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Price is also affected by the use of costly woods , luxury decorations , and features such as a palm switch , grille mute , and so on . Some accordion makers sell the same model in a range of different models , from a less-expensive base model to a more costly luxury model . Typically , the register switches are described as " Reeds : 5 + 3 " , meaning five reeds on the treble side and three on the bass , and " Registers : 13 + M , 7 " , meaning 13 register buttons on the treble side plus a special " master " that activates all ranks , like the " tutti " or " full organ " switch on an organ , and seven register switches on the bass side . Another factor affecting the price is the presence of electronics , such as condenser microphones , volume and tone controls , or MIDI sensors and connections . |
The larger piano and chromatic button accordions are usually heavier than other smaller squeezebox es , and are equipped with two shoulder straps to make it easier to balance the weight and increase bellows control while sitting , and avoid dropping the instrument while standing . Other accordions , such as the diatonic button accordion , have only a single shoulder strap and a right hand thumb strap . All accordions have a ( mostly adjustable ) leather strap on the left-hand manual to keep the player 's hand in position while drawing the bellows . There are also straps above and below the bellows to keep it securely closed when the instrument is not playing . |
In the 2010s , a range of electronic and digital accordions are made . They have an electronic sound module which creates the accordion sound , and most use MIDI systems to encode the keypresses and transmit them to the sound module . A digital accordion can have hundreds of sounds , which can include different types of accordions and even non-accordion sounds , such as pipe organ , piano , or guitar . Sensors are used on the buttons and keys , such as magnetic reed switches . Sensors are also used on the bellows to transmit the pushing and pulling of the bellows to the sound module . Digital accordions may have features not found in acoustic instruments , such as a piano-style sustain pedal , a modulation control for changing keys , and a portamento effect . |
As an electronic instrument , these types of accordions are plugged into a PA system or keyboard amplifier to produce sound . Some digital accordions have a small internal speaker and amplifier , so they can be used without a PA system or keyboard amplifier , at least for practicing and small venues like coffeehouse s . One benefit of electronic accordions is that they can be practiced with headphones , making them inaudible to other people nearby . On a digital accordion , the volume of the right-hand keyboard and the left-hand buttons can be independently adjusted . |
Acoustic-digital hybrid accordions also exist . They are acoustic accordions ( with reeds , bellows , and so on ) , but they also contain sensors , electronics , and MIDI connections , which provides a wider range of sound options . An acoustic-digital hybrid may be manufactured in this form , or it may be an acoustic accordion which has had aftermarket electronics sensors and connections added . Several companies sell aftermarket electronics kits , but they are typically installed by professional accordion technicians , due to the complex and delicate nature of the internal parts of an accordion . |
Various hybrid accordions have been created between instruments of different buttonboards and actions . Many remain curiosities - only a few have remained in use : |
The accordion 's basic form is believed to have been invented in Berlin , in 1822 , by Christian Friedrich Ludwig Buschmann , ref group = " notes " There is not a single document to back up this belief . Christian Friedrich Ludwig Buschmann was 16 years old at that time ; handwritten evidence of C.F. Buschschmann and his father exists , but without any related notice within . The first mention of an aeoline was in a text dated 1829 . |
The earliest history of the accordion in Russia is poorly documented . Nevertheless , according to Russian researchers , the earliest known simple accordions were made in Tula , Russia , by : ru : Сизов , Иван Евстратьевич | Ivan Sizov and : ru : Воронцов , Тимофей Пименович | Timofey Vorontsov around 1830 , after they received an early accordion from Germany.Mirek , Alfred . " Garmonika . Proshloe i nastoiashchee . Nauchno-istoricheskaia entsyklopedicheskaia kniga . " Moscow , 1994. p.50 By the late 1840s , the instrument was already very widespread ; " , and many of these places created their own varieties of the instrument . |
The accordion is one of several European inventions of the early 19th century that use free reeds driven by a bellows . An instrument called " accordion " was first patented in 1829 by Cyrill Demian , of Armenian origin , in Vienna .ref group = " notes " A summary and pictures of this patent can be found at sections , although Demian preferred the bass-only instrument owing to its cost and weight advantages.ref group = " notes " German Text : " Mit den Dekel des Balges , läßt sich das ganze Instrument verdoppeln , so daß man dadurch die Accorde vermehrt , oder auch mit einzelne Töne spielen kann , in diesem Fall , muß ein zweyter Einsatz mit Federn , und auch eine 2te Claviatur dazu kommen , der Blasebalg bleibt in der Mitte , jede Hand dirigirt abwechselnd , entweder die Claves , oder den Balg . Durch eine obengenannte Verdoplung des Instruments oder durch Vermehrung der Accorde , würde niemand etwas verbessern , oder was neues liefern , weil nur die Bestandtheile dadurch vermehrt , das Instrument theurer und schwerer wird . " |
