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Phone:
570-223-0471 |
Fingering
the blues with accordion and Hammond Organ
Supporting musicians in the Pennsylvania Pocono Mountains Region through
our AFM Local 577 Union
Mark
Hamza with the Great Swamp Blues Band: Radio Interview, "The Doodlin'
Lounge", Sept. 2007
The slider control on the bottom left of the above player controls the
volume, the control on the bottom
right allows you to move foward to any spot in the program. The excellent
interview with Mark begins at
8 minutes, 40 seconds, 8:40. After you have listened to the music for a minute
you can jump ahead to
that spot by dragging the bottom right slider until the time display reads
8:40/22:14.
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ZYDECO
CHEESECAKE
With a big accordion sound and style, Mark Hamza leads the Great Swamp Blues Band in a fine zydeco blues romp. Strong players, every one of them. |
IT'S
ALL RIGHT BLUES
Mark Hamza and the Great Swamp Blues band emerges from the shadows to display blues virtuosity in this Hammond Organ fronted quartet. Check out the organ pedalboard solo! |
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Mark Hamza has been playing accordion since he was 8 years old. His father, who played by ear, inspired him to play. As he grew up, he learned European music, then American music. His last teacher gave him a solid foundation in the American songbook. He played in restaurants and weddings on his way through college, and graduated with a BSChE from Newark College of Engineering. At that time, he also started playing Hammond organ, learning to play bass lines with his feet. A full time musician since 1971, he landed an organ gig in the Poconos in a Pennsylvania resort band in 1972 and moved there. The Poconos are a musician-friendly area with a wonderful support network. He occasionally went on the road with different bands. In the 70’s, it was with “The Happenings” where he learned analog multi-keyboards. In the 90’s it was with the “Clarence Spady Band” where he honed his blues chops on Hammond organ. His Hammond is a highly modified A-100 that has a separate channel for the bass pedals, among other things. He supervised the customization at Organ Service Co. of New Jersey with design input from Trek II Products. The bass pedals have their own amp and speaker. His accordion is a hand made Sano that also is stereo. He concentrated on using the accordion in non-traditional ways. He has played with singer-songwriters through the 80’s, 90’s, and the 2000s. He played accordion and organ on Eric Anderson’s “Ghosts Upon The Road” album, and played on a number of Richard Shindell and Richard Meyer albums. He also played in a Zydeco band in the 90’s. He is currently playing with Howard Parker and the Hot Take Out Band. He is still playing with Clarence Spady. He also uses the accordion to “sit-in” with various musicians and bands like Phil Woods, Johnny Coates, Al Cohn, Spencer Reed, and many others. His current band, The Great Swamp Blues Band, consists of Hammond organ, Saxophone, Trombone, and Drums. The band plays a combination of cover songs and originals that reside on the “Jazzy side of the Blues.” In 2007, Mark released his “Great Swamp Blues Band” album. It is available by contacting Mark at 570-223-0471
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