trickster, me thinks is the illegitimate father. Yes, the trickster, the prankster, the master of fun himself. Not for nothing, 100 years ago Coney Island was called Devil’s Playground. And accordionists and ragtimers fit neatly into that world.

Not surprisingly, many ragtime works were (and still are) transcribed to the accordion. In addition, accordion kings Guido Deiro and Pietro Frosini also wrote rags. And accordion king Bill Schimmel is also a fine ragtime pianist.

A word about “fun”. Fun isn’t the same as “making fun”. The ragtimer as clown, novelty act isn’t accurate – yes, this is fun stuff – it may not be classical, but it’s no joke either. It’s serious fun – even if it isn’t holy.