Tony, I know that YOU (and most of the old-timers here) know that my dislike for accordion music is nothing more than a Synthzone hazing/teasing/joking thing, but there is at least one person here that thinks it's not only real but also offensive. There are scenarios such as ethnic music festivals, romantic comedies set in Italy, etc., etc., where only an accordion seems appropriate. If I'm being honest, I don't like accordion jazz, not even Art Van Damme, but that's mostly because I just don't like the sound of the instrument. I don't like it for the same reason I don't like an old reed organ; it just sounds harsh to me and there is no way to change it's basic tone. There are a number of other instruments I also dislike. These would include bagpipes, clarinet, harmonica, pipe organ, theatre organ, ukelele, piccolo flute, lap steel guitars. It has only to do with the character of the instrument. I'm sure that cultural bias (in the sense of unfamiliarity; not growing up with the sound) factors into it to a small degree, along with the fact that I'm not a big fan of most of the music genre's usually associated with it (zydeco, polkas, European folk music, etc.). Bottom line, I don't 'hate' inanimate objects like accordions and I certainly don't 'hate' accordion players (at least not for that reason ), so to those sensitive souls (you know who you are ) who get offended with my friendly locker-room teasing of my old Synthzone friends Tony or Fran, all I can say is PLEASE, PLEASE, GET OVER IT, I'm only kidding.

BTW, same thing goes for Arrangers. If I 'hated' them, I wouldn't have four of them currently plugged in. I just never played a gig where they would have been appropriate (plus, none of my bandmates liked them).

chas