Pushed his buttons

IN his review of Stefon Harris, Don Heckman comments that he’d like the musician “even if he were playing the accordion” [“Strikingly Good Vibes From Stefon Harris,” Oct. 30]. Enough already with slighting the accordion, one of the most versatile musical instruments around.

Not only does the accordion boast a rich and dramatic history (and uninterrupted popularity) since the early 1900s, but it’s proved itself an expressive jazz instrument since the glory days of Alice Hall and Art Van Damme. Meanwhile, the Skirball Center is curating a full year of accordion concerts under the title “Compressing the World.”

So, don’t you think it’s time for a smart, cutting-edge paper like The Times to retire the old cliches about the accordion and find some other instrument to bash? Maybe you could pick on the tuba for a while.

MICKEY BIRNBAUM

Burbank