N'Djamena, 19.06.2026As probably the only person with an accordion in the country, I was invited to accompany local musicians at the La Cave Bar in N’Djamena as part of the Fête de la Musique in Chad. A bit of jazz, a bit of pop, Raï, and R&B… – why not? What a nice opportunity to celebrate this festival!
… and The Chaos Begins
All musicians were supposed to meet at 5.30 pm on the evening of the show to set up. Music was scheduled to start at 6.00 pm. The first musician arrived at 7.00 pm, and by 8.00 pm the first singers had made it. Time is relative…
The Improviser’s Role
With barely a year of accordion experience under my belt, my casual agreement meant somehow memorizing more than twenty new songs during three two-hour rehearsals in a single week.
“Tranquille” — easy does it.
At least I also had two extra hours for some individual “fine-tuning.” As it turned out, all my nervousness was completely unnecessary, because the final set list — including several songs that had never actually been discussed and were therefore genuinely brand new to me, plus a few key changes for good measure — arrived twenty minutes before I left for the gig.
To my surprise, an accordion solo had also quietly appeared on the set list, labelled simply as “classical music.” Beethoven in a bar? I ignored the suggestion and blasted out Take Five instead.
Particularly charming was the “brief” instrumental introduction, which evolved into a session of free improvisation featuring individual solos from the saxophone, keyboard, and my lovely accordion. In the end, this little intro stretched on for well over half an hour…
All things considered, it worked surprisingly well. I improvised my way through three hours of songs, filed the evening mentally under “extended jam session,” and the crowd went wild.
What Works – and What Doesn’t
The singers were outstanding. Every note landed exactly where it should. The saxophonist played tirelessly, confidently, and with plenty of variety, and the keyboard player confidently acted as an invisible conductor, quietly keeping the entire set from falling apart.
The atmosphere was electric. People danced, cheered, and thoroughly enjoyed themselves. What more could you ask for?
Musically, I learned that Raï sounds fantastic on the accordion, though it isn’t exactly easy to play, and that with a band behind you, pretty much anything can be accompanied convincingly on the instrument.
There was a price, though. A constant sound level north of 100 decibels certainly gets the adrenaline going, but it also drains every last bit of energy. Integrating an unamplified accordion into a loud sound system without a microphone means playing at forte to fortissimo for hours on end. At some point you simply stop noticing that it hurts.
Finally, there was the cigarette smoke. My stylish sunglasses at least managed to hide my watering eyes.
Conclusion: Just Push Through!
It was a memorable evening, defined by the tension between “poorly planned” and “absolutely brilliant.” Even so, as someone who is still very much a beginner on the instrument, it was a fantastic experience — for me and, apparently, for the audience as well.
After all, lots of people here in Chad have never encountered an accordion before. And the well-heeled bar clientele may, at best, have heard one on a recording. Seeing one played live is a different story.
So yes, I’d say my Fête de la Musique was celebrated properly. And I’m genuinely happy and thankful to have been part of the Chadian music scene.
Want to work with me on a musical project? Let me know and contact me.