Translation of this snip : With the Cover of the bellows the instrument can be duplicated , so the amount of Chords or single notes can be enlarged , or one can sound single notes , in this case , a second part with springs ( free reeds ) and also a second keyboard must be added , the bellows are in between these two parts , both hands push buttons and push and pull the bellows at the same time or alternatively . Through this doubling or increasing of chords within the instrument nothing new is invented or improved by someone else , because only the amount of similar parts is increased and the Instrument is heavier and more expensive . |
The accordion was introduced from Germany into Britain in about the year 1828 . " The National Cyclopaedia of Useful Knowledge , Vol I , A-Arcesilaus " , London , George Woodfall and Son , 1847 , p.107. The instrument was noted in " The Times " in 1831 as one new to British audiencesThe Times , Thursday 9 June 1831 ; pg . 5 ; Issue 14560 ; col A : ( Review of a performance by a flautist , Johann Sedlatzek | Mr. Sedlatzek ) " At the close of the concert Mr. Sedlatzek performed on a new instrument called the Accordion or Aeolian , which , however , has little beside its novelty to recommend it . " and was not favourably reviewed , but nevertheless it soon became popular . " The Times " , Wednesday , 26 April 1837 ; pg . 5 ; Issue 16400 ; col C : " GREAT CONCERT-ROOM - KING 'S THEATRE ... There was also a novelty in the shape of an instrument called " a concertina , " an improvement on the accordion , which has been such a favourite musical toy for the last two or three years . " It had also become popular with New Yorkers by the mid-1840s . " New York Times " , 19 May 1907 : - ' The Lay of the Last of the Old Minstrels : Interesting Reminiscences of Isaac Odell , Who Was A Burnt Cork Artist Sixty Years Ago ' : " While we were drawing big crowds to the Palmer House on Chambers Street Charley White was making a great hit playing an accordion in Thalia Hall on Grand Street . In those days " ( i.e. mid-1840s ) " accordions were the real attraction to the public . " |
After Demian 's invention , other accordions appeared , some featuring only the right-handed keyboard for playing melodies . It took English inventor Charles Wheatstone to bring both chords and keyboard together in one squeezebox . His 1844 patent for what he called a " concertina " also featured the ability to easily tune the reeds from the outside with a simple tool . |
The musician Adolph Müller described a great variety of instruments in his 1833 book " Schule für Accordion " . At the time , Vienna and London had a close musical relationship , with musicians often performing in both cities in the same year , so it is possible that Wheatstone was aware of this type of instrument and may have used them to put his key-arrangement ideas into practice . |
Jeune 's " flutina " resembles Wheatstone 's concertina in internal construction and tone colour , but it appears to complement Demian 's accordion functionally . The flutina is a one-sided bisonoric melody-only instrument whose keys are operated with the right hand while the bellows is operated with the left . When the two instruments are combined , the result is quite similar to diatonic button accordions still manufactured today . |
Further innovations followed and continue to the present . Various buttonboard and keyboard systems have been developed , as well as voicings ( the combination of multiple tones at different octaves ) , with mechanisms to switch between different voices during performance , and different methods of internal construction to improve tone , stability and durability . Modern accordions may incorporate electronics such as condenser microphones and tone and volume controls , so that the accordion can be plugged into a PA system or keyboard amplifier for live shows . Some 2010s-era accordions may incorporate digital accordion | MIDI sensors and circuitry , enabling the accordion to be plugged into a synth module and produce accordion sounds or other synthesized instrument sounds , such as piano or organ . |
The accordion has traditionally been used to perform folk or ethnic music , popular music , and transcriptions from the operatic and light-classical music repertoire.Henry Doktorski , CD booklet notes for " Guido Deiro : Complete Recorded Works , Vol . 1 , " Archeophone Records ( 2007 ) Today the instrument is sometimes heard in contemporary pop styles , such as rock and pop-rock , Sometimes in modern pop music the accordion is not actually played , but its sound is heard by use of a MIDI instrument and sampled sound module. and occasionally even in serious classical music concerts , as well as advertisements . |
The accordion 's popularity spread rapidly : it has mostly been associated with the common people , and was propagated by Europeans who emigrated around the world . The accordion in both button and piano forms became a favorite of folk musiciansChristoph Wagner , " A Brief History of How the Accordion Changed the World , " CD booklet notes for Planet Squeezebox , performed by various artists , ( Roslyn , New York : Ellipsis Arts , 1995 ) , 6 and has been integrated into traditional music styles all over the world : see the list of music styles that incorporate the accordion . |
