On: The brusque Mr. Fix-It for Mexico City’s accordion...

[tjr]

“Agh,” one of the boys in the back whispered to another. “It’s beautiful.”

I played accordion as a teenager. I doubt that many of my peers would have deemed the sound (even expertly played on an exquisite accordion) as "beautiful". It was more of something to be mocked.

For that matter, as an adult, my peers still tend to mock accordions.

What a difference being a single country away makes!

[drewzero1 → tjr]

I don't know, I've heard some accordion playing that really took my breath away: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rD8XO9XRoo8

Does it sound like that when I play? Absolutely not, but I can dream.

[dhosek → tjr]

Not necessarily—my Mexican wife rather dislikes norteño and banda, not least because of the accordions.

For a while I played bass in a Gypsy jazz group which included an accordion player.