I can't deny I do like the guy's name! Although some of my relatives did emigrate to the States some decades ago, I'm afraid there's little chance that this great musician and I belong to the same family. Mister Russ Messina is one of those great American accordionists who got the accordion into jazz music and are now unknown or, worse, forgotten.

Russ Messina was one of the greatest jazz accordionists. He performed as a professional Jazz accordionist for more than 60 years. Messina's other musical talents included composition, arranging and teaching.

Russ was born in Jamestown Virginia. In the late 1940s, he earned a bachelor of arts degree in music from the University of Buffalo in New York. was a World War II Army veteran who served in North Africa, Italy and Germany.

After his service in the military, Russ began offering private lessons in piano theory and the accordion. He performed with various musicians, including members of both the Buffalo and Niagara County musicians unions and the Buffalo Jazz Ensemble. He also appeared in such venues as Kleinhans Music Hall and Artpark, as well as clubs on the West Coast and in Toronto.

Russ wrote music for both piano and accordion and produced albums featuring his own compositions. One of Messina's proudest moments, according to his family, was when he coached a music student to a gold medal in an international competition. Messina retired from playing in 1997 after suffering a series of strokes and passed on in 2000.

Text and Picture belong to Accordia Records.

born April 9, 1920 in Norway, Michigan, was a world renowned jazz accordionist and one of the most famous accordionists of all time. The hippest cat ever to swing an accordion, Art Van Damme dared go where no man had gone before: jazz accordion. He started taking accordion lessons at the age of nine, and moved on to classical studies after his family moved to Chicago, Illinois, in 1934. After leaving school. he played in a trio in local clubs under big band leader Ben Bernie hired him in 1941. He soon returned to Chicago, though, and continued to work the club circuit there throughout World War Two. Van Damme was inspired by swing recordings, particularly Benny Goodman's, and in the late 1930s, he began experimenting, adapting Goodman solos to the accordion. Throughout his career, he would often be compared to Goodman, since the two were both classically trained, technical masters of their instruments, and versatile and creative jazz soloists. He formed a quintet with several of his studio colleagues, and recorded his first album, for the small label, Music Craft, in 1944. He joined the staff of NBC Radio in Chicago in 1945 and remained a studio musician for over 15 years, even after he became a recording artist in his own right. His early style fits into a small but at the time quite popular niche between the cocktail piano sound and the accordion/guitar/organ sound of the Three Suns. In fact, his earliest albums for Capitol and Columbia all had titles that made this connection explicit: "Cocktail Capers"; "Martini Time"; "Manhattan Time." Despite liner notes that described this music as "background for badinage," these are excellent albums, if far more subdued that the bebop they shared the record bins with. Van Damme's introduction of the accordion as a featured jazz instrument was well-received critically, and in 1947, Downbeat magazine put his photo on the cover of one of their issues. He would go on to voted "Top Accordionist" in Downbeat's annual poll of jazz musicians for ten years in a row. Later, he was similarly recognized by Contemporary Keyboard magazine for five years in a row. As time went on, Van Damme moved into more adventurous territory, closer to mainstream jazz. His later Columbia albums feature him at the lead of small, tight combos, and include a mix of standards and Van Damme's own slightly bebop-ish originals. "Accordion a la Mode" may be his best album, although "A Perfect Match," in which he pairs with the fine jazz guitarist Johnny Smith, is a favorite among fans of what's been called "light jazz." Van Damme never had a problem finding a gig, and performed at clubs and hotels throughout Europe and the U.S. Over the course of over fifty years of performing, he traveled to Europe nearly 40 times and played everywhere from the Desert Inn in Las Vegas, to the Blue Note in New York, to Disney World in Florida. He also appeared on numerous television shows, from "The Tonight Show" to "The Dinah Shore Show." In the early 1950s, his quintet also recorded over 130 15-minute segments for NBC Radio. He claims that his performing kept him so busy he never needed to practice, and says that he probably played his accordion at home less than six hours total in all that time. After leaving NBC Radio in 1960, Van Damme opened a music store and accordion studio in Chicago, but he continued to tour regularly. He left the recording mainstream when his contract with Columbia Records ran out in 1965, but was quickly signed by the German jazz label, MPS, and went on to record 16 albums for them. Since 1980, he has recorded less frequently, usually for small jazz labels, including an excellent album with the group Singers Unlimited on the Pausa. He gradually shifted his focus from clubs to accordion and jazz workshops, telling one interview that, "The audience is more attentive and listens more intensely." Although a number of other accordionists ventured into jazz territory after Van Damme broke the trail, he remains the acknowledged master. As one reviewer recently wrote, he dispatches "Right-hand runs with a velocity and lightness of touch that defied the presumed limitations of the instrument," while at the same time, "Consistently emphasizing the lyric contours of a melodic phrase rather than the lightning technical flourishes that led up to it."

Sadly, on February 15th, 2010, Art Van Damme passed away. His death is a huge loss for the world of jazz accordion.

