A Mighty Squeeze

A musical collaboration of two five-time All-Ireland Champion master accordionists celebrating the traditional music of Ireland”

Previous events

*Update: Online Sales have ended - there will be a few seats available for sale at Chief O'Neill's before Concert time - thank you!

After a couple, two, three year hiatus - A Mighty Squeeze is back!

Join John & Jimmy in an evening of mighty music from the modern free-reed melody makers.

We will be following all City of Chicago Covid Protocols and Mandates in effect on the date of the concert.

Make sure you make dinner reservations directly with the kind folks at Chief O'Neill's if you plan on getting a meal before the concert - call 773.583.3066

Please note: concert tickets must be purchased in advance of the concert directly from this website...

Lifelong friends and five-time All-Ireland accordion champions Jimmy Keane & John WIlliams joined forces in 2013 to present a themed concert celebrating the accordion in Irish Traditional Music and continue to do so every few years. Keep a look out for the next rendition!

Irish music accordion virtuoso Jimmy Keane's accomplishments are far reaching. He has achieved astonishing and unprecedented success in competitive playing, having won five consecutive All-Ireland titles on the piano accordion. He has always been an avid collector and arranger of old tunes and is becoming increasingly known for his original compositions, many of which have become part of the mainstream of traditional Irish music around the world. He also has recorded and produced numerous albums

Many regard Keane as the premier exponent of traditional Irish music on the piano accordion. Noted University of Limerick Professor, composer, and musician Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin praised Keane as the "savior of the piano accordion." eMusic described him as "one of the true giants of Irish traditional music of the past fifty years," and the voice of Ireland, singer-songwriter Christy Moore, described Jimmy's playing as "wild and beautiful."

more on Jimmy...

John Williams is internationally regarded as one of the foremost players of Irish music today. With five All-Ireland titles to his credit, John is the only American-born competitor ever to win first place in the Senior Concertina category. His additional talents on flute, button accordion, bodhran, and piano distinguish him as a much sought after multi-instrumentalist in the acoustic scene around the world.

Forming the groundbreaking Solas in 1995 with Seamus Egan, Winifred Horan, Karan Casey and John Doyle, Williams received wider recognition playing to sold out audiences internationally and earning two NAIRD awards and Grammy nominations for the ensemble's 1996 and 1997 releases Solas and Sunny Spells and Scattered Showers.  The Irish national broadcasting network RTE has featured Williams as the subject of the radio program The Long Note, the television series The Pure Drop,  and the Gaelic language and music programs Geantrai and Failte.

more on John...

Concerts

CONCERT OF THE YEAR: A Mighty Squeeze