The Cajun Squeezebox Shootout » Nick

Big Nick plays Seychelles on Cajun Accordion

admin — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 20:31:29 +0000

Big Nick plays Seychelles on Cajun Accordion

Duration : 0:2:0

Big Nick – Cajun Accordion – Midland Two Step Alla Eddie Poullard

admin — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 21:34:21 +0000

Big Nick playing Midland Two Step. This version features many Eddie Poullard styles (at least, attempted Eddie Poullard styles). It’s being played slow as a demonstration of the style.

Duration : 0:0:54

Big Nick Plays ‘Between Eunice & Opelousas’

admin — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 15:46:46 +0000

Big Nick performing Mark Savoy’s song: ‘Between Eunice & Opelousas’ on Cajun Accordion (wmv)

Duration : 0:1:51

MIDI Accordion plays Mechanical Concert Organ

admin — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 18:51:16 +0000

A WORLD EXCLUSIVE… Me playing the newly midi -ized concert (fairground/street) organ “De Arend” live in real time using my MIDI accordion… very cool indeed!

The world’s biggest accordion expander perhaps? This certainly beats any electronic sound generator boxes, as everything you hear is coming from real instruments, all still operated pneumatically (the MIDI system uses an electro-mechanical relay chest I made to interface to the organs pneumatics).

Not the easiest setup to play, but interesting none the less, with similarities here to a theatre organ. Sorry for the odd slip up here and there, but obviously these were deliberately put in to prove I’m playing live (!) and remind you this is the first time ever I’ve played a mechanical organ like this (a fun but strangely disconcerting experience as I’m so used to listening to these machines play by themselves!). I could really have done with a bigger keyboard as couldn’t fit all the counter melody notes on the top end of the treble, and had to transpose an octave up in order to access the register setting notes to change the ranks of pipes being played.

Anyway, hope you enjoy the video, and please post your comments below.

Don’t forget to take a look at my other videos for details of the MIDI interface system and videos of the organ playing from both this and traditional perforated cardboard.

Duration : 0:9:59

Cajun Music – Doc Marshalls

admin — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 23:36:20 +0000

The Doc Marshalls live at the IMAC Theater in Huntington, Long Island (Jan 07)

Duration : 0:8:11

Demo of Crucianelli Musette Piano Accordion with MIDI System

admin — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 01:55:22 +0000

Take a look at my new toy, this beautiful Crucianelli 120-bass Italian Piano Accordion. As well the lovely traditional musette sound from the internal reeds in the usual way, the instrument now has a brand new MIDI system fitted, which through use of a Roland accordion expander enables hundreds of sounds to be synthesised in real time to add great variety to the music produced. One can also turn off the actual treble and/or bass reeds to have purely electronic sounds for melody, chords or bass, or naturally use as a traditional acoustic instrument with no electronics at all, so the possibilities are endless.

I’ve been playing with this setup for just over a week now, and thought it about time I make a demo video, along with a Christmas medley. Things didn’t quite go to plan however… enjoy!

P.S. Please check out my other accordion videos! Here’s one taken the day after this particular video while I was out street busking for the first time with this instrument…

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=kT-gphWtB3c

Duration : 0:2:23

Midland Two Step Cajun Accordion 180 bpm

admin — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 19:50:15 +0000

Big Nick takes another stab at “Midland Two Step” at 180 bpm

Duration : 0:0:48

Magic Piano Accordion Duet (2 Accordions, 1 Player!)

admin — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 11:55:14 +0000

Filmed at the Twinwoods Mechanical organ Festival 2008, this video shows me playing two accordions at once with the aid of a midi link

The accordion I’m wearing and playing is a 120 bass Crucianelli which in addition to its beautifully handmade musette tuned reeds, also has a midi output. Connecting this output to Chris Does Magic Accordion, an amazing self-playing instrument made by organ builder Alan Pell, I’m thus able to play a duet with myself in real time – cool or what!

Here you’ll hear a quick test rendition of Serenade No. 13 by Carl Frei – look at my other accordion videos and you can hear the same piece played on just one accordion, plus more videos featuring this midi accordion in action.

Duration : 0:1:0