Search - John Kirkpatrick :: Three in a Row

A seminal album for me

C. H. Osborne | San Jose, California, USA | 09/23/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I learned to play the melodeon by listening to the original vinyl version of this album for two years, and it was almost completely worn out at the end of that time from repeated play. JK is the outstanding melodeon player of his time and, in this style, perhaps the greatest ever. Despite the new generation of young players and the new generation of faster and better instruments, nobody gets a tune out of an old Hohner 1-row like Kirkpatrick can. As an introduction to the 1- and 2-row diatonics this is a must-have, and the bonus is to hear them both alongside the big three-row chromatic instrument, sometimes all in the same set of tunes. I grudgingly decided to drop a star because not all the tracks here became personal favorites, and of course Kirkpatrick's full range of talents is not on display here. You would need more than one album to experience that. But for followers of the English melodeon and those interested in hearing a great player showing what a relatively cheap instrument is capable of, this album is a must."