weirdo version of Limehouse Blues which made something of an oriental mystery of the "story of old Chinatown." Everett SAN FRANCISCO'S AVENUE enjoyed an enthusiastic round of applause, a not uncommon occurrence during the THEATRE PRESENTS TOP afternoon and mention of which we' ll dispense with at this point as needless ORGANIST "ROUNDUP" repetition. Next on the bill-of-fare was ex-A TOE by ELMER FUBB Prexy Tiny James, recording and concert artist, whose big round moving style is Seven Stars Perform at Wurlitzer for Sunday Afternoon 'Kickoff' Concert dearly reminiscent of the sound so often San Franc isco , Feb . 12- The Avenue theatre here is something very special . heard in theatres during the "golden era. " For one thing it's the culmination of a dream -a dream which coincides with Tiny milked the Tibia during Does Your the longings of organ hobbyists everwhere : a place where silent film master Heart Beat for Me? (with Chrysoglott w orks m ay be enjoyed to the accompaniment of a fine theatre pipe organ. punctuation), then bounced into Your Fru ition of the dream stemmed from the joint effort of two unlikely partners , hardhe aded businessman (lithography) Vernon Gregory and volatile Edward Sto ut, w hose expert touch in the more sensitive areas of pipe organ mechanics is w ell established.
If this pair seems ill-matched to bring PM), house manager Jim Murray stepped about the miracle of a showplace from to the microphone on the stage and intro the '20s , it should be remembered that duced the MC of the day, handsome Gene the y share an uncommon enthusiasm for Poferl, who lost no time ushering in the the organ , the theatre and the silent film first of seven top-rank organists to be --e nough to stake fortune and futures in heard. the recreation of a page from the past. Tom Hazelton had a distinct advantage This concert was by way of introduction in that he is the house organist with more to Bay Area enthusi asts that the Avenue hours at the 3-manual console than any theatre is already a going concern with of those to follow . As Tom plunged into a program of weekend silent films to be The Girl from /panema, the big curtain opened to reveal the screen , back of which SHADES OF PIZZERY . Bill Langford could be seen the swell shutters opening does a Harp arpeggio while giving the ped and closing and the vague outlines of pipe als a rest . The feet in the foreground are work played upon by work lights in the real. Phow bv Bob Churchill stage-based chambers . The lush Wurlitzer sound blended with Tom 's easy-going Heart Belongs to Somebody Else. Tiny 's style during Bidin ' My Time, a George closer was Baby Where Can You Be? with Shearing arrangement of the Gershwin a baritone Tuba lead and sizzle-String tune. Tom's MCing is a pleasure to wit harmony. ness; his boyish friendliness complements Bill Langford is famed for serving up his immense competence at the organ. pretty music as an accompaniment to the "We're going to play the hell out of this Consumption of pizza in that Hayward organ today" stated Tom and his final dough dispensary known as the " Pizza contribution of the afternoon bore out his Joynt. " Bill is well schooled in the use of threat . One must be in love to fully feel pipes (he plays a 3-12 mostly Wurlitzer the impact of Liebesrodt (literally "love nightly) and he also shows considerable death") from Wagner's opera, Tristan talent in the wit department. Sample: " I and Isolde. In it the composer represents The console was originally in the State Lake don 't know why I'm so shaky - oops! theatre, Chicago. in music the lyric passion which the lov that's a bad word?" (For the benefit of ers never enjoyed in life; they sense its the unknowing, "Shakey's " is the name seen , a fine fifteen rank Wurlitzer to be magic only as life is slipping away - the of a competing pizzery.) Bill's opener was heard and an auditorium available for or slowly rising emotions carried in the a slow, emotion-packed ballad entitled I'd gan club meetings during non-movie peri Strings, the ebb and flow of the develop Give a Million Tomorrows for Just One ods . Therefore , we'll skip the background ing theme and finally the mighty pulse of Yesterday in tempo rubato, and followed on how the project was conceived and the impassioned finale. it with an upbeat Brazil . As a novelty he grew (that's another story) and deal with The afternoon was still young and Tom compared Jerome Kern's Yesterdays the events of Feb . 12th. Hazleton had already created a musical (from Roberta) with the Beatles more re Although the original plan was to pre moment that would be remembered . cent Yesterday and discovered that they sent just four top organists in concert, it Always popular Everett Nourse, with were closely related. So far Bill had had to be abandoned when nearly twice years of staffing at the late lamented Fox avoided playing in what he calls "pizza that number stepped forward. It then be 4-36 Wurlitzer to recommend him, got off style" but he broke down and gave out came the " Cavalcade of Organ Greats" , to a good start with a bouncy Who? and with a vo-do-deo-dough version of Some as Tabs 'n Drawbars dubbed it. It should followed with a subtle ballad treatment of of These Days in a tempo to pace the be made clear that all artists donated When Did You Leave Heaven ?; Anniver munching maws of the pasta pilgrims who their services to give the project a well sary Song was played as a fast waltz with frequent Henningsen's hearth. deserved send-off. a Tuba lead and descending chromatic Larry Yannucci opened with a grotesque Shortl y after the appointed hour (2 :30 embellishment. Everett closed with a Winchester Cathedral which alternated be-
