DALLAS (1080 KRLD)- Musicians from across the state gathered in Dallas over the weekend to share their love of the accordion. They were all part of the "Big Squeeze" accordion festival presented by Texas Folklife at the West Dallas Center of Dallas College on Saturday.
The event brought together players as young as 12 years old with successful professional groups that use the accordion, including "The HomeBoyz."
The accordion is used in many forms of music popular in Texas and Mexico including tejano, conjunto and norteno. German immigrants brought the instrument to the region in the 1800's, and it was incorporated into folk music traditions. Czech immigrants also played music featuring the accordion, and French settlers in Louisiana and Texas brought their own traditions that helped shape the development of zydeco music.
Texas Folklife organized the concert in Dallas to help keep all of those traditions alive - and bring new performers to the instrument.
That goal was shared by many of the performers at the event, including Elena Fainshtein. She attended with two of her students, and hopes more players take up the accordion.
"My dream? I would like to have the accordion be popular in America again," she said, "because honestly, this is the best instrument!"
Fainshtein learned the instrument in her native Belarus, and has been spreading awareness of the accordion in the United States since she moved here more than 20 years ago.
"I own my music school," she said. "I have a lot of students...local, from different states and abroad."
Two of those students participated in Saturday's concert. Elijah Clements was originally attracted to the zydeco music popular in Louisiana and southeast Texas.
"I saw a zydeco instrument, originally. And I decided that was the thing I wanted to do," he said. "I wanted to play the squeezebox. I was just enamored, enthralled...with the look, how it works. It was just such a curiosity to me at the time. I guess that love never faded, it just evolved into different areas...and really, now, I'm here."
The instrument got the "squeezebox" nickname because players squeeze the accordion to force air past the reeds inside the instrument that vibrate to produce sounds. Clements says many players have also taken the nickname to heart.
"I make sure and hug the instrument, because it's really dear to me," he said. "For a 'squeezebox', really, this is the soul of the instrument."
One of the younger players at the event was Elayne Doggett. She started playing the instrument after seeing an accordion performance on-line.
"There was a guy playing the accordion and we were watching it. And my mom asked me, 'would you want to play the accordion?' And I was, like, 'sure, why not?' We borrowed an accordion," she said. "Then, I just started playing and I found an amazing teacher. It was just so fun after that."
Several schools in south Texas currently feature the accordion in their music curriculum, primarily for groups that play tejano or conjunto music.
Texas Folklife is presenting another concert in Houston on May 1st. The 35th Annual Accordion Kings and Queens show will be at Houston's Miller Outdoor Amphitheater in Hermann Park.
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