Jazz accordionists from the United States include Steve Bach ( musician ) | Steve Bach , Milton DeLugg , Orlando DiGirolamo , Dominic Frontiere , Guy Klucevsek , Yuri Lemeshev , Frank Marocco , John Serry Sr. , Lee Tomboulian , and Art Van Damme . French jazz accordionists include Richard Galliano , Bernard Lubat , and Vincent Peirani . Norwegian jazz accordionists include Asmund Bjørken , Stian Carstensen , Gabriel Fliflet , Frode Haltli , and Eivin One Pedersen . |
The accordion appeared in popular music from the 1900s to the 1960s . This half-century is often called the " golden age of the accordion . " |
Most vaudeville theaters closed during the Great Depression , but accordionists during the 1930s-1950s taught and performed for radio . Included among this group was the concert virtuoso John Serry , Sr. " The Los Angeles Examiner " 9 October 1938 , P. 1Jacobson , Marion ( 21 February 2012 ) . " Squeeze This : A Cultural History of the Accordion in America " . University of Illinois Press , Chicago , Il . 2012 , Pg . 61 . The first accordionist to appear and perform at the Newport Jazz Festival was Angelo DiPippo . He can be seen playing his accordion in the motion picture " The Godfather " . He also composed and performed with his accordion on part of the soundtrack of Woody Allen 's movie " To Rome With Love " . He was featured twice on " The Tonight Show " with Johnny Carson . |
Richard Galliano is an internationally known accordionist whose repertoire covers jazz , tango nuevo , latin , and classical . Some popular bands use the instrument to create distinctive sounds . A notable example is Grammy Award | Grammy Award-winning Parody music | parodist " Weird Al " Yankovic , who plays the accordion on many of his musical tracks , particularly his polka s . Yankovic was trained in the accordion as a child . |
The accordion has also been used in the rock genre , most notably by John Linnell of They Might Be Giants , featuring more prominently in the band 's earlier works . The instrument is still frequently used during live performances , and continues to make appearances in their studio albums . Accordion is also used in the music of the Dropkick Murphys and Gogol Bordello . |
Accordionists in heavy metal music make their most extensive appearances in the folk metal subgenre , and are otherwise generally rare . Full-time accordionists in folk metal seem even rarer , but they are still utilized for studio work , as flexible keyboardists are usually more accessible for live performances . The Finnish symphonic folk-metal band Turisas used to have a full-time accordionist , employing classical and polka sensibilities alongside a violinist . One of their accordionists , Netta Skog , is now a member of Ensiferum , another folk-metal band . Another Finnish metal band , Korpiklaani , invokes a type of Finnish polka called humppa , and also has a full-time accordionist . Sarah Kiener , the former hurdy-gurdy player for the Swiss melodic-death-folk metal band Eluveitie , played a Helvetic Republic | Helvetic accordion known as a " zugerörgeli " . |
Although best known as a folk instrument , it has grown in popularity among classical composers . The earliest surviving concert piece is ' , written in 1836 by Louise Reisner of Paris . Other composers , including the Russian Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky , the Italian Umberto Giordano , and the American Charles Ives , wrote works for the diatonic button accordion . |
The first composer to write specifically for the chromatic music | chromatic accordion was Paul Hindemith . , encouraged composers to write new music for the accordion ( solo and chamber music ) and also started playing baroque music on the free bass accordion . |
French composer Henri Dutilleux used an accordion in both his late song cycles " Correspondances " ( 2003 ) and " Le Temps l 'horloge | Le Temps l 'Horloge " ( 2009 ) . Russian-born composer Sofia Gubaidulina has composed solos , concertos , and chamber works for accordion . Astor Piazzolla 's concert tangos are performed widely . Piazzolla performed on the bandoneon , but his works are performed on either bandoneon or accordion . |
The earliest mention of the novel accordion instrument in Music of Australia | Australian music occurs in the 1830s . |
The accordion initially competed against cheaper and more convenient reed instruments such as mouth organ , concertina and melodeon . |
Frank Fracchia was an Australian accordion composer are preserved in Australian libraries . |
Other Australian composers who arranged music for accordion include Reginald Stoneham . { { Citation |
The popularity of the accordion peaked in the late 1930s |
The accordion was particularly favoured by buskers . |
The accordion is a traditional instrument in Bosnia and Herzegovina . It is the dominant instrument used in sevdalinka , a traditional genre of folk music from Bosnia and Herzegovina . It is also considered a national instrument of the country . |
