Thursday, December 20, 2012

New Christmas song

Just found a newer Christmas song which is not in the usual 1930-1950s span for most of the common knowledge popular ones.  It is maybe for a little younger set.. "Wonderful Christmastime" by Paul McCartney.  It will be fun (yet not too difficult) to work out an organ arrangement.

Monday, December 10, 2012

Sweet Georgia Brown

A long time ago I gave up on trying to make an arrangement of "Sweet Georgia Brown" because it never sounded right. Tonight I realized that I had scanned the pages in incorrect order.  Maybe now I can finally work out something that sounds good,

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Let's put out the lights

I just got the vintage sheet music for " Let's put out the lights", a Rudy Vallee song recorded by Sidney Torch in the 30s.  it is a nice bouncy number.  It is really great how the availability of vintage sheet music has increased at places like Amazon.  Don't let the old songs disappear!
An interesting note... It originally was recorded as "Let's put out out the lights and go to bed " but to be performed on the Fleischmann's Yeast Hour, it was changed to " Let's put out the lights and go to sleep.", the less racy version.

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Movies were movies

I found a fun new song by listening to a CD by Sean Anderson fron Australia oN the Plummer organ.  It was from a medley songs from Mack & Mabel.  The song is "movies were movies."         n.

Saturday, September 8, 2012

Turkish Towel

After well over a week, I finally finished my organ arrangement of "Turkish Towel" by the way, this is not the "Turkish Towel Rag".  The piece I worked on is the one recorded by several organists. I had a complete small instrumental combo arrangement to work from (strings, saxes, clarinets, trombones, trumpets, piano and more.. There was no piano/conductor score.  It took a while doing the transposing and ediiting to get it to a place where I liked it.  I am proud of it.


Friday, August 31, 2012

Strony's piston settings

After Walt Strony's concert at the Middletown Paramount, I wanted to get up there quickly to practice  on the organ so I could compare my piston settings to his.  I didn't have to make too many changes to my settings.  But the minor tweaks made such an improvement on my sound.  Now I just have to make some similar tweaks on the pistons that I use on the LL324 at Bristol Glen.

Strange dream

I had te strangest dream! I dreamt the my mom and I broke into Radio City Music hall so she could hear me play the organ.  We wandered all over the huge theatre and so no one. It took a while to turn on the organ but I was surprised how well I did playing it.  Strange dream.  I think I had the dream because the other day when I went to practice on he Middletown Paramount, I said to myself that I wish my mom was still around to hear me play it.

Sunday, August 26, 2012

Strony at Middletown

I heard Walt Strony perform on the Middletown, NY Paramount's 3/12 Wurlitzer.  It was wonderful watching a master of registration play an organ of which I am very familiar.  I practice on it at least once a month.  I know which memory he used for his setup.  There a couple of sounds he created, I was not sure how he made them on that organ.  I hope he had a piston set for those few specific sounds.

It is such a pleasure watching someone who has total control of an instrument.

Fred

Monday, August 20, 2012

Found music

Acquired some more vintage music of fun tunes. First I acquired "What a Perfect Combination" from the 1930's song by Eddie Cantor.. Cost $14.50.  It is great that one can find so much vintage sheet music in England but unfortunately it costs more.  The other song is one I have been looking for, for a while, "Turkish Towel" by Sammy Fain. (not "the Turkish Towel Rag."). Unfortunately it is an arrangement for a small jazz combo.  At least it has a piano part that is a piano/conductor score so It should not be too hard to work out a decent organ arrangement...especially with the other instrument parts to fill it out.

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

What goes up must come down

I just received a vintage copy of "What goes up, must come down." from Cotton Club Parade. It was a tune Sidney Torch played.  Although it was a little pricey since I got it from a vintage music store in Great Britain, after looking at it, it will be worth it.  Cool beans!

Sunday, August 5, 2012

Playing by ear

I have been struggling with playing by ear for yearscwith very little luck.  A number of years ago I worked out "Happy Birthday" because so many people have asked me to play it.  This morning while eating breakfast at the diner,  I figured out "Let's all go to the lobby." sitting at the counter with no keyboard. I couldn't wait to get home and play it. I only had one phrase partially wrong.  Wow.. i am very proud of myself.  It is strange that I always work them out inthe key of F.  I will have to work out my repertoire of two ear songs in other keys.  Off we go...


