Sequim Accordion Social

Description

The Sequim Accordion Social will be held at the Sequim Shipley Center at 921 E. Hammond Street on Sunday, September 9th, from 1 to 4 pm. A $2-3 admission donation is requested at the door to pay for the room. The Featured Player is Joe Schipani from Sequim, WA. Join fellow accordion players, enthusiasts and dancers for an afternoon of music and fun. Players of ALL levels are encouraged to bring their accordion and play 1-3 pieces. The intent of the social is to have a supportive and friendly atmosphere, where players can play and everyone can enjoy some great music. Joe began playing the accordion at the ripe old age of 6. He didn’t ask for it, it just kind of fell in his lap. Born with the gift of being able to play by ear, he was able to just pick up the accordion and play songs. He played for 3 years before starting lessons on how to read music. He took lessons and learned all the basics an accordion player should know, but never went into the “advanced” teachings. Reading sheet music always just felt too mechanical and boring, and he preferred to just play songs by ear. He says he would not compare himself with some of the fine technical performers, but, thinks he makes up for it in passion. Joe took lessons from age 6 to 17, life always held a higher priority than practicing accordion. He studied under some great accordionists, both classical and jazz, but his commitment wasn’t at the level it should have been. At age 17, he quit the accordion. Three years later, after a lot of coaxing, his father convinced him to join the Philadelphia Mummers Association, which was a band of about 70 people who dress in uniforms and march down Broad Street on New Year’s Day in below freezing temperatures. He was back into playing accordion! At age 22 Joe joined the Air Force and taught himself piano. For the next 40 years, he played both the accordion and keyboards in bands and combos ranging from Country, Rock & Roll, Blues, Christian Contemporary, Swing, and Contemporary Jazz. His primary love is jazz, and specifically, the standards from the 40’s and 50’s (Sinatra, Martin, Bennett, etc.) But in a jam session, he will play whatever anybody wants to. Joe has been playing now for 56 years, mostly for his own enjoyment. Now that I’m retired, I hope to be more active in my music in the Sequim area, perhaps donating my time and talent to Senior Living centers, Veterans associations and the like. The Roland digital accordion has opened up a whole new set of possibilities, so he feels the the sky is the limit. Joe says: “I have no idea what the future holds, but pretty sure music will always be a big part of it!”