The accordion was brought to Brazil by settlers and immigrants from Europe , especially from Italy and Germany , who mainly settled in the south ( Rio Grande do Sul , Santa Catarina and Parana ) . The first instrument brought was a " Concertina " ( a 120 button chromatic accordion ) . The instrument was popular in the 1950s , and was common to find several accordions in the same house . There are many different configurations and tunes which were adapted from the cultures that came from Europe . |
Accordion is the official symbol instrument of the Rio Grande do Sul state , where was voted by unanimity in the deputy chamber . |
During the boom of accordions there were around 65 factories in Brazil , where most of them ( 52 ) in the south , in Rio Grande do Sul state , with only 7 outside the south . One of the most famous and genuinely Brazilian brands was Acordeões Todeschini from Bento Gonçalves-RS , closed in 1973 . The Todeschini accordion is very appreciated today and survives with very few maintainers . |
Compared to many other countries , the instrument is very popular in mainstream pop music . In some parts of the country , such as the northeast it is the most popular melodic instrument . As opposed to most European folk accordions , a very dry tuning is usually used in Brazil . Outside the south , the accordion ( predominantly the piano accordion ) is used in almost all styles of Forró ( in particular in the subgenres of Xote and baião ( music ) | Baião ) as the principal instrument , Luiz Gonzaga ( the " King of the baião ( music ) | Baião " ) and Dominguinhos being among the notable musicians in this style from the northeast . In this musical style the typical combination is a trio of accordion , Triangle ( musical instrument ) | triangle and zabumba ( a type of drum ) . This style has gained popularity recently , in particular among the student population of the southeast of the country ( in the Forró Universitário genre , with important exponents today being Falamansa , and trios such as Trio Dona Zefa , Trio Virgulino and Trio Alvorada ) . Moreover , the accordion is the principal instrument in Junina music ( music of the São João Festival ) , with Mario Zan having been a very important exponent of this music . It is an important instrument in Música sertaneja | Sertanejo ( and Caipira ) music , which originated in the midwest and southeast of Brazil , and subsequently has gained popularity throughout the country . |
The accordion is also a traditional instrument in Colombia , commonly associated with the vallenato and cumbia genres . The accordion has been used by tropipop musicians such as Carlos Vives , Andrés Cabas , Fonseca ( singer ) and Bacilos , as well as rock musicians such as Juanes and pop musicians as Shakira . Vallenato , who emerged in the early twentieth century in a city known as Valledupar , and have come to symbolize the folk music of Colombia . |
Every year in April , Colombia holds one of the most important musical festivals in the country : the Vallenato Legend Festival . The festival holds contests for best accordion player . Once every decade , the " King of Kings " accordion competition takes place , where winners of the previous festivals compete for the highest possible award for a vallenato accordion player : the " Pilonera Mayor " prize.Smithsonian Channel , , 15 August 2010 . This is the world 's largest competitive accordion festival . |
Norteño ( music ) | Norteño heavily relies on the accordion , it is a genre related to polka . Ramón Ayala known in Mexico as the " King of the Accordion " is a norteño musician . Cumbia which features the accordion is also popular with musicians such as Celso Piña creating a more contemporary style . U.S. born Mexican musician Julieta Venegas incorporates the sound of the instrument into rock , pop and folk . She was influenced by her fellow Chicanos Los Lobos who also use the music of the accordion . |
According to Barbara Demick in " Nothing to Envy " , the accordion is known as " the people 's instrument " and all North Korean teachers were expected to learn the accordion . |
The most expensive a Japanese-born craftsman . |
The manufacture of an accordion is only a partly automated process . In a sense |
Famous are often made in China . |
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Afro Celt Sound System is a musical group who fuse electronic music with traditional Irish traditional music | Irish and Music of West Africa | West African music . Afro Celt Sound System was formed in 1995 by producer-guitarist Simon Emmerson , and feature a wide range of guest artists . In 2003 they temporarily changed their name to Afrocelts before reverting to their original name . |
Their albums have been released through Peter Gabriel ' s Real World Records , |
After a number of festival dates in 2007 , the band went on hiatus . In 2010 , they regrouped to play a number of shows ( including a return to WOMAD |
On 20 May 2014 , Afro Celt Sound System announced the upcoming release of a new album , " Born " . The dispute ended on 21 December 2016 , with an announcement on social media . |
The band released their eighth studio album , " Flight " , on November 23 , 2018 |
The inspiration behind the project dates back to 1991 , when Simon Emmerson , a Grammy Award -nominated British Record producer | producer and guitarist , collaborated with Afro-pop star Baaba Maal . While making an album with Maal in Senegal , Emmerson was struck by the similarity between one African melody and a traditional Irish air . Back in London , Irish musician Davy Spillane told Emmerson about a belief that nomadic Celts lived in Africa or India before they migrated to Western Europe . Whether or not the theory was true , Emmerson was intrigued by the two countries ' musical affinities . |
