Don Baker's Piping Thrills Angelenos
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of the Accompaniment manual, celestes availability of the 3-manual 19-rank were grouped on the same stop tab as Kimball ( only 16 ranks of pipes re the normal rank, with a master "Celeste main, but all chests are intact) from Off" tab provided for each celeste rank. the Senate Theatre. Joe DuciBella gave Thus, whenever the quintadena, for a slide presentation about the Kimball example, is registered, the quintadena organ and some humorous slides used celeste is also brought on unless the by the famed Preston Sellers at the "Quintadena Celeste OFF" stop is also Senate Theatre. registered. This idea has been used by Two committees were formed at the George Wright and Johnny Seng as business meeting to: 1, find storage ••••••• ••••••• well as several others. space for the organ during the interim As you can well imagine, installing period of removal from the Senate ~ -'A'\...V this large organ in the home, high on a Theatre and its reinstallation, and 2, Ill Ill hill overlooking the Hartford area of find a permanent location for the organ the Connecticut River Valley, was no where it will be available for CA TOE •CHAPTERNEWS• mean feat. Phil, who is an architect, use also. Charles Peterson was chosen devised a scheme for locating the cham chairman in charge of finding the stor bers in a vault beneath his garage. To age space and Bill Rieger, Clair Bass do this, the concrete garage floor was and Charles Merson will serve on his CONNECTICUT VALLEY removed, the ground excavated twenty committee. Jack Smith was chosen as AUGUST MEETING HELD AT feet, the chamber constructed and the chairman of the committee in charge STOCK HOME - 3/ 31 WURLITZER concrete garage floor ( chamber ceiling) of finding a suitable location for - On Saturday, August 9, 1969, over replaced. The organ speaks into tone CATOE's 'new' organ. Joe DuciBella, 100 members of the Connecticut Valley chutes which blend and direct the sound Alden Stockebrand and Art Todesco Chapter gathered to hear the largest up into the living room. Since the addi will serve on Jack's committee. theatre organ in Connecticut . Phil tions were planned and acquired during chamber construction, the additional The Chicago Chapter has received and Rosa Stock's magnificent 3/ 31 many messages of congratulations on Wurlitzer. ranks were squeezed in. To describe the chambers as "FULL" is a masterpiece the success of the National Conven of understatement, yet everything is tion in July. It appears that our efforts accessible. were enthusiastically received which Besides Phil, Roger Davis, Al Colton makes all the hard work and problems and Mike Foley put in vast amounts of involved seem worthwhile. CATOE time and work on the installation over thanks all those who came to the con the past four years, and final balancing vention and for the numerous calls, and tonal finishing and regulation con cards and letters sent to the officers. tinues even to the present moment. Mike Foley, who has been honing down the instrument, demonstrated the DELAWARE VALLEY various stops . usual and rare . On June 10th over 1600 people and improvised on "Climb Every gathered at the Tower Theatre, Upper Mountain" during which he used Darby, Pennsylvania to see and hear FRANK MANION PHOTO various combinations he had demon Gaylord "Flickerfingers" Carter. The instrument is the 3/ 19 Wurlitzer strated, winding up with full organ. from the Lynn (Mass.) Paramount to Phil then gave a very informal con Gaylord put on his usual top grade which was added 12 ranks from the cert which included many of the tunes performance, including song slides, University Theatre Wurlitzer from which were popular when he played demonstration of silent movie accom Cambridge, Mass. The additions were professionally (the New Haven Palace) paniment, medlies of typical theatre not made to add to the size of the while working his way through Yale. organ tunes, and climaxed the event by instrument, but to make it more versa Everett Bassett then dug up some of presenting "The Mark of Zorro" with tile by augmenting the soft accompani his "oldies" which he continually saves proper organ cueing. mental stops. Such goodies as soft from obscurity. Ev tipped his hat, string celestes, quintadena celeste, flute though, and let out his secret . he, This was the first chapter presenta celeste, dulciana and dulciana celeste like so many of today's young organ tion of a major silent classic. It proved were welcome additions so valuable in ists, picks up his music by listening to to be highly successful; so much so a home or studio installation. Other records ... but not 33-1/ 3's ... '78's! that a return