Following in the footsteps of his father and uncle, Lou started his 69-year love affair with the accordion. “All I’ve ever done all my life is play the accordion. You might say it’s in my blood.” This quote from Lou sums up his life history.
He began instruction at 6-years old, started playing professionally at 12-years for Vaudeville. He joined the Navy during the Korean War and started a band and entertained his comrades. The next eight years were spent as a member of the Navy’s Active Reserve. He was the owner of a music studio in Castro Valley for approximately ten years, and was a Capitol Record recording artist.
This year, Lou will be celebrating 75-years, and wants to continue teaching and playing. He is currently studying classical musicians, their life histories and what made their music work. “I wouldn’t think about having a real job before retiring,” he said while strapping on his Bugari Gold Model 288, custom-made accordion for yet another lesson. Lou hits one of the four chin switches and launches off to another day, another job, and another challenge.
Jeremy Jeans (right)
Jeremy started playing the accordion after his grandfather gave him an antique 12-bass accordion the summer before he turned 6. He was instructed by Tony Cervone for approximately six months. Lou Jacklich continued his instruction upon Tony’s retirement. Jeremy fell in love with the instrument from the start, and has taken instruction from Lou since. He is currently 15-years old, is a sophomore at Redwood Christian High School, recently earned his Eagle rank from Boy Scouts of America. Jeremy saw in the New Year at the Boy Scout World Jamboree in Sattahip, Thailand, a goal he accomplished after having started fundraising as a Cub Scout.
He has performed at the Walnut Creek Center for Performing Arts, competed two years at the North American Accordion Festival in Los Angeles, has performed at the Cotati Accordion Festival, for the San Francisco Bay Area Accordion Club on numerous occasions, the Accordion Club of the Redwoods, and the Arizona Accordion Club. We are so grateful for the several youth scholarships he was awarded from the SFBAAC to help pay for lessons, and the gift from a wonderful gentleman who blessed us with the gift of a free-bass Titano, which he outgrew 6-months ago.
Jeremy played on KSFO radio this Christmas his arrangement of “Little Drummer Boy” and performed for the introduction of a soon-to-be-released video project on the history of the accordion in the Bay Area.
