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

Folklore Studies in a Multicultural World

by Marion Jacobson

No other instrument has witnessed such a dramatic rise to popularity--and precipitous decline--as the accordion. Squeeze This! is the first history of the piano accordion and the first book-length study of the accordion as a uniquely American musical and cultural phenomenon.

 

Ethnomusicologist and accordion enthusiast Marion Jacobson traces the changing idea of the accordion in the United States and its cultural significance over the course of the twentieth century. From the introduction of elaborately decorated European models imported onto the American vaudeville stage and the instrument's celebration by ethnic musical communities and mainstream audiences alike, to the accordion-infused pop parodies by "Weird Al" Yankovic, Jacobson considers the accordion's contradictory status as both an "outsider" instrument and as a major force in popular music in the twentieth century.

 

Drawing on interviews and archival investigations with instrument builders and retailers, artists and audiences, professionals and amateurs, Squeeze This! explores the piano accordion's role as an instrument of community identity and its varied musical and cultural environments. Jacobson concentrates on six key moments of the Americanization of the piano accordion, originally produced and marketed by sales-savvy Italian immigrants; the transformation of the accordion in the 1920s from an exotic, expensive vaudeville instrument to a mass-marketable product; the emergence of the accordion craze in the 1930s and 1940s, when a highly organized "accordion industrial complex" cultivated a white, middle-class market; the peak of its popularity in the 1950s, exemplified by Lawrence Welk and Dick Contino; the instrument's marginalization in the 1960s and a brief, ill-fated effort to promote the accordion to teen rock 'n' roll musicians; and the revival beginning in the 1980s of the accordion as a "world music instrument" and a key component for cabaret and burlesque revivals and pop groups such as alternative experimenters They Might Be Giants and polka rockers Brave Combo.

 

Loaded with dozens of images of gorgeous instruments and enthusiastic performers and fans, Squeeze This! A Cultural History of the Accordion in America represents the accordion in a wide range of popular and traditional musical styles, revealing the richness and diversity of accordion culture in America.

Genres: Music, History, Nonfiction

292 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2012

Reviews

[Larry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok so first things first, there is remarkably little Weird Al in this book. But I think that's the correct move. This is the first ethnomusicology book I've ever picked up, but based on the way Jacobson articulates her purpose that makes sense.
This is truly a wonderful read. I've learned so much and enjoyed every page. The old saw "no one has ever enjoyed writing or reading an academic paper" is not true here. Like, be advised that this is a scholarly monograph, but it's intensely readable even for a total non expert like myself. I bought this used, so I plan to write the author and tell her I enjoyed this book.

[Tuck · Rating 4 out of 5]

from u of illinois press, so yes, somewhat academic, but not too bad really, she is writing in the pop mode. quicking scans through some history, like the the 1816 nuremburg accordion (no, really), through some fast chapters on italian manufacturers and expansion into usa both of making and playing, due to some superstars like deiro brothers,elsie bennett, lawrence welk, dick contino , then to the max time of 1950's where manufacturing and playing exploded in usa. then faded, then made a comeback in 90's and naughties, but more as irony or ethnic styles of hipsters and indie bands, up to today and the vibrant houston tx scence, the cotati festival, and bands like calexico, richmond fontaine, eleanor friedberger using the sounds, and the long strong lousiana traditions, and even classical, . has nice endnotes, needs discography badly, super good pics. oh, forgot to say that only uni of kansas kansas city offers degree in accordion. also forgot to mention nyc's main squeeze orchestra, and nyc debutante hour and kitten on the keys, and mad maggies. all neat cool new bands. http://www.themadmaggies.com/

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marion Jacobson primarily focuses on the piano accordion in this book. She, like some other people I have recently read (Karen Linn who wrote The Half Barbaric Twang, about the banjo, for example), are using an approach to organology that is quite different from the traditional one. Instead of focusing on the science of how an instrument makes sound it is more like a kind of ethno-organology. She is studying the musical instrument "as a tool for making culture."

The book attempts to document how the piano accordion came to the U.S.A., became fully developed here (through a very thorough discussion of different ethnic groups that use the piano squeezebox) and rose (in the 50s it was the most popular instrument in the country) and fell in popularity. The last part of the book discusses the recent resurgence in accordion interest among general audiences.

This book was meant to be an interesting, accessible story about the cultural impact of an iconic instrument, and for the most part it succeeds. There are times, however, when Jacobson's writing becomes too academically clumsy. I also became distracted by the less than seamless overlap of topics; she often would put "discussed later" at the end of a sentence. That is probably fine in an academic paper, but is clunky when reading for lay enjoyment. Those are minor points, though, because I liked the book a lot.

[KennyO · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was tickled to find a work about the accordion that didn't belittle it. In fact, this is a straightforward treatise on the history of the piano accordion in America with occasional mentions of various button accordions. It's a little academic but very readable with a soupçon of advocacy.