april 196 7 32 tween the croaking "bee in a bottle" sists has evil designs on her Guerneville range of the Kinura and the "whistling" home, dog ("Faux Pas"), Volkswagen range of the Tibia. It was a triumph of and herself - such damp items as River arranging and registration over lack of Stay Away From My Door. At one point material , and the audience loved it. But she took off on what sounded like a silent the real Yannucci art shone brightly movie chase. And leave it to the old throughout The Shadow of Your Smile showman to save a gasp for the very end; as she took her bow she stepped off the organ platform into thin air- and very nearly took a dive into the nether regions of the pit. A hugh gasp went up from the listeners but Alice reappeared in the spot light and indicated that nothing more than her dignity had suffered. With a happy TH IS IS MY GOOD SIDE!. Ed Stout wave she was gone, one of the most be and Vern Gregory clown for the multitudes . The Avenue is their dream come true. loved and most interesting of the old-tim ers. Alice Blue is hard to follow at any time project and to make themselve s known to and with the drama of her near "dive " the audience. Stout gave a brief talk on still fluttering in the audience, she was organ "bird whistles " and dem onstr ate d doubly difficult to follow. It takes talent some special ones which will become a "THE VANOOCH !" Larry Vannucci like that of Emory Stevenson to cope with part of the org an, not ably the ra ucous waits for the crowd to simmer down after such a situation and it just happened that "Albatross call." Gregor y turn ed out to his grotesque 'Wind-chester Cathedral'. Emory was scheduled next , the final act be a comedian , mugging for the photog rapher who kept shootin g Vern 's " bad and the theme from the film, A Man and a in an afternoon of wonderful musical ad side," much to the Gre gori an discom for t. Woman . When Larry announced As Long ventures. Meanwhile the show had run far ln all it was an afternoon th at won't as She Needs Me with that "gone" look beyond the estimated time and six PM soon be forgotten in Bay Ar ea orga n cir on his craggy visage, no one present was looming. So, Emory cut it short with cles. Where else could you be served free could possibly doubt who he was playing an able version of Manhattan, Put Your intermission coffee by a coupl e of do lls it for ; Claire was sitting directly behind Dreams Away, and a Crawford-like She's like organists Lee Lees and Jun e Melen the console , radiant as always. Funny That Way. His encore was a deli dy? Larry 's "feature selection" was a fine cious It Happened in Monterey. There the ly registered Blusette which made good show ended. use of the organ 's Brass Trumpet, Tibia, Gene Poferl, who had performed ably as * * * * * Clarinet , Kinura and Chrysoglott Harp. the MC, bid the audience goodbye and in The next artist was straight out of si vited all to return as soon as possible. Ac For the benefit of those contemplatin g a lent movies - wonderful Alice Blue. Alice tually, there had been no "hard-sell" visit to San Francisco, the A venue the is more than a personality, she's a char during the entire afternoon. Several times atre is located at 2650 San Bruno St ree t acter , and a top-flight entertainer. She Messrs. Gregory and Stout had stepped to (take the Silver A venue turn-off fr om made frequent comments about what she the stage to provide some history of the Route 101). was up to over the PA system and gener ally made light of her efforts . However, BOB RALSTON POPULAR ON PIPES
by G . BANDIN I
California music lovers were recently der the console and play ing 12th St reet treated to four days of delightful theatre Rag on the Accompaniment manual! pipe organ music at the Carl Greer Inn in Sacramento, played by Bob Ralston of the Lawrence Welk organization. Al though featured on a "plug in" on the Welk show as well as during personal ap pearances, he did a creditable perform ance on pipes. This was appreciated, par ticularly, by those familiar with the com plex Morton multiple stop key, 4-manual configuration. Ralston worked up pleas ing combinations and was well in control Facing a phalanx of soles, Alice Blue turns of the 4-16 Morton. During certain num on the charm while introducting her next tune . bers, obviously Welk type arrangements, "champagne" bubbles floated out of the as a measure of her abilities, she select organ . Welk's borrowed bubble machine, ed Rimsky-Korsakoff 's Hymn To The Sun with a control on the console, produced the for her initial selection, and did it proud. effect. Although he is a very accomplished Next came a "Blues Hodgepodge " as pianist and organist, he demonstrated she called it, a potpourri featuring bits showmanship versatility through conversa HOWDY, FOLKS - l'M BOB RALSTON . and pieces of many tunes , most of them tional patter and a form of gymnastics . -Encompassed by the giant maw of the dealing with the continual war she wages The gymnastics consisted of laying on his Morton, and surrounded by eaters , Bob an against the Russian River which she in- back, crossing his arms with his head un- nounces requests. (Photo by Bob Chur chil l).
33 the atre organ I bombarde