Art Van Damme Live in Chicago 1951

Art Van Damme plays Lonesome Road on his 75th Birthday, 1995

Peter Piccini was born in Sydney and from the time of his birth music has been his natural background. He made his first solo appearance as an accordionist at a school concert when he was only seven years old and although he showed promise on this occasion he did not begin studying seriously until he reached the age of fourteen. Peter began earnestly to learn the secrets of the accordion from his father Peter Piccini Snr - known as the "Daddy" of the accordion in Australia since he was the first to introduce the piano keyboard on the accordion in this country. Peter Jnr started broadcasting for national and commercial radio stations at the age of fifteen and appeared in many state performances. He subsequently went to Europe to broadcast for the BBC, made several television appearances and also performed at the famous club Pigalle as accompanist for the French singer Line Renuld. During this time Peter also toured Italy with the famous Claudio Villa, one of Italy's most respected and much loved popular singers, appearing together on television, radio, stage productions and of course recordings. Later in the sixties Peter, now also playing piano and joined by his wife Fina, was to return to Europe for a long stint performing with leading orchestras throughout the continent. On return to Australia Peter was appointed Musical Director of the Channel 9 Television Network and also began broadcasting for the ABC. In the late sixties he toured Vietnam with an all Australian concert party entertaining Australian and US forces and this was followed in the seventies by further tours of Europe and the USA. Peter has performed in many prestigious venues not only overseas but of course also in Australia and particularly in Perth where he has always been very much in demand as a leading arranger and conductor. Numerous recordings of covers and originals have been released by him along the years on various labels including Cetra and Clarion Records. The list of artists with whom Peter has worked is endless and just to name a few includes Frank Ifield, Gerry Gee, Graham Kennedy, Samantha Sang, Johnny Young, John Farnham, Denis Walter, Matt Monro, Bettie Curtis, Debra Byrne, Normie Rowe, Col Joy, Barry Crocker, Max Bygraves, The Deltones, The Drifters, Ricky May and the BBC Variety Orchestra. Peter is still composing music particularly for the accordion and amongst his recent works is "Cool Change", a CD which features the instrument in ten jazz-swing style original compositions performed by the Peter Piccini Jazz Trio. Needless to say the recording has met with critical acclaim and has been enjoying air play on many jazz radio shows throughout Australia. In late 2004 Perth outfit Trio Alegra released a CD comprising of fourteen songs all composed by Peter. These three professional musicians, Eddie Staszak, Laura Mitchell and Corinne Brokken, perform regularly at concerts, festivals and functions and Peter's works have become a constant feature of these performances.

Peter Piccini: Body & Soul - (1959)

Peter Piccini: Georgia (Live- 2002)

Peter Piccini: Solitude

Leon Sash is unique not only in his choice of instrument but also in his aprroach to modern popular music: Usually associated with weezy polka accompaniments or virtuoso (?) displays, or amateur hour pawings, the difficult instrument has been mishandled, misused, and misunderstood. In the jazz world, there have but a handful of non-corny type players, who have really among them Art Van Damme, Mat Mathews, and Leon Sash. A look at his background and personal heritage may help provide an insight to his perseverence with an unaccepted instrument, even at the expense of many lucrative non-jazz jobs. Leon , now 45, went permanently blind at age 11. Despite this he lists among his many non musical accomplishments such difficult endeavors as ice skating, water polo, bowling, fishing and medalist swimming. His musical accomplishments have brought him high praise from many of the jazz world's most respected writers and critics, including Nat Hentoff in Down Beat and Barry Ulanov in Metronome, as far back as 1954. He has published a highly regarded music folio called "This Is Jazz Accordion".
Also in '57 he appeared at the Newport Jazz Festival and received a thunderous ovation from an amazed crowd who previously had never heard of Leon. From that concert came an album, shared with pianist Toshiko, which ranked high in Jazz sellers that year, and which gave Leon a very fine boost in audience. He has since appeared at Cafe Bohemia in NYC, Storyville in Boston and the Blue Note in Chicago, as well as on the Mutual Broadcasting System's Bandstand USA. " Although he is more in demand now than ever before Leon still finds tine and energy to devote to many accordion schools and bands, where he forcibly demonstrates, through his own considerable talents, the possibilities and plausibilities to youngsters of playing Jazz on his favorite Instrument.
Leon's regular working trio is with him in this date. All of the selections, excepting Leon's fugue-like original "Newport," are well know standards, some not heard very often, others heard more frequently. All are interpreted by Leon Sash with a sprightly personal touch, and all convey the original feeling and intent of the composer. Although Leon's style is greatly influenced by the approach developed during the creative BeBop era of the 40's and 50's, he picked three tunes usually associated with the Swing era's great tenor sax champion Lester "prez" Young to include in this album, an up-tempo "Pennies From Heaven," a beautifully voiced "Polka Dots and Moonbeams," and a "Our Love Is Here To Stay" is a head shaker at medium tempo, and "Aren't You Glad You're You" is nice and bouncy. "Misty," Erroll Garner's classic gift to the world of music, is given a treatment completely in keeping with the Erroll's famous rolling tremolo as a special tribute. Two of standards not heard very often, a slow and mellow "Easy To Remembe," and the one Art Tatum made famous, "Lullaby Of The Leaves," also done slowly, are two of my particular favorites in the album. I'm sure you'll find yours.
I'm also sure you'll find that the talent of accordionist Leon Sash is real, earthy and sincere. And, that after listening to his group with an open ear and open mind, that you'll agree with me and those who already are aware of him, that his a major Jazz talent. Under his inspiration the down-trodden accordion may some day flourish as a creative Jazz intrument.

Leon Quintet

Art Van Damme, Charles Magnante, Joe Vento, Leon Sash and Myron Floren

Source: www.fbc-accordion-club.org

Leon Accordion: Giulietti Model "Fintopiano ": Source: www.letterbeeld.nl/