Following the introduction it sets out with describing the emergence of the accordion in America and its evolution into the piano accordion so familiar to us today. Early advocates worked to make a place for it in the classical music canon. The use of the instrument in Vaudeville became prominent and somehow tainted it. The classical/orchestral proponents made desperate-seeming efforts to assign it greater dignity. In the 30s-40s the portability of the instrument made it particularly useful to traveling performers. The early 1950s saw the peak of accordion sales and performance but television's Lawrence Welk and Myron Floren in the following years pretty much killed any "cool" factor the accordion may have had. Frankie Yankovic and Dick Contino were great entertainers but they were thrown under the bus in the course of rock and roll's growth. The accordion took the hindmost, not only in rock and roll but in country and western and popular music as well, becoming the foremost target among musical instruments of scornful humor. Following a long, low period for the squeezebox there was a resurgence in the 1980s-1990s. The new wave of accordionists exhibited mostly serious playing rather than the novelty stuff that was broadly expected. Festivals featuring the accordion popped up around the country and brought on a latter day era of good feeling, providing players with a welcoming and edifying environment. Finally, the author gives many examples of recent performers and recording artists who use the accordion as a dignified and accepted instrument.

I was pleased to find one mention of Ben Matusek, my first music (accordion) teacher.

WRT any given book, each reader can nit pick. Herewith, my contribution:
I would have liked more details of the repertoire, perhaps an appendix grouped by genre? A section, please, about the internal structure of the piano accordion; the reedblocks, the bellows, the mechanics of its operation. There are a few illustrations but they are more in a time/place setting vein or a teaser than for our edification The "electric" accordion gets short shrift, though that was probably true even when accordionist Tommy Gumina was first building and selling his fabulous Polytone amplifiers in the late sixties.

I thank the author for providing no mention of Judy Tenuta.

All in all a worthwhile use of my time. I enjoyed the book immensely and didn't find the academic tone to be any impediment to my enjoyment.

[Ray Elliott · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting read about the history of the Accordion in America. It was great to read it and look up video and audio of the people and groups mentioned on youtube. I would recommend the book to anyone who plays accordion or just has a passing interest in the instrument, and the music.

[Chris Leach · Rating 5 out of 5]

Captivating, educational and pleasantly entertaining

A book I enjoyed reading with a very high joy of anticipation factor. A must read for anyone curious about the history of the development and unique story of a fascinating musical instrument and the people behind it. Oh yes, and beautifully written.

[R.J. Gilmour · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jacobson's book looks at the history of the accordion in the United States. Using a cultural framework to understand how it influenced & affected music culture the book places the instrument & those who play it in a larger historical context.

[Kkraemer · Rating 4 out of 5]

True, not everyone will be riveted by this in-depth analysis of the evolution of American accordion culture. True, not everyone will find phrases like "accordion industrial complex" and "...low-tech, antipostmodern antidote to the synthesizer saturation..." as funny as I do.

This book, however, helped me answer my long-standing curiosity about why it is required that people grimace whenever accordions are even mentioned. How did this instrument become so maligned? Why did Gary Larson have a cartoon that said "Welcome to Hell. Here's your accordion," while the Minneapolis Journal described an accordion as "A fearful instrument that looks like a cash register, and sounds worse, produces gasps of pleasure...It is called a piano accordion and its behavior is shameless."

I now know the cultural history of the accordion in the U.S. through having read chapters titled "Squeezebox Rock," "Crossover Accordionists," "New Main Squeeze," and my favorite, "Out of the Closet. This is a complete and funny book, and it reveals a lot about American social history. It also has some great pictures.

and yes, I'm going to go to the Cotati Accordion Festival in August...if I can get tickets. I particularly want to see the Main Squeeze Orchestra, described as the secret lovechild of Lawrence Welk and Eartha Kitt...

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 Stars for 20th century American Historians. This is a super-comprehensive study of the accordion whose textbook-like interior lacks all of the whimsy of its title and cover. It was grate for me as an accordionist to learn so much of the history of my instrument, and it introduced me to a dozen artists I'd barely heard of, but I expected a bit more fun when I picked up the promo card at the 2012 American Accordionists Association annual festival. Definitely worth the read, just a little right of what I was expecting.

[Lee Riggs · Rating 3 out of 5]

A well researched, yet very approachable history of the Accordion in America, focusing on the last 115 years or so. Includes some fun cultural anthropology along the way, looking at the various ethnic groups which brought or adopted the accordion and its offshoots as they joined the larger American culture. Only thing missing was a play list that could be listened to while reading. Maybe next edition could have an cd or online links?

[Kodiaksm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written and documented. I look forward
to reading
about the accordion--an instrument I am learning to play. It is much more difficult
then you think!

[Danielle T · Rating 3 out of 5]

Felt more on the academic, slightly dry side despite its colorful subject. On the other hand, a pretty comprehensive look at the tangled history of one of music's more curious characters.

[Monique · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting book about the history of the accordion and I learned some things I had no idea about, especially the history of the accordion in Texas! An easy read and not tedious at all.