engagement by Carter is desirable ranks include the usual brass Mike Foley returned to close the planned for late October. saxaphone, brass trumpet, English post formal program with some up-tempo Two weeks after the "Zorro" event, horn, and krumet. The organ was "now" music, and showed off the or Larry Ferrari appeared in concert at originally installed in the mid-30's, and gan's "Brass." Mike then invited every the Tower and further enhanced the incorporated the latest Wurlitzer chest one for a late dip in the pool to cool off. prestige of the chapter as well as him and pipework improvements. · - Allen Miller self in playing a thoroughly enjoyable The stoplist, in addition, was modi program. Mr. Ferrari is well known in fied to make the organ more adaptable CHICAGO AREA the Delaware Valley as the most active to contemporary orchestral theatre At a special business meeting held organist in the area, making an un organ technique by eliminating 16' Tuesday, July 29th, at Kelvyn Park believable number of appearances on stops in the Accompaniment, adding Field House, CA TOE members listen both electronic and pipe organs as well tremulants, and expanding unification ed as Bill Rieger, Charles Peterson, as being f ea tu red on WFIL TV Channel on certain stops. With the exception and Joe DuciBella told of the sudden 6 every Sunday morning. 35 theatre organ bombarde HEART OF AMERICA on the Elks Building 4/ 58 Morton tian" by Luigini. Mr. Ayars described following Millie Alexander at the Wil this piece as "The type of thing the Kansas City organist, Bob Jones, tern. theatre organ was meant for." His au presented a program at the 3/ 8 Wurli One highlight of this jam session was dience was very receptive to this score, for our June meeting at the Russell a fast "Dizzy Fingers" by 13-year-old and they gave a good, long round of Stover Auditorium here. As organist Donna Parker, who proved that the applause for his excellent job of pre at both the 4/ 20 Robert Morton in the beast can indeed follow fast playing. senting it. Midland Theatre and 3/15 Wurlitzer Attendance at the last several club A medley of dream songs preceded in the Newman Theatre, in addition Sunday morning concerts has picked up Lowell's two vocal selections for the to many years of radio and television sharply. Our attempts to bring theatre evening. "Something to Remember You appearances, Bob is well known in this pipe organ to electronic organ-oriented By" and ".Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" area. Stover seats only about 250 but people, and to the general public, ap won high approval from the listeners. we had 'em standing in the aisles. pear to be successful. On Sept. 9 the (Perhaps Mr. Ayars' cultured voice is We thank John Haskins, music editor club presented the fabulous and world the reason why Chairman Randy Piaz of the Kansas City Star ( our only ma famous Don Baker in a formal evening za introduced him as "The Bing Crosby jor newspaper) for printing an an concert at the Wiltern. See review on of the Wurlitzer circuit.") nouncement of our program. page 38 in this issue. A sing-along and silent comedy fol We are mighty proud of Bob Jones The member playing plan for the lowed by a tribute to the late Judy and grateful to him for an excellent Elks Building 4/ 58 Morton is continu Garland and several songs that were program. ing under the able coordination of Bob something old, new, borrowed, and blue -J. Randall Charles and Ruth Stratton. Other clubs might closed a couple of hours of entertain LAND O'LAKES consider a similar plan. The charge is ment that were performed with original $3.00 per month for 2 hours _ playing styling. Our thanks to all who have helped time, with additional time at 2V2 cents Lowell Ayars is a favorite of the with the sale of Gordon Krist's record per minute. The money goes to the Niagara Frontier Chapter and of the "Just For The Fun Of It", in particular, building and organ owners. The plan many people who come to our con our officers and staff at the National not only enables members to practice certs, and it seems that he becomes level. Their interest and support for and play a giant theatre organ in an more popular with each passing year. a chapter project is most gratifying. auditorium, but also keeps its non We all know why, after this excellent Having had the opportunity of working organ-fan owners interested because of performance. with them-Betty and Al Mason, Vi the financial remuneration. Club mem Things have really been humming and George Thompson, Dewey Cagle, b~rs are looking forward to hearing for the Frontiersmen since returning Don Lockwood and Stu Green - we one of Australia's foremost theatre or from that great Chicago convention.