Saturday, August 4, 2012

Quentin M. Maclean

I just acquired my first Quentin Maclean CD and WOW.  It is on a par to Sidney Torch's stuff of that era..  I think I even like it more.  I hope I can get some more recordings of his.

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Organ Lesson - Ashely Miller Arrangement

My organ/piano teacher (John Baratta) has decided that I am finally ready to read a full theatre organ arrangement.   I have made large strides on reading three lines of music so I now can attempt a good arrangement.  We decided on "I saw the Harbor Lights" arranged by Ashley Miller.  There is such wonderful harmonies in the arrangement.  He did so much with so few notes.  I wish I had gotten to know him better before he passed away. 

Speaking of Ashley Miller, I ran into Jerry Mendelson at a GSTOS picnic recently.  He was a student of Ray Bohr and played at Radio City Music Hall with Dick Liebert and Ashley Miller.  A talkative guy with so many great stories to tell.

Wedgewood Blue

After listening to a Tom Hazelton recording of Wedgewood Blue by Ketelbey, I have decided to work on my own arrangement.  I was happy to see that my "Ketelbey Classics" book contained a copy of the song.  Tomorrow I will scan it to put on my laptop where all my organ music is now.

Friday, July 27, 2012

ATOS Convention LA 2012

This was the second convention I went to. My first was Atlanta in 1978. It was wonderful actually meeting all my friends I know from online. We heard so many great organs. The one I like the sound of best was the Pasedena Civic Auditorium Moller. It used to be Reginald Foort's traveling Moller. It has an incredibly full orchestral sound. Both Mark Herman and Walt Strony played it. Mark is developing player. I hope he makes some mre CDs soon. I was selected for the Mentor program..where I had a private hour session with Walt Strony. It was avwonderful experience and a got. Lot of gret tips The whole convention was great and I am glad I went (even though it was very expensive.) i am looking forward to Atlanta next year.

Monday, May 28, 2012

Metronome

My teacher has put me back on the metronome for the Hanon exercises. We stopped the metronome because it was making me too frustrated.  I can handle it now.

Grandpa Spells

I am now able to "Grandpa Spells" by Jelly Roll Morton on the organ.  I always used to struggle with it so much.  I guess the technique things in my lessons are paying off.  I was given my first piece of this music by Bill Gage when I was on on the organ crew and he played at the old Stanley Theatre in Newark, NJ.  Which had become The Center For Italian Culture.  It was a nice 3/12 (I think) Wurlitzer.  At the time we had removed the organ from the Fabian Theatre in Paterson and were building chambers in Newark for it.  I am not sure what happened but I have heard that the Fabian organ is now in storage in England somewhere.  It was a beautiful at least 4 manual organ with a floating string division.

Saturday, March 10, 2012

St Patrick's Day

Am gathering Irish songs and down loading them on my ipad for this Wednesday at Bristol Glen. I may start out by singing at the piano, "It's not that easy being green" from Sesame Street. I have never song for them before...so I will have to think about it.

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Sustenuto Pedal

I started using the sustenuto button on the two Allen organs I play. You can do some nice things with it but I don't want to get too used to it since most pipe organs don't have one.

Saturday, March 3, 2012

So beats my heart

I just got the music for Fred Waring's "so beats my heart" the opening phrase is great for open harmony! I don' like to overdo open harmony.. But this song is just crying out for it.

Saturday, February 11, 2012

Stainer's finger substituions

I have not been practicing the Stainer finger substitutions enough when I sit down on the organ so I just photocopied the one page so I can also work on them on my piano. Hopefully that will help.

More Songs to work on

After much looking about, I finally acquired a copy of "Veradero" a fast song recorded by George Wright and since by several others on the organ. Also, after much digging I finally found a collection of music which contains "Powerhouse" by Raymond Scott. It was in a Looney Tunes collection of music which has other songs, that by their titles, also sound interesting. This week I also continued working on the chords for an arrangement of "Dance of the Blue Marionettes" which was recorded by Sidney Torch. I always have things to work on. When Powerhouse comes that will require a lot of practice.. .it is a frantically fast piece.

Saturday, January 7, 2012

Video recording

This afternoon I made three video recordings of me playing my Allen 311 theatre organ at home:
"Poinciana", "Scotch and Soda", and "Anyone Can Whistle." Now I just have to edit them in the front and back of the recordings before I put them on Facebook.