Chicago Accordion Club Entertainment
February  25, 2OO8

 Coverage   By   Ron Grenda

When Homer described   Odysseus' travels many  centuries  ago, there were no accordions  and  there was no Mario Pedone to stir the imagination. There  were  only
sirens and bags of wind.

 
Fortunately for the Chicago Accordion  Club   listeners, on the snowy night of February 25, 2008, things had changed. There was an Excelsior accordion  and, to provide the  inspiration  and stir the hearts, there was a traveler named  Mario Pedone.

Mario  captured  the  audience   instantly as  he floated  over  the Seine  with "Pigalle" and "Under Paris Skies."  He soon  left  the  continent  by  way  of  Holland to clog into  the Windy City with  the "American Wooden Shoe Polka."  With  memorable  expressive  little  bellow  shakes, he made  an "Unforgettable" slide down into the bassoon  register. A tejano  tune, "Hey Baby Que Paso" came straight  from  the Lone Star State  with  gusto. The world traveler  took everyone along for a musical grand tour starting  in the Eternal City with "Arrivederci Roma." It was on to lberia for "Espagna" and the  memorable  lilting "Lisbon Antigua". Mario helped  everyone  safely board the Orient  Express  for Turkey  and  "lstanbul". lt was on to the Middle East for a little rejoicing with "Hava Nagila" before  waltzing into Sweden  and Russia with buttons, bellows and keys.

Mario  escorted  his  enraptured  audience  down South America  way  to Argentina for  Cardel's  great tango, "Por Una Cabeza." lt was then over the Andes to Peru for
"Estrellita Del Sur". When you love the World and the World loves you, sometimes you must keep on the move. Mario  was  starting  to resemble Anthony Quinn's Grecian "Zorba," before  hopping  with  a Venezuelan  touch  of precise bass  work  towards Prague  in  the Czech Republic for  "Polka de la Cerveza." The "Beer Barrel Polka" really  had the blues on the run.

Mario's own composition  of  "Waltz in D Minor" gentile, sparkled  as  he prepared  the listeners  for his exquisite  bellows  movement  in "You Light  Up My Life." His own accompanied  version  was a favorite  with  many  of  the  ladies . "The  Orange Blossom Special"  then came fly, down  the tracks from Texas with dazzling accordion  effects. "Granada" by  Agustin Lara had  the audience falling under Mario's spell  and  reacting  with  a  spontaneous  standing  ovation Oh,  my,  it  was  on  Mario's  words  "Andiamo  Bambini " and  time  for  Magnante's "Waltz  Allegro".

The wonderful student and  professor   remembered  his  own Italian and Spanish teachers   with  Marabaibo  with  love  a  delicious  waltz  from Venezuela.  He  then expressed  his  love  of  James  Bond  movies  with  the hauntingly  delightful  "  Diamonds  are  Forever ". Mario  Pedone  was  still  #1  with  Hillary,  John  and  Barack  after  his  primary  special "Pennsylvania  Polka ".  He  had  all  parties embrace  in  a  sing-a-long  of "You  Are  My  Sunshine ". The  dramatic  and   powerfully  gentle  art  of  Mario  Pedone  reached  another  plateau  in  ' Malaguena ".  The  Chicago  Accordion  club  members  responded  with  another  standing  ovation  for  great  accordionist.

Mario  invited  Ed  Smollen  to  join  him  for  truly  internationally  spiced  version  of "Tico  Tico", " Flick  Flack " and  "Bavarian  Polka  in  Bb".  The  duo  received  a  marvelous  round  of  applause  for  combining  the  Excelsior  and  Dallape  so  well. The  listeners  shouted  for  more  and  Mario  obliged  with  Pietro  Deiro's  " Tranquillo" and  a  terrific  tribute  to  Astor  Piazzolla.

The  stunningly  beautiful  concert  closed  with  a  tribute  to  America   featuring  a  heartfelt  "America the  Beautiful",  "The  Army,  Marine,  Navy  and  Air  Force"  songs,  and  "God  Bless  America".  The  Chicago  Accordion  Club  had  been  honored  to  hear  a  little  boy  from  Italy  who  had ventured  to  South  America  before  carrying  his  musical genius  to  our  toddling town  by  way  of  Texas.  His  lifelong  journey  had  been worthwhile!