Album Notes

\"Germaine\" This is the 7th recording by Cafe Accordion Orchestra, and it finds the band in a particularly sunny mood. CAO presents the combination of accordion, mandolin, violin, guitars, bass, percussion, and vocals in their typical ensemble oriented manner. While their previous 2 releases (\"Le Disque Francais\" and \"Cinema\") were concept albums, \"Germaine\" is simply a collection of favorite tunes the band has been performing over the past 15 years. You\'ll get a large serving of French flavors here, musettes, javas, and hot-club styles that define the band\'s repertoire. There are 3 classic musette instrumentals (\"Germaine\", \"Brise Picarde\" and \"Milou de Paname\") and 2 French-language songs by contemporary retro composer Dominic Cravic that will take the listener directly to a sidewalk cafe in Paris. But as is the case with most of CAO\'s live shows, they have thrown in some Latin sounds and American standards. Cumbias from the Colombian and Arizona traditions complement a Brazilian mandolin feature (Jacob do Bandolim\'s lively \"Assanhado\"), an original cha-cha (\"Eiffel Tower\" by the band\'s leader Dan Newton) and a gentle rumba treatment of the classic \"Sweet Sue\". And there\'s more, in the form of Tin Pan Alley fox-trots and blues.