Description

Graham Wells is easily one of Newfoundland’s greatest accordion players. He is a young man but has been a revered musician in the province and abroad for many years. A fixture at many of the traditional sessions here in St. John’s, many accordion players take their cues from his playing. He is an absolute purist when it comes to the instrument and an equally ardent perfectionist. The result of his approach is astounding, fine-tuned note perfect playing. His fervor for the traditional music of Newfoundland drips off of every note on this award-winning album (it took home the 2008 Music Newfoundland and Labrador award for Best Traditional Album). The album is teeming with wonderful accordion tunes and features some talented guests including Duane Andrews, award-winning gypsy jazz master and Billy Sutton of Fables fame. Aside from being a phenomenal musician Graham is also a charming vocalist. A standout performance on the record is a jaunty, rousing version of “The Wreck of the S.S. Ethie”, an ill-fated coastal steamer who’s crew had to act quickly in order to save their passengers from harm as the ship ran aground off of Martin’s Point, Newfoundland in the winter of 1919. Wells paints such a vivid picture of that day that you’d swear you were a passenger on the ship. Graham Wells is one of our finest musicians and an ambassador for the purest representation of how the tunes were originally performed. He is about as authentic as they come and we suspect that this album will become a Newfoundland classic.