Back in the latter half of the 1950s, when I was but a youth in Chicago and, in that prepubescent way, becoming acquainted with the concept of "cool," my parents hoped to foster my budding interest in music by signing me up for accordion lessons. The way I looked at it then, there was but one future that they had in mind for me — a career performing in bands with Lawrence Welk or Lil’ Wally. My attempts at getting the cute girl down the block to notice me would be doomed to failure, especially since she was getting turned on to Elvis and Fabian. Instead, I would end up playing in accordion orchestras, entering age-group competitions at the Grant Park band shell, and playing at my aunt’s Eastern Star meetings.
Decades later, I have developed an appreciation for the accordion’s myriad forms. I am not alone however, since it’s actually one of the most popular instruments in the world. In addition to the piano style accordion of my youth, there are concertinas, button accordions, free base accordions (used mostly by classical and avant-garde musicians like Guy Klucevsek and Stephen Hussong), and exotic relatives like the bayan (Russian, Georgian) and bandoneon (Astor Piazzola’s instrument of choice). Although the increasing exposure for Tex-Mex and tango music has made the American public more aware of the accordion family’s manifold members, it has undoubtedly been Celtic music in general and Irish music in particular that have done more to promote the accordion’s presence here.
Williams’ Inventive Artistry
Chicago is blessed with a strong Irish community and one of the best squeeze box artists in the world, John Williams. He is the first American-born musician to win first place in the Senior Concertina competition at the All-Ireland Fleadh Cheoil and, for a while, played in Solas, arguably the finest Irish music band to ever come out of the United States. His two solo albums, the self-titled "John Williams" (Green Linnet 1157) and "Steam" (Green Linnet 1215), are marvelous examples of inventive artistry within a traditional context. In preparation for his concert (January 25, 2003) at the Beverly Arts Center (111th and Western Avenue, Chicago) Williams answered a few queries for Conscious Choice.
Conscious Choice: Do you play a button (chromatic) accordion, a piano style, or both?
John Williams: I record and perform on the button accordion which has two different notes per button: one pushing the bellows & one pulling the bellows. I also play the smaller, six-sided concertina as well as ethnic flutes, percussion and piano.
CC: How did you get started? Were you influenced by your family, the social scene you grew up in?
JW: I got started with weekly music lessons at age 7 from Ms. Evelyn Sarna on the Southwest Side of Chicago playing classical and popular music from all over the world. My dad and mom are from an Ireland where live music and dance at home was the release valve in subsistence farming communities in Doolin, County Clare and Crossmalina, County Mayo.
Like thousands of others, they left it all and came to Chicago, met at the dances, settled down, and raised a family. The love of traditional Irish music was at the heart of the Southwest Side Irish immigrant community. My dad, a fine concertina and button accordion player, was involved in the Irish Musicians Association which held ceili dances, benefits, music sessions, as well as music competitions. It provided a social and musical network for many first-generation trad players including Liz Carroll, Jimmy Keane, Marty Fahey, Maggie Henry, and Michael Flatley.
CC: What was your career like before joining Solas?
JW: Freelancing with lots of players, expanding chops and repertoire while getting a bachelors degree at the University of Illinois’ Chicago campus. After finals week every June, I would flee the Chicago heat and go to my dad’s village of Doolin which was a mecca for a whole range of music lovers and practitioners.
CC: What has your career been like since you’ve gone solo?
JW: I’ve been recording and touring nationally with Tim O’Brien and The Crossing. I released my second solo album on Green Linnet Records entitled "Steam." I also tour with Dean Magraw, John Doyle, and Randal Bays throughout the year as separate duos. And I’ve appeared at Ravinia and Gaelic Park with Steam which is not a band, but a loose network of heavy hitters with whom I’ve collaborated over the years.
CC: You played on the soundtrack to "The Road to Perdition" and I’m curious as to how that came about.
JW: Correction: Paul Newman and Tom Hanks played my original air "Perdition Piano Duet" on the actual soundtrack album. I was the traditional music consultant, piano coach, and on-screen bandleader. As to how it happened, I got a really lucky referral from a fellow union member, and my initial meetings with director Sam Mendes and producer Joan Bradshaw at Dreamworks went incredibly well.
CC: You have had success as a musician in Ireland and America. What differences do you see in the approach to music taken by Irish and American musicians?
JW: This question is far too broad to answer here in this format. Catch me after a pint or two at Nevin’s in Evanston some Sunday afternoon, and I’ll sound off!
CC: Are you working on any new projects? Albums? Soundtracks? Producing?
JW: I’m currently working on my third album for Green Linnet, due out 2003.
CC: How often do you get to play around Chicago?
JW: Just a few larger events every year including Symphony Center, Chicago Celtic Fest, and Ravinia.
CC: Will this (your January concert) be the first time you’ve played at the Beverly Center?
JW: Yes, don’t miss it!
Garaud MacTaggart is a freelance writer and music critic based in Buffalo, N.Y. He currently writes for the Buffalo News.