One of the most prolific and probably the greatest virtuoso of the “Valtaro Musette Accordionists” was the late great Gelso Pellegrini. Gelso, (Jan. 17, 1934 – Jan. 10, 2002 ), an only child, was born in New York City. Either one or both of his parents, Joseph and Felicita, were from the town of Pessola (comune di Varsi) in the Emilia Romagna region of Parma, Italy.
At the age of ten he started taking accordion lessons with Aldo Bruschi and at some point also studied with Giuseppe Rossi. He loved the accordion with a passion and constantly was practicing. Aldo Bruschi relates that Gelso’s father one time came to him and pleaded with Aldo to tell him not to practice so much. He was afraid that his son would get sick. Aldo relates that Gelso was a magnificent student who always strived for perfection.
These diligent study habits paid off in due time. Geslo won a gold medal first prize in an accordion competition in New York City on May 19.1946. He also eventually went on to study the violin and viola with Amedeo Liva and the tuba with Antonio Capucci. He was a graduate of the High School of Music and Art and went on to New York University where he spent three years studying psychology. Unfortunately, he never finished or attained a degree.
He always attributed his acquired musical skills to his close and lifelong musical relationship and friendships with his teacher Aldo Bruschi and later accordionist Hugo Nati. Both individuals played very significant parts in his early development of his professional musical abilities and style. This threesome (Aldo, Hugo and Gelso) eventually combined their talents in forming the Master Trio.
The Trio’s very first performance (1951) was at the Brooklyn Museum where they performed Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro Overture, Bizet’s Carrnen Suite, and the first movement of Schubert’s “Unfinished Symphony”. All the arrangements were the work of Aldo Bruschi. On March 21, 1951 they appeared on the Arthur Godfrey Talent Scouts TV program and won first prize playing Frosini’s Jolly Caballero Paso Doble. As a result of being winners on the Talent Scout TV program they also appeared on three sessions of Arthur Godfrey’s CBS morning radio show.
On these shows they performedLeroy Anderson’s
“Fiddle Faddle,” Smetana’s “Dance of the Comedians,” and a Gershwin composition. Once again, all arrangements were by Aldo Bruschi. These significant accomplishment resulted in their performing in a series of one hour classical concerts which were broadcast on radio station WNYC.
Gelso had the good fortune to meet opera composer Gian Carlo Menotti while Menotti was preparing his now famous one act operas (“The Telephone” and “The Medium”) for Broadway. This encounter resulted in giving Gelso the opportunity to study composition with maestro Menotti.
One characteristic of Gelso’s wonderful playing was his ties to and love for the Valtaro Musette style that was originated by John Brugnoli and Pete Delgrosso back in 1936. He played in their Valtaro Cabaret as a young accordionist from 1958 to 1961 and learned much by working with these two creative accordion masters. Gelso loved this style with a musical passion and took it and elevated it through his imaginative, magnificent musicianship and interpretation to another level of artistic excellence.
He eventually had the opportunity to perform in Europe, Hawaii (1989 for four months) and in 1996 represented the United States in the world famous accordion exposition and festival in Montmagny, Quebec, Canada.
His virtuoso technique; great harmonic knowledge and concepts; and his creative improvisator skills made “his Valtaro interpretations” really unique and special. His playing was vibrant, brilliant and many an accordionist would come to Magnanini Winery in Wallkill, NY on weekends to sit, listen and be amazed by “this master accordionist.” This, by the way, also included myself, who would go there to be mesmerized by his magnificent playing. He, in due time,turned this winery into a “gathering locale” for accordionists of all kinds and styles. He also performed on weekdays on a steady basis at Milanese Restaurant in Hyland, NY.
Gelso recorded with John Brugnoli on the LPs titled “La Famosa Valtaro Musette Orchestra” (Colonial LP-192 ) and “Danze Dalla Riviera Ligure”
(Colonial LP-72&). Gelso also recorded two cassette tapes of his music late in his career (July 11, 1996). These included “Gelso Pellegrini Solo Accordion – Nuove e Vecchie” Vol. 1, Vol. 2. These sessions were produced by his friend Carl Restivo at “Third Studio from the Sun” on French Hill Road in Wayne, NJ. A third cassette (“Gelso Pellegrini – Accordion” Vol. 3) was recorded later.
I think that one of his most impressive and outstanding performances can to found on a video tape of a conglomerate of Mario Tacca “Accordion Spectaculars Concerts” which took place in Poughkeepsie, NY. On this video Gelso is seen playing his “Fantasy and Variations on an old Northern Italian Folk Song.” I firmly believe that here we see Gelso Pellegrini accordion playing at its finest.
Beside the above mentioned accordionists Gelso collaborated and worked with many other fine accordionists which included Emilio Chiesa, Pete Spagnoli, Mindie and Addie Cere, Dano Bertoli, Frank Vance, Carmen Carrozza, Frank Carozza, Mario Tacca, Frank Toscano and Willie Brunelli.
He married his wife Dee in December 1976 and they were very happily married for twenty-five years. He worked for IBM from about 1977 to 1989 in Poughkeepsie, NY.
