Biography
Reviving sounds once heard in Parisian dancehalls, cafes, and bistros from the 1920s through the 1950s, the Minnesota-based Café Accordion Orchestra brings that era back to life. Accordionist and vocalist Daniel Newton directs the ensemble, which delivers an eclectic blend of gypsy, Latin, and European dance styles. Although the French musette forms the core of their material, a romantic dance genre infused with gypsy elements, the Café Accordion Orchestra also weaves in the waltz, valse-musette, java, swing-valse, foxtrot, paso doble, polka, bolero, and rhumba. Newton assembled the Café Accordion Orchestra specifically to record his 1993 solo album, Café Accordion. The sessions proved so rewarding that the musicians decided to continue performing together. Their first three albums, Dancing on the Moon, On Holiday, and Café Christmas, began as self-released projects. In 2000 the Orchard label issued Dancing on the Moon and On Holiday.
Albums
