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Not just for polkas The members of the new Medford Accordion Club hope it builds respect for what they call a misunderstood, versatile instrument By DANI DODGE In the last decade, Johnny Kaz has been a fixture on the local music scene, playing reggae with Zion Train, rhythm and blues with Little Dominick and the Dominoes, and country western with Blue Lake Express. But he was never fulfilled. "Playing base and keyboard, I felt empty inside," said Kaz, 55. "Because my first instrument was the accordion - it's an international instrument that is in the blood." So a year and a half ago, Kaz barged into That Italian Place in downtown Medford and cajoled the restaurant's owners into listening to some romantic Italian ballads on the accordion. They were charmed. Kaz - now known as Giovanni, part of Da Wise Guys - has been playing accordion there every weekend since. But Kaz knows not every accordion player is lucky enough to have a regular gig. So this month he started the Medford Accordion Club, a group he hopes will bring accordion players a new measure of respect. After all, a "Far Side" cartoon once implied that the difference between heaven and hell is that in heaven you get a harp - in hell you get an accordion. The club "gives accordion players a place to come out of the closet," Kaz joked. The group meets from 7 to 9 p.m. the first Monday of every month at That Italian Place (which is closed Sundays and Mondays). Everyone from beginners to professionals to non-playing accordion lovers are welcome. One of the people thrilled to join the club is Donna Connor, the Jackson County elections deputy. Connor was inspired to pick up the accordion by happy memories of watching "The Lawrence Welk Show" as a child. "Most people misunderstand the accordion because they only hear the thumpy loud music and they don't have a clue you can play 'Sunrise, Sunset,' " Connor said. "You should hear 'Danny Boy' on the accordion. It can bring tears to your eyes." Connor practices every night. "It's OK because I live by myself," she said. "It's perfectly easy because my dogs like it ... and I live in the woods so I can play as loud as I want." She said she's looking forward to the club's monthly meetings as a way to share her love of the instrument with others. "You can play duets or ensembles or go out and do an Oktoberfest," Connor said. "All kinds of avenues open up beyond you and your bedroom." Karen Warwick, a registered nurse who lives in Williams, played with a small accordion club in Rogue River but is looking forward to a Medford group drawing a larger crowd. "It's a fun instrument and very versatile," she said. "You can play anything on it except rap - and someone could probably play that." Kaz was introduced to the accordion when, as a child living in Australia, he was awakened every morning by the strains of a family friend playing the squeezebox. "We didn't have alarm clocks," he said. He got his first accordion when he was 4 and immediately was able to pick out a tune. Kaz said he hopes the club will be able to build locally on the resurgence of accordion music. He noted that television commercials are beginning to feature accordion music, and it's ended up in songs by popular stars like Ricky Martin and Sheryl Crow. The Oregon Cabaret Theatre's current show, "The Polish Diva from Milwaukee," features an accordionist and is selling out. And 16 people showed up to the first club meeting, even though Kaz didn't advertise. Kaz said he realizes that sometimes the accordion gets a bad rap as an obnoxious instrument that grates on people's ears, but he said when it is played properly, the accordion creates beautiful music that is loved all over the world. "I've changed many minds at the restaurant I work at," Kaz said. Gina Llewellyn, who owns That Italian Place with her husband Chuck, agrees. Customers "don't even know they like Italian music or accordion music but all the sudden their foot is tapping," Llewellyn said. "They really get into it." And now other accordion players in the Rogue Valley have a place to let their music flow freely every month. "There are many, many accordion players in the valley and they don't come out because they don't have anywhere to go," Kaz said. "But now they have a home." Reach reporter Dani Dodge at 776-4471, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.