An accordion takeover at the King of Prussia Mall

Accordion players have been laying low during the pandemic, but now after four years enthusiasts of the squeezebox are once again congregating in Philadelphia.

About 150 accordionists are attending the national convention of American Accordionists’ Association this weekend at the Marriott Philadelphia West in Conshohocken. On Thursday, about two dozen announced themselves at the nearby King of Prussia Mall.

Soloists serenaded shoppers and diners in the mall’s food court, and the Busso Festival Orchestra set up in the corridor between Macy’s and Neiman Marcus to perform medleys of accordion arrangements, from Quincy Jones “Soul Bossa Nova” to Aretha Franklin’s “R-E-S-P-E-C-T.”

About half of the Busso ensemble are actual Bussos: a three-generation accordion dynasty.

“My dad often says that playing the accordion just makes people smile,” said Christina Busso, sitting next to her 80-year-old father, each cradling their own accordion. “We attract people who maybe otherwise would not have encountered a great many accordionists in their every day.”

Half a century ago, Frank Busso Sr. started a music school on Staten Island and raised his family upstairs. He said his kids grew up surrounded by accordions.

“My daughter started when she was four. My son decided he was to wait until he’s five,” he said. “The only kids they saw — because they weren’t in nursery school yet — were kids coming up the driveway with an accordion.”

His son Frank Jr., now a senior master sergeant in the Air Force, is the accordionist for the Air Force band. He has stepped into his father’s shoes as the bandleader for the Busso Orchestra.

Frank Sr.’s daughter Christina is an attorney and executive director of the Trial Lawyers Association in Washington, D.C. On the side, she keeps up her accordion chops. She taught accordion to her own kids, who now sit in with the orchestra.

“When I was growing up, I didn’t know that everyone didn’t play the accordion,” said Christina. “I thought you walked, you talked, and then you played the accordion. It wasn’t really a question. And it’s been the same for my kids. They didn’t know any better.”

The Bussos help coordinate the annual convention: Frank Jr. is the president of the association and Frank. Sr.’s job is to arrange the hotel. The weekend events include professional workshops, awards, networking, and of course, lots of performances in the Marriott.

The concert at King of Prussia Mall was the weekend’s only free public performance, something the AAA arranges for every convention. When the convention came to the Philadelphia area before, Christina said they played downtown outside the Liberty Bell. She prefers the air-conditioned climate of a shopping mall.

“We wanted to expose the accordion to outsiders,” said Frank Sr. “Everybody said, ‘Oh, I didn’t know the accordion could sound like that. I didn’t know they could do this.’ That’s why we like to do at least one play-out.”