A Sad Farewell to the Master Yodeller and Accordion Player of Kimberley B.C.

June 29, 2021 Jim Byers

Four or five years ago, I wandered into the central square (called a “Platzl”) in Kimberley, British Columbia and put a toonie (I think) into a tall cuckoo clock.

Out from behind the little doors came a little guy playing the accordion and yodelling. It was great. Then my friend from Kootenay Rockies Tourism, Heidi Korven, told me the guy who played and yodelled was also a master woodcarver, and that he worked in the shop a few feet away.

We dropped our plans and went to meet Adi Unterberger, the legendary accordion player, woodcarver and yodeller. He was from Austria originally, as I recall ; but moved to Canada and set up shop in Kimberley, which has a bit of a German design to it. He proudly showed off some cassettes of his music that were on sale and we chatted for a few minutes.

Knowing he had done the “soundtrack” to the cuckoo clock outside, I asked if he could play for me. He dashed into the back room of his shop and came out with his accordion and one of those “Sound of Music” hats with long, showy white feathers popping out of the top.

He played. He yodelled. I loved it. (Here’s a video I posted to You Tube). He was beaming from ear to ear, and I snapped what I consider to be the best photo I’ve ever taken. Oh, sure, I’ve had pictures of sunsets and mountains and famous buildings. But I got lucky on this one and captured the unmitigated joy of a man doing what he loves in front of a (very small) audience.

I’ve given talks to many tourism boards and travel writers, and I almost always mention Adi Unterberger as perhaps my fave interview of all time. He was so pleased to show off his music to me, and his smile had enough wattage to light up the lower mainland of British Columbia.

We talked for several minutes about yodelling, and I noted that some of his notes sounded oddly Hawaiian to me (probably because of his falsetto). I think he thought I was nuts, but he was too polite to say anything.

I remember that day often, and I always smile at the thought of it. And now comes news that this dear, sweet, passionate man, who was so proud of his musical and cultural heritage, has passed away.

Kimberley is a worse place today for his loss. But I’m a better person for having spent those ten minutes with him. Rest in peace, Adi. Rest in peace.

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