Station 3: Anna and Will Holshouser, U.S. folk music (fiddle + accordion duo)
- Station 4: Sadys Rodrigo Espitia, Colombian cumbia + vallenato
- Station 5: Annmarie Acosta Williams, Traditional Irish music
Session 2: 5:40pm-6:20pm
- Station 1: Maestro Tito Castro, Bandoneón: Argentine tango
- Station 2: Charley Layton, Vaudeville, ragtime, and musette
- Station 3: Sweetgum, Bluegrass, American folk, and Americana
- Station 4: Hinterlands, Original folk trance
- Station 5: Papa Joe De Clemente, Italian-American standards
Session 3: 6:20pm-7pm
- Station 1: Felipe Hostins, Brazilian music
- Station 2: Mary Spencer Knapp, Alternative pop
- Station 3: Adam Hendricks, Rock and roll
- Station 4: Peter Stan, Balkan music
- Station 5: Niall O’Leary, Traditional Irish music
Day two continued the musical journey with Argentine chamamé, klezmer, Brazilian jazz and Colombian music. Julie Winterbottom and the Catahoula Cajun Trio represented Louisiana Cajun music, while George Sáenz performed Tex-Mex conjunto. Veteran accordionist Bill Schimmel offered classic rock, demonstrating yet another side of the instrument.
Tuesday September 22, Session 1: 5pm-5:40pm
- Station 1: Guillermo Vaisman with Alejandro de los Reyes, Chamamé: Coastal Argentine folk music
- Station 2: Miriam’s Pickle Factory, Klezmer, Balkan, and Mediterranean tunes
- Station 3: Sam Gavish, European, Western and Central American music
- Station 4: Paul Stein, American folk song singalong
- Station 5: Melissa Elledge, Covers + standards
Session 2: 5:40pm-6:20pm
- Station 1: Foncho Castellar, Colombian cumbia + vallenato
- Station 2: Lucas Cypriano, Brazilian music + jazz
- Station 3: Ali Dineen, 1920s jazz and music from the U.S.-Mexico Orquestras de Cuerdas tradition
- Station 4: Art Now, International favorites
- Station 5: Bill Schimmel, Classic rock
Session 3: 6:20pm-7pm
- Station 1: Julie Winterbottom and the Catahoula Cajun Trio, Cajun music from Louisiana
- Station 2: T-Klez with Psachaya Septimus and Dena Ressler, Traditional Eastern European Jewish music
- Station 3: George Sáenz, Tex-Mex conjunto
- Station 4: John Sherman with Fred Parcells, Cajun, Appalachian, and blues
- Station 5: Ismail Butera, Music of the Mediterranean
The final evening included an equally international program. Jody Kruskal performed old American music on concertina, while David Hodges with Diana Lopez and Tito Castro presented Argentine tango on bandoneón. Christina Crowder offered klezmer and Moldavian music, and Eléonore Weill performed music drawing on klezmer, Occitan, Yiddish and French traditions. Scandinavian and traditional Irish music completed the evening.
Wednesday September 23, Session 1: 5pm-5:40pmSession 1: 5pm-5:40pm
- Station 1: Nathan & Jessie, Swinging jazzy folk
- Station 2: Christina Crowder, Klezmer + Moldovian music
- Station 3: Sasha Papernik, Original Americana
- Station 4: Jody Kruskal, Concertina: Old Americana
- Station 5: Shoko Nagai with Satoshi Takeishi, Silk Road: Music from Japan to the Middle East
Session 2: 5:40pm-6:20pm
- Station 1: David Hodges with Diana Lopez, Bandoneón: Argentine tango
- Station 2: Mattias Kaufmann, Klezmer, Eastern European, and original music
- Station 3: Maestro Tito Castro, Bandoneón: Argentine tango
- Station 4: Bob Goldberg, Modern + multicultural music
- Station 5: Natasha Bergman, French + Italian tunes
Session 3: 6:20pm-7pm
- Station 1: The Balloonatics, Bread and circus and accordions!
- Station 2: Eléonore Weill, Klezmer, Occitane, Yiddish, and French music
- Station 3: Alan Morrow, Waltzes + blues
- Station 4: Smörgåsbandet, Scandinavian music
- Station 5: Seagda Coyle, Traditional Irish music
A particularly interesting performance came from New York-based Japanese musician Shoko Nagai, joined by percussionist Satoshi Takeishi. Their program travelled musically along the Silk Road from Japan towards the Middle East. New York’s Japanese-language Daily Sun highlighted their appearance in its coverage of the festival.
The event also attracted radio attention. Ahead of the festival, WFMU’s Transpacific Sound Paradise presented a live preview featuring Gregory Grene and Ismail Butera, who subsequently performed Mediterranean music at Bryant Park.
With accordion, concertina and bandoneón heard in styles spanning several continents, the three-day event demonstrated just how remarkably international the free-reed family has become.
