Recital: Gabriel Soileau '21 MM, Contemporary Improvisation

Traditional Irish/Jimmy Keane | Horse Keane's Hornpipe/The Maid Behind the Bar/The Golden Keyboard/The Charleston Reel

We dedicate this set of reels to the great Irish accordion player Jimmy Keane. Jimmy is a legend in traditional music and one of the key inspirations for me to start learning Irish music on the piano accordion as opposed to the more traditional box. Therefore, it was very exciting when Liz Knowles at NEC was able to get me in touch with Jimmy last year to arrange some Zoom lessons. I hope to continue to develop a relationship moving forward. Jimmy wrote the first and last tunes in this set, the middle two we learned from the playing of Matt Malloy and Sean Kean (no relation).

Traditional Irish | The Reverend Brothers/Sean Ryan's/Cliffs of Moher

This is a set of jigs we learned from the playing of Kevin Burke and Michael O’Domnail on their 1982 album Portland. This set features the wonderful fiddling of Noah Kelly

Traditional Irish | Bellydesmond Polkas Nos. 1, 2, and 3

We learned this set of Irish polkas from the playing of Julia Clifford, one of the defining players in the Sliabh Luachra style of Irish music.

Petar Ralchev | Trakiyosko Nastroeme (Thracian Style)

Since I was a teenager, I have been drawn to Bulgarian folk music, and it was one of the main inspirations for me to start learning accordion. In the spring of 2020, I had the pleasure of studying via Zoom with master Bulgarian accordionist Petar Ralchev. This is a piece composed by Petar that I learned from him during this time.

Steven Greenman | Nign: October 19, 2008

This piece is composed by the great Klezmer violinist Steven Greenman and is featured on his album Stepenyu’s Neshome. Our arrangement features G and Noah on mandolin and fiddle.

intermission

Malcolm Dalglish | Shake These Bones

This song has a special place in my heart as I used to sing it with my family in Spokane, Washington. It was composed by Malcolm Dalglish in the style of sacred harp or Shape Note singing. This arrangement features G, Kaia, and me in vocal trio.

Traditional American | Shawnee Town

This is a traditional riverboat song from the Ohio river valley that I also learned from Malcolm Dalglish and Grey Larson’s album First of Autumn. We had to adjust a few of the lyrics for political correctness.

W. B. Stevens | Farther Along

I’ve had this song on my mind since the global pandemic broke out last year.  It is an old country gospel song with many versions. Our arrangement is based on Gram Parsons’ and the Flying Burrito Brothers.

Max Kletter | Oy Gevalt Bistu Siz (Oh Agony, You are so Sweet I Must Like Sugar Eat You Up)

This is a love song by Max Kletter, one of the most famous singers of the Yiddish theater tradition.

Mikhl Gordon | Di Mashke (Whiskey)

This is a Ukranian Jewish drinking song that we learned from a field recording of Leo Brainen in Hankus Netsky’s class, Eastern European Musical Traditions. The catchy chorus is meant to poke fun at Hassidic religious singing.

Thank you to Hankus and Eden and all the faculty in the CI department
 who have worked so hard to coordinate remote learning during Covid.

Additional thanks to my studio teachers Liz Knowles, Mal Barsamamian,
Nima Janmohammadi, Joe Morris and Guy Klucevsek
for being wonderful people and mentors.

Thanks to G, Kaia and Noah for being an awesome band.

Thanks to my family and friends for being so supportive through this tough time.