Two and a half years ago, Will Comer’s mother, Charisse, brought an accordion home from a co-worker who no longer played. Will, 15 at the time, immediately sensed an instrument that he could sink his teeth into.
“Fortunately, my mother has always been a very helpful person in my arts. She always finds amazing ways to pursue my passion.”, Comer claimed.
Will’s prior focus was on the piano before being drawn to the accordion by its robust physicality. I heard what you could do with the accordion, and got enthralled with it.” Comer’s attendance at AAA (American Accordionists’ Association) meetings and concerts solidified his love for the accordion.”The accordion is part of you. You’re strapped in. It moves with your movements.”
Comer contends, “Pianos and accordions both have keyboards, but that’s where the similarities end. With the accordion, you actually mimic the singer with similar breathing techniques. ‘And cellists.They might have to switch directions mid-phase – like pumping the accordion bellows. How soft or loud depends on how quickly you move them. It becomes much more of an extension of yourself.”
Although Will picked up the accordion as a teenager, Will’s traditional classical background began at a much younger age. The Wilton, Connecticut resident has been taking piano lessons for the past 9 years, since the age of 8, continuing until today. Additionally, Comer has been studying accordion under the tutelage of Connecticut Accordion Association orchestra member, Sandy Zera of Fairfield, Connecticut for the past 2 years.
At 15, Will performed in the Litchfield Jazz Camp and Litchfield Jazz Festivals incorporating both accordion and piano. In the past 3 years, he also participated in American Accordionists Association festivals, performing in the Youth Involvement Jazz Program.
Unlike accordionists who tend toward classical music, “My specialty is jazz. Most of my repertoire is drawn from the jazzier side of The Great American Song Book – highlighting standards from Broadway theatre and Hollywood musical film.” – areas of renewed interest influencing a growing number of rock and pop musicians. During his regular performances as cocktail pianist at Wilton’s Portofino Restaurant, Will found a much deeper purpose, while becoming an avid fan of singers like Mel Torme, Frank Sinatra – as well as pop composers like Cole Porter, Jerome Kerns, the Gershwins.
One of the reasons Comer loves to play jazz standards: “They are open to interpretation, providing a bare bones structure and phrasing for the musician to riff off. The tone that you convey, the dynamics, force, fluidity of the accompaniment, goals of the song – completely change by how you’re feeling that day. Each time I play a song, I love it.”
An enthusiastic musician, Will is very passionate regarding jazz improvisation. “When you play jazz, it doesn’t matter how anyone before or after did it, but what you’re doing that moment. ‘Like a culinary chef..You know the ingredients, can throw anything in that will help the taste, colors, and overall appearance. With music, you determine what the song will sound like.”
Although Will’s parents have both dabbled in music, his Dad, Tom Comer, admitted, “Will came to music on his own. He went off to his room teaching himself to play the harmonica in 5th grade, and taught himself from theory books beginning at a young age. You can’t be a jazz musician unless you have a solid understanding of theory. He really has a love for this music. That’s what keeps him motivated to keep on moving. You can see it. This is what he wants to do. It just kind of calls him. Tom Comer enjoys the perplexed enthusiasm of people who are surprised to meet a teenage musician so steeped in American standards. People of my generation are always shocked to hear my son play. It’s fun to hear their reactions.”
Will Comer is director of the “Evergreen Performers, a teen band of Wilton High School musicians who put their own spin on classics. We have bridged the gap between ourselves and senior citizens over the past 2 years by sharing our gift of music by performing live at various facilities. We try to play music that everyone can relate to, not just older people, but younger people as well. Their reactions always make us feel great because they really appreciate what we’re doing. It makes them happy. ‘And that
makes us happy.”
A senior at Wilton High School, Will is a member of their marching band, chorus, and jazz ensemble. In his ‘spare time’, Comer entertains at restaurants, bars, cocktail parties – as well as being an active participant in the Connecticut Accordion Association orchestra. A very promising 17 year old accordionist, Will was the featured guest artist for Connecticut Accordion Association’s January 31, 2016 gathering at Vasi’s Restaurant in Waterbury, Connecticut. The audience always appreciates Comer’s impressive live accordion performances.
How does Will do it all? Where there’s a WILL, there’s a way!!!
