Mischievous and deeply original, accordionist Rachelle Garniez plays her own witty songs and gives a beautiful swing to the classics.

Why you should listen

Rachelle Garniez inhabits a skewed musical universe of accordions, ocarinas and women who growl like Tom Waits. Her brilliant playing has landed her gigs with musicians such as Rufus Wainwright and Dan Zanes, and she prowls around the neo-cabaret scene with her band the Fortunate Few. She's also a musical co-director of the theatrical troupe The Citizens Band.

Her latest album with the Fortunate Few is 2008's The Melusine Years.

What others say

“I had never heard of Rachelle but I was instantly taken with her music, her oddball stage presence and her funny lyrics. She's a brilliant solo accordionist, coming from a very musical family and with strong European, Louisiana and Americana roots. She started up an intro on accordion and it was clear right away she's a great technician with a lot of feeling. Then she broke into song: "I'm a sucker for a broken nose…" and it went on intriguingly from there!” — Thomas Dolby

Rachelle Garniez’s TED talks