In an experiment that would prove successful , Emmerson brought two members of Baaba Maal 's band together with traditional Irish musicians to see what kind of music the two groups would create . Adding a dash of modern sound , Emmerson also brought in English dance mixers for an electronic beat . " People thought I was mad when I touted the idea , " Emmerson told Jim Carroll of " The Irish Times " . " At the time , I was out of favour with the London club scene . I was broke and on income support but the success was extraordinary . " |
Jamming in the studios at Real World , musician Peter Gabriel 's recording facilities in Wiltshire , England , the diverse group of musicians recorded the basis of their first album in one week . This album , " Volume 1 : Sound Magic " , was released by Real World Records in 1996 , and marked the debut of the Afro Celt Sound System . |
" Sound Magic " has now sold over 300,000 copies . The band performed at festivals , raves , and dance clubs and regularly included two African musicians , Moussa Sissokho on talking drum and djembe and N 'Faly Kouyate on vocals , Kora ( instrument ) | kora and balafon . |
Just as the second album was getting off the ground , one of the group 's core musicians , 27-year-old keyboardist Jo Bruce , ( son of Cream ( band ) | Cream bass player Jack Bruce ) , died suddenly of an asthma attack . The band was devastated , and the album was put on hold . Then Irish pop star Sinéad O 'Connor came to the rescue , collaborating with the band and helping them cope with their loss . " [ O 'Connor ] blew into the studio on a windy November night and blew away again leaving us something incredibly emotional and powerful , " McNally told Katz . " We had this track we didn 't know what to do with . Sinéad scribbled a few lyrics and bang ! She left us completely choked up . " So taken was the band with O 'Connor 's song , " Release , " that they used the name for the title of their album . " Volume 2 : Release " hit the music stores in 1999 , and by the spring of 2000 it had sold more than half a million copies worldwide . |
In 2000 , the group was nominated for a Grammy Award in the Best World Music category . The band , composed at the time of eight members from six countries ( England , Senegal , Guinea , Ireland , France and Kenya ) , took pride in its ability to bring people together through music . " We can communicate anywhere at any corner of the planet and feel that we 're at home , " McNally told Patrick MacDonald of The Seattle Times " . " We 're breaking down categories of world music and rock music and black music . We leave a door open to communicate with each other 's traditions . And it 's changed our lives . " |
In 2001 , the group released " Volume 3 : Further in Time " , which climbed to number one on Billboard 's Top World Music Albums chart . Featuring guest spots by Peter Gabriel and Robert Plant , the album also incorporated a heightened African sound . " On the first two records , the pendulum swung more toward the Celtic , London club side of the equation , " Emmerson told the Irish Times 's Carroll . " For this one , we wanted to have more African vocals and input than we 'd done before . " Again the Afro Celt Sound System met with success . Chuck Taylor of Billboard magazine praised the album as " a cultural phenomenon that bursts past the traditional boundaries of contemporary music . " The single " When You 're Falling , " with vocals by Gabriel , became a radio hit in the United States . |
In 2003 , for the " Seed ( Afro Celt Sound System album ) | Seed " album , they changed their name to Afrocelts . They reverted to the longer band name for their subsequent albums , " Pod ( Afro Celt Sound System album ) | Pod " , a compilation of new mixes of songs from the first four albums , " Volume 5 : Anatomic " ( their fifth studio album ) , and " Capture - Afro Celt Sound System 1995-2010 . " |
They played a number of shows to promote " Volume 5 : Anatomic " in 2006 and summer 2007 , ending with a gig in Korea , before taking an extended break to work on side projects , amongst them " The Imagined Village " featuring Simon Emmerson and Johnny Kalsi . Starting in the summer of 2010 , the band performed a series of live shows to promote a new 2-CD album , " Capture - Afro Celt Sound System 1995-2010 " , released on 6 September 2010 on Real World Records . Further performances continue to the present day , and a new album-in-progress titled " Born " was announced on their website in 2014 . Following the split ( see below ) , Emmerson 's version of the band released the album The Source in 2016 . |
During 2015 , the band had split into two formations , one of them including Simon Emmerson , N 'Faly Kouyate and Johnny Kalsi , the other one James McNally ( musician ) | James McNally and Martin Russell . The split was announced on the band 's website in January 2016 . The dispute officially ended with an announcement on social media on 21 December 2016 . " Simon Emmerson , James McNally and Martin Russell are pleased to announce that they have been able to set aside their differences and come to an amicable agreement to bring their dispute to an end . Going forward , McNally , Russell and Emmerson have agreed that Emmerson will continue to perform as Afro Celt Sound System and McNally and Russell will work under a new name to be announced in due course . |
