MONTPELIER, Vt. (InvestigateTV) — Nathan Longo is rarely without “Sparkles,” his Italian accordion from the early 1960s, which he plays most often.
The 74-year-old Vermont man has found his passion not only in playing the accordion, but also in fixing them and keeping the instrument alive for future generations. What was supposed to be something to do in retirement has turned into a 30-hour-a-week job.
“There aren’t many people that fix accordions,” Longo said. “I’m a lot busier than I ever thought I would be.”
Rare skill in New England
Longo is one of a handful of people who work on accordions in New England. His small workshop sits a block away from Vermont’s “Golden Dome” statehouse.
“And I’m a lot better fixing them than I am playing them,” he said.
The accordion is a member of the wind instrument family, using a set of reeds that vibrate when the bellows open and close. It’s a musical instrument with variations found all over the world, influencing genres from Tejano to polka to pop.
“There really are more people that are interested in accordions than I ever thought,” Longo said.
From struggle to success
Growing up, Longo liked to tinker on things but he struggled in school.
“It took forever for them to teach me how to write my name. But nobody knew about dyslexia then,” he said. “I had pretty poor self-image at that time.”
He made it through high school and found that he had a talent for fixing cars.
“Dyslexics have a really good three-dimension visualization,” Longo said.
Longo then went on to make prototypes for high-end machinery in Massachusetts. Around age 50, he started playing the squeeze box as a way to keep the brain active.
“And to do whatever you can to stay in the present,” he said.
Musical expression
At his workshop, Longo attaches reeds to accordions — the parts that make the sound. He tests them with bellows to ensure they work properly.
“It bothers me when something doesn’t work right,” he said.
When playing at the Vermont Statehouse, Longo performed an untitled song he wrote a decade ago. If it had a name, he would call it “Patience.”
“They’re very expressive and they’re extremely versatile,” he said of accordions.
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