I had the great pleasure of working with Tom about 20 years ago while he was in the Lehigh Valley and connected with the Allen Organ Co. A wonderful guy and one of the most decent human beings there ever was. This recording captures all of Tom's spirit. A week or two after we did a concert together, Tom subbed for one Sunday service as the organist at my church in Allentown. It was 4th of July weekend, so Tom chose "Variations on America" by Charles Ives for the prelude music. I wish you could have seen all the "blue hairs" in the congregation twisting their necks to see what in the blazes was going on up in that organ loft!!
That's Big Birtha, the Wurlitzer (one of only 3 in it's original theater) of the Alabama Theatre in Birmingham Alabama. I used to be a projectionist there.
Tom was a regular organist at The Capn's Galley in Redwood City Ca. He very graciously allowed my friend and I to play the instrument, the owners, Mr. and Mrs. Brewer were present as well and most gracious. God rest your souls.
this BARROOMF make me really think of bow bass , as played in popular music in Romania . a technique that seemed to disappear in the past and is still there
Extraordinary - registrations changes galore! BRAVO. Too many organists play with little or no tonal variety. THAT is the purpose of Theater Organs! It seems full organ is over-used, and I believe gives organ music a bad reputation and consequent avoidance by the general public This is a welcome change--genius actually--and a great delight.
What's also overused is the tremolo shit (a turnoff like no other). It's not an opera singer, it's a musical instrument. It's not supposed to sing, and the piece shouldn't sound like Madame Butterfly.
I played this as a "postlude" on a Sunday where I featured music by American composers. I played "God Be With You 'til We Meet Again" as the official postlude then launched into "Maple Leaf Rag". The congregation loved it.
LOL that's pretty good! I sealed the deal at my audition for my last church position by closing with "Take Me Out to the Ball Game". In a big baseball town they ate it up!
Not exactly Jimmy Smith, but I was impressed with the amazing audio response. I think I'll go out and buy up all the pipe-organ albums at the local thrift.
I've always had a soft spot for theater organ music. My parents have a vinyl record of organ music from the now-defunct Organ Grinder Pizza parlor in Portland, Oregon. It's the best Don Simmons album, and I can't find it anywhere on the internet. Which is a shame, because I don't own a record player.
Now if you really want to test out your stereo, Play this instrument at 11 on your stereo. Everything that is loose or can become loose will shake loose. A big organ has so much sound and range of sound.
When I found this, I was researching the Senate Theatre in Detroit. I DO believe that this is the WurliTzer in the Senate Theatre! Still alive and well.
Whenever I want my big Russian cat to come to me from anywhere in the house, I pay this the piano. She has loved it since she was but a wee mite! Right down there on my bare feet and the pedals.
Das ist doch (was man hört - nicht das Bild) so eine von diesen riesigen Spieluhren, mit großen Puppen drin, die sich bewegen, wenn man Geld einschmeißt. Ich kenn die noch aus meiner Kindheit. Das hört sich absolut nach einer Spieluhr (Walzen, Loch-Streifen und -Scheiben)an! Es fehlt allerdings das typische Schleifen und Ein-/Aus-rasten. Der Klang ist einfach zu gut! Hmmm....
Das ist eine Theaterorgel. Diese spielt natürlich nur in den seltensten Fällen alleine. Es ist meist ein Organist dabei. Seltener gibt es Orgeln mit Papierrollentechnik oder modernem Midi. Falls Sie das meinen. Jedes Instrument was sie hören ist in der Orgel eingebaut und wird über den Spieltisch angesteuert.
Calling this a “video” is stretching the definition but at least I was not subjected to extremely amateur and distracting efforts at key-framing by some wanna-be “filmmaker”. Ragtime is possibly my favorite theater organ genre, I am not an enthusiast of most of the usual theater organ repertoire, because I don’t have any great singing version playing in my head to compare it too unfavorably. Unfortunately, outside of theater organ enthusiasts in their 60s and above not too many people have heard of it, well maybe ragtime piano enthusiasts in their 60s and above.
You like Ragtime on a WurliTzer? Try this, it's good, too! Pine Apple Rag and Bethena played at a tempo Joplin or Fats Waller would approve, I think. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-rSselIhd3TA.html
+BAISIN Christophe As a matter of fact, no part of the Wurlitzer theatre pipe organ heard on this recording is digitally sampled. This is a living, breathing, LARGE instrument located in an equally large residence in Gig Harbor, WA, USA.
There are actually Wurlitzers with entire pianos hooked up to them - the one at Long Island University for example, of which there's a great video on RU-vid showing the inner workings.
DISAPPOINTING WHEN RECORDIST DOESN'T LIST THE NAME OF THE ORGAN, WHERE INSTALLED, AND WHEN RECORDED WITH THE NAME OF THE ORGANIST AND IF RECORDINGS ARE AVAILABLE? NOT ONE OF THOSE IS LISTED. WHY? WHAT AN INSULT AND SLAP TO THE ORGANIST.
