If you think you might have room in your CD collection for a disc of adventurous accordion music, let me suggest the Motion Trio. Not since Jerry Murad and the Harmonicats (anyone remember them?) has a group done so much to elevate an instrument that many consider inconsequential or even annoying. Banjo ensemble, anyone? Tuba orchestra? It may sound like a gimmick, but these Polish musicians are virtuosic. At times they make the squeezeboxes -- which were custom-made by one of the world´s most renowned accordion makers -- sound like sawing fiddles, blaring horns, bellowing organs, droney bagpipes or even a funk bass. They´re that versatile. The disc opens with an impressive galloping percussive effect. You might call it stunt music. Lovers of odd tempos will have plenty of counting to keep them busy. While the Motion Trio can´t help but evoke shades of ¨Mr. Kite,¨ the Saber Dance and strains of Eastern European sadness, this is impressive stuff.
01/13/05 >>