Rob Price
Gutbrain Records
rob + gutbrain.com = email


2021 June 16 • Wednesday

The hunt for jazz guitarists of the 1950s and 1960s has led us to some great accordion records from that time.

The first such for your consideration, and with our highest recommendation, is Jo Ann Castle's Accordion in Hi-Fi.

It starts with a deceptively slow intro to "Tico Tico" before taking off and dazzling the listener with Castle's lightning speed playing.

The program has much more to offer than virtuosity, however, as the musicianship and sensitivity of the players are both on a very high level, and are on display in more relaxed settings such as "Harbor Lights" and "The Breeze and I".

The classic "The Flight of the Bumblebee" gets a reworking as a breakneck "Bumble Boogie" and there are also wonderful renditions of "Sway", "Cherokee" and "The World Is Waiting for the Sunrise", among others.

The only complaint is that we don't know who's accompanying Castle on guitar, bass and drums. Whoever they are, they're fantastic.