To celebrate their 25th anniversary, l'Association des Amis des
Instruments et de la Musique Mecanique (AAIMM) enclosed a nice CD
entitled "Souvenirs" (Memories) inside the society's journal, Musiques
Mecaniques Vivantes (MMV), No. 34, for 2nd trimester 2000.  The CD gives
homage to the departed elders who went out and saved many mechanical
musical instruments destined for destruction.

Twenty-one different instruments are presented, from the marvelously
restored collections of Marc Fournier, Patrick Desnoulez and Henri
Triquet.  Many tunes feature the delicate sounds of the salon; for
example, 25-inch Kalliope and Polyphon, British Aeolian residence
pipe organ, Wurlitzer harp, and an Encore banjo which plays "Tea for
Two" arranged by Art Reblitz!  Both Seybold and Pneuma jazz accordions
are presented, as well as larger orchestrions and organs by Frati,
Hupfeld, Gavioli and Limonaire.

Contemporary noteur Pierre Charial ("The ladies swoon at the sight
of Pierre turning the crank!") performs a modern jazz composition,
"Le Vilain petit canard", on his big 42-key chromatic Odin crank organ,
with ranks of bourdon, vox celeste and open flutes.

Special tribute is paid to the beloved entertainer Leo Noel, a
former violinist who gave a new dimension to organ grinding with his
interpretation of modern songs by such composers as Kosma, Mac Orlan,
Charles Trenet, and Kurt Weill.  In 1951 he and three other artists
launched L'ecluse (The Sluice), which became one of the most famous
cabarets of the Left Bank of Paris.

Single copies of the MMV 25th Anniversary special edition, with the
enclosed CD, may be purchased from

  Christian Lecorne
  113, rue du Mont Cenis
  75018 Paris, France

The price is 100 FF within France; for shipment to North America
$20 USA ($30 Canadian) in paper currency is requested.

The songs of the CD "Souvenirs" are well chosen and the digital audio
realization is excellent; I 'tip my hat' in admiration of the good
work by producer Michel Gollet and his team.  The musical quality
and variety is especially enjoyable, and I recommend the CD with no
reservations!  :-)

Robbie Rhodes