While McNally , Russell and Emmerson will no longer be performing or working together they recognise , and are grateful for each other 's contribution to Afro Celt Sound System over the past two decades and will be working with the extensive community of musicians that make up the long standing Afro Celt Sound System family . " |
When Afro Celt Sound System formed in the mid-1990s during the Real World Records | Real World Recording Week , the difference between a guest artist and a band member was virtually non-existent . However , over time , a combination of people became most often associated with the name Afro Celt Sound System ( while " Volume 5 : Anatomic " only lists Emmerson , McNally , Ó Lionáird and Russell as regulars ) . The divided grouping of the band into two versions , both operating under the name Afro Celt Sound System , began in January 2016 and was resolved in December 2016 after McNally and Russell agreed to work under a different name from Emmerson . |
Russell / McNally version |
Other musicians who have performed or recorded with Afro Celt Sound System include : Jimmy Mahon , Demba Barry , Babara Bangoura , Iarla Ó Lionáird , Peter Gabriel , Robert Plant , Pete Lockett , Sinéad O 'Connor , Pina Kollar , Dorothee Munyaneza , Sevara Nazarkhan , Simon Massey , Jesse Cook , Martin Hayes ( musician ) | Martin Hayes , Eileen Ivers , Mundy , Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh and Ciarán Tourish of Altan ( band ) | Altan , Ronan Browne , Michael McGoldrick , Myrdhin , Shooglenifty , Mairead Nesbitt , Nigel Eaton , Davy Spillane , Jonas Bruce , Heather Nova , Julie Murphy ( singer ) | Julie Murphy and Ayub Ogada , Ross Ainslie . |
They also recorded the soundtrack for the PC game " Magic and Mayhem " , released in 1998 . |
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The Alan Parsons Project were a British rock music | rock band active between 1975 and 1990 , whose core membership consisted of Alan Parsons and Eric Woolfson . They were accompanied by a varying number of session musicians and some relatively consistent band members such as guitarist Ian Bairnson , arranger Andrew Powell , bassist and vocalist David Paton , drummer Stuart Elliott ( drummer ) | Stuart Elliott , and vocalists Lenny Zakatek and Chris Rainbow . Parsons was an audio engineer and producer by profession , but also a musician and a composer . A songwriter by profession , Woolfson was also a composer , a pianist , and a singer . Almost all the songs on the Project 's albums are credited to " Woolfson / Parsons . " |
The Alan Parsons Project released eleven studio albums in its 15-year career ( the twelfth , " The Sicilian Defence ( album ) | The Sicilian Defence " , was originally recorded in 1979 and released in 2014 ) , including the successful " I Robot " and " Eye in the Sky " . Some of their most notable songs are " The Raven ( song ) | The Raven , " " ( The System of ) Dr. Tarr and Professor Fether , " " I Wouldn 't Want to Be Like You , " " Games People Play ( The Alan Parsons Project song ) | Games People Play , " " Time ( The Alan Parsons Project song ) | Time , " " The Turn of a Friendly Card | Snake Eyes , " " Sirius ( song ) | Sirius " / " Eye in the Sky ( song ) | Eye in the Sky , " " Old and Wise " and " Don 't Answer Me . " |
Alan Parsons met Eric Woolfson in the Canteen ( place ) | canteen of Abbey Road Studios in the summer of 1974 . Parsons acted as Assistant Engineer on the Beatles ' albums " Abbey Road " ( 1969 ) and " Let It Be ( The Beatles album ) | Let It Be " ( 1970 ) , engineered Pink Floyd ' s " The Dark Side of the Moon " ( 1973 ) , and produced several acts for EMI Records . { { cite book |
After Parsons asked Woolfson to become his manager , he managed Parsons 's career as a producer and engineer through a string of successes , including Pilot ( band ) | Pilot , Steve Harley , Cockney Rebel , John Miles ( musician ) | John Miles , Al Stewart , Ambrosia ( band ) | Ambrosia , and the Hollies . At the time , Parsons was frustrated by accommodating the views of some of the musicians he felt interfered with his production . Woolfson came up with the idea of making an album based on developments in the film industry -- the focal point of the films ' promotion shifted from film stars to directors such as Alfred Hitchcock and Stanley Kubrick . If the film industry was becoming a director 's medium , Woolfson felt the music business might well become a producer 's medium . |
Recalling his earlier Edgar Allan Poe material , Woolfson saw a way to combine his and Parsons 's talents . Parsons produced and engineered songs written and composed by the two , and the first Alan Parsons Project was begun . The Project 's first album , " Tales of Mystery and Imagination ( Alan Parsons Project album ) | Tales of Mystery and Imagination " ( 1976 ) , released by 20th Century Fox Records and included major contributions by all members of Pilot ( band ) | Pilot and Ambrosia ( band ) | Ambrosia , was a success , reaching the Top 40 in the US Billboard 200 | " Billboard " 200 record chart | chart . The song " The Raven ( song ) | The Raven " featured lead vocals by the actor Leonard Whiting . According to the 2007 re-mastered album liner notes , this was the first rock song to use a Digital data | digital vocoder , with Alan Parsons speaking lyrics through it , although others such as Bruce Haack pioneered this field in the previous decade . |
