The Accordionist's Sketchbook - A Day in South Orange - (posted on You Tube Channel
FromHolbergsTime on July 20, 2013) - This improvisational piece traces back to the years 1974/ 75 after I finished my 4 year tour of duty with the US Air Force and drove home from California to rejoin my family in New Jersey. It is an atmospheric sketch of some of the sounds, sights and patterns of a thriving urban core set adjacent to South Mountain Reservation, in the vicinity of Millburn toward the West and South Orange toward the East. Here there are railroads, lots of vehicular traffic, densely populated neighborhoods and a neatly laid out downtown center. For an entire day I walked these streets and recorded in my mind all the unique sounds of the South Orange environment, the rumbling pace of delivery trucks, the metallic squeal of the fast passenger trains, the familiar noise of the diesel city buses. And yet I could also assess the beauty of birdsong in the parks and the forest preserves and take note of the myriad conversations in this bustling metropolis. Throughout the day I was keenly aware of the dichotomy between the densely populated corridors of the city and the wilderness preserves just to the West. What a marvelous juxtaposition of serene tranquility on one hand and incessantly dynamic pace on the other! This music attempts to record some of the noteworthy pulses and dynamic observations of that day. Recorded upon my vintage Iorio accordion, a 4/5 reed instrument in LMMH configuration.
Baltusrol Impressions, Part I - (posted on You Tube Feb. 4, 2012)
Baltusrol Impressions, Part II - (posted on You Tube Feb. 8, 2012)
Baltusrol Impressions, Part III - (posted on You Tube Feb. 22, 2012)
Baltusrol Impressions, Part IV - (posted on You Tube Dec. 3, 2012)
These improvisational sketches reflect upon some of the historical moments shared while visiting my cousins and occasionally staying with them as a guest at their house on Baltusrol Avenue in Springfield, New Jersey. This area no longer offers the pristine beauty of waterfalls, rocky outcroppings, densely wooded forest, meandering stream and hidden pond in the distance. All of these lyrical treasures were swept away with the new highway alignment for Route 24 which came in during the late 1960's or early 1970's. This music attempts to recreate in an atmospheric manner some of the simple pleasures of those early years, from 1955-1965, when I was between 8 and 18 years of age. Various accordions are heard in this series, including a Hohner, Galanti and Iorio.