Squeeze This!: A Cultural History of the Accordion in America

Copyright

© 2012 by the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois All rights reserved Manufactured in the United States of America c 5 4 3 2 1 ∞ This book is printed on acid-free paper. Publication of this book is supported by a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Jacobson, Marion S. Squeeze this! : a cultural history of the accordion in America / Marion Jacobson. p. cm. — (Folklore studies in a multicultural world) Includes bibliographical references and index. isbn 978-0-252-03675-0 (hardcover : alk. paper) — isbn 978-0-252-09385-2 (e-book) 1. Accordion—United States—History. 2. Accordionists—United States. I. Title. ml1083.j33   2012 788.8'650973—dc23   2011034681 i-xiv_1-258_Jaco.indd 4 1/17/12 12:13 PM A fearful instrument that looks like a cash register, and sounds worse, produces gasps of pleasure at the Orpheum this week. It is called a piano accordion and its behavior is shameless. —Minneapolis Journal, December 16, 1912 Welcome to Hell. Here’s your accordion. —Gary Larson, The Complete Far Side, 1980–1994 I still have to overcome skeptics. But after hearing me play, they say, “I’ve never heard anything like this.” —Eddie Monteiro, noted jazz and classical accordion artist i-xiv_1-258_Jaco.indd 5 1/17/12 12:13 PM i-xiv_1-258_Jaco.indd 6 1/17/12 12:13 PM ...