Arista Records then signed the Alan Parsons Project participants for further albums . Through the late 1970s and early 1980s , the Project 's popularity continued to grow . ( However , the Project was always more popular in North America , Ibero-America , and Continental Europe than in Parsons 's home country , never achieving a UK Top 40 single or Top 20 album ) . The single ( music ) | singles " I Wouldn 't Want to Be Like You , " " Games People Play ( Alan Parsons Project song ) | Games People Play , " " Damned If I Do , " " Time " ( the first single to feature Woolfson 's lead vocal ) and " Eye in the Sky ( song ) | Eye in the Sky " had a notable impact on the Billboard Hot 100 | " Billboard " Hot 100 . " Don 't Answer Me " became the Project 's last successful single in the United States ; it reached the top 15 on the American charts in 1984 . After those successes , however , the Project began to fade from view . There were fewer hit singles , and declining album sales . 1987 's " Gaudi ( The Alan Parsons Project album ) | Gaudi " would be the Project 's final release , though it had planned to record an album called " Freudiana " ( 1990 ) next . |
Even though the studio version of " Freudiana " was produced by Parsons ( and featured the regular Project backing musicians , making it an ' unofficial ' Project album ) , it was primarily Woolfson 's idea to turn it into a musical . This eventually led to a rift between the two artists . While Parsons pursued his own solo career and took many members of the Project on the road for the first time in a successful worldwide tour , Woolfson went on to produce musical plays influenced by the Project 's music . " Freudiana " , " Gaudi " , and " Gambler " were three musicals that included some Project songs like " Eye in the Sky , " " Time , " " Inside Looking Out , " and " Limelight . " The live music from " Gambler " was only distributed at the performance site in Mönchengladbach , Germany . |
In 1979 , Parsons , Woolfson , and their record label Arista , had been stalled in contract renegotiations when the two submitted an all-instrumental album tentatively titled " The Sicilian Defence ( The Alan Parsons Project ) | The Sicilian Defence " , named after an Sicilian Defence | aggressive opening move in chess , arguably to get out of their recording contract . Arista 's refusal to release the album had two known effects : the negotiations led to a renewed contract , and the album was not released at that time . |
In interviews he gave before his death in 2009 , |
Parsons released titles under his name ; these were " Try Anything Once " ( 1993 ) , " On Air ( Alan Parsons album ) | On Air " ( 1996 ) , " The Time Machine ( Alan Parsons album ) | The Time Machine " ( 1999 ) , " A Valid Path " ( 2004 ) and " The Secret " ( 2019 ) . Meanwhile , Woolfson made concept album s titled " Freudiana " ( 1990 ) , about Sigmund Freud ' s work on psychology , and " Poe : More Tales of Mystery and Imagination " ( 2003 ) ; this continued from the Alan Parsons Project 's first album about Edgar Allan Poe 's literature . |
" Tales of Mystery and Imagination " ( 1976 ) was re-mix ed in 1987 for release on CD , and included narration by Orson Welles recorded in 1975 , but arrived too late to be included on the original album . For the 2007 deluxe edition release , parts of this tape were used for the 1976 Griffith Park Planetarium launch of the original album , the 1987 remix , and various radio spots . All were included as bonus material . |
The band 's sound is described as progressive rock , Woolfson songs . It was used as entrance music by various American sports teams , notably by the Chicago Bulls during their 1990s National Basketball Association | NBA dynasty ( sports ) | dynasty . It was also used as the entrance theme for Ricky Steamboat in pro wrestling of the mid-1980s . In addition , " Sirius " is played in a variety of TV shows and movies including the BBC series Record Breakers , the episode " Vanishing Act " of " The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron : Boy Genius " and the 2009 film " Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs ( film ) | Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs " . |
Vocal duties were shared by guests to complement each song . In later years , Woolfson sang lead on many of the group 's hits , including " Time , " " Eye in the Sky , " and " Don 't Answer Me . " The record company pressured Parsons to use him more , however Parsons preferred to use polished proficient singers ; Woolfson admitted he was not in that category . In addition to Woolfson , vocalists Chris Rainbow , Lenny Zakatek , John Miles ( musician ) | John Miles , David Paton , and Colin Blunstone are regulars . Other singers , such as Arthur Brown ( musician ) | Arthur Brown , Steve Harley , Gary Brooker , Elmer Gantry 's Velvet Opera | Dave Terry a.k.a. Elmer Gantry , Vitamin Z ' s Geoff Barradale , and Marmalade ( band ) | Marmalade ' s Dean Ford , recorded only once or twice with the Project . Parsons sang lead on one song ( " The Raven ( song ) | The Raven " ) through a vocoder and backing on a few others , including " To One in Paradise . " Both of those songs appeared on " Tales of Mystery and Imagination ( Alan Parsons Project album ) | Tales of Mystery and Imagination " ( 1976 ) . |
A variety of musicians worked with the Alan Parsons Project regularly , contributing to the recognizable style of a Project song despite the varied singer line-up . With Parsons and Woolfson , the Project consisted of the group Pilot ( band ) | Pilot , with Ian Bairnson ( guitar ) , David Paton ( bass ) and Stuart Tosh ( drums ) . Pilot 's keyboardist Billy Lyall contributed . From " Pyramid ( The Alan Parsons Project album ) | Pyramid " ( 1978 ) onward , Tosh was replaced by Stuart Elliott ( drummer ) | Stuart Elliott of Cockney Rebel . Bairnson played on all albums , and Paton stayed almost until the end . Andrew Powell appeared as arranger of orchestra ( and often choirs ) on all albums except " Vulture Culture " ( 1985 ) ; he was composing the film score | score of Richard Donner ' s film " Ladyhawke ( film ) | Ladyhawke " ( 1985 ) . This score was partly in the Project style , recorded by most of the Project regulars , and produced and engineered by Parsons . Powell composed some material for the first two Project albums . For " Vulture Culture " and later , Richard Cottle played as a regular member on synthesizers and saxophone . |
The Project played live only once during its original incarnation because Woolfson and Parsons held the roles of writing and production , and because of the technical difficulties of re-producing on stage the complex instrumentation used in the studio . In the 1990s , musical production evolved with the technology of digital sampler s . The one occasion the band was introduced as ' The Alan Parsons Project ' in a live performance was at Night of the Proms in October 1990 ( prior to their break-up , they haven 't played much since their dissolution ) , featuring all Project regulars except Woolfson , present behind the scenes , while Parsons stayed at the mixer . Except the last song , he played acoustic guitar . |
Since 1993 , a new version of the band toured with Parsons performing acoustic guitar , keyboards , and vocals , with various line-ups . This latest incarnation was called Alan Parsons , later renamed the Alan Parsons Live Project to be distinct from ' The Alan Parsons Project ' , due to Parsons ' break-up with Woolfson . This version includes lead singer P.J. Olsson , guitarist Jeffrey Kollman , drummer Danny Thompson , keyboardist Tom Brooks ( music producer ) | Tom Brooks , bass guitarist Guy Erez , vocalist and saxophonist Todd Cooper , and guitarist and vocalist Dan Tracey . In 2013 , Alan Parsons Live Project played Colombia with a full choir and orchestra ( the Medellin Philharmonic ) as ' Alan Parsons Symphonic Project ' . A 2-CD live set and a DVD version of this concert were released in May 2016 . |
" The Simpsons " episode " Homerpalooza " features Homer explaining 1970s rock music to Lisa , Bart , and Milhouse : " Grand Funk Railroad paved the way for Jefferson Airplane , clearing the way for Jefferson Starship . The stage was set for the Alan Parsons Project , which I believe was some sort of hovercraft . " |
In the 1999 movie " Austin Powers : The Spy Who Shagged Me " , the weapon Dr. Evil installed on the moon is referred to as ' The Alan Parsons Project ' , then his son Scott Evil makes fun of him for trying to be hip by using the name of the band and other 80s references . |
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Kim Renard Nazel ( born June 17 , 1965 ) , He is best known as a founding member of N.W.A . |
Nazel was born in Compton , California to the son of Joseph " Skippy " Nazel Jr . , a prominent African-American author and radio talk show host . |
Nazel took the stage name of DJ Prince at first , out of respect for Prince , and started selling mixtapes at school . While working at a luggage store at the Del Amo Mall , its owner Sam Nassif would ask DJ Prince to dj a party at a community center , and because of his huge following from high school DJ Prince packed the place . He kept performing there for several weekends and the success persuaded Nassif to invest even more in the place , renaming it " The Cave , " where Nazel would continue to host for over three years and even after his N.W.A. days . Nassif was also the one to fund DJ Prince first record , " Strange Life " |
He changed his stage name when he was 15 years old at the Skateland USA , the same skating venue credited for launching the NWA a few years later , due to a fan 's suggestion . He said about his name : |
Arabian Prince started working with Russ Parr | Bobby Jimmy & amp ; the Critters in 1984 . He also produced the hit single and album for J.J. Fad , " Supersonic ( J.J. Fad song ) | Supersonic . " |
In 1986 , he was a founding member of N.W.A but when fellow member Ice Cube came back from the Phoenix Institute of Technology in 1988 , Arabian Prince soon after left over royalty and contract disagreements . " I started off as a solo artist , " he said , " so I was aware of what a royalty statement was . I knew that when these many records were sold , there is a quarterly statement . When you look at it , you can see how much money was paid and then share it . This was not the case . We were also never paid for touring . " Eazy-E , Ice Cube and MC Ren remained as the main performers , DJ Yella was the turntablist and Dr. Dre was the main producer . |