Cat in a bag?

[Uncle Al]

Well, it's time to 'let the cat out of the bag'. Saturday, May 7th, I'll be making my first
'public' appearance as a theatre organist by playing Harry Landon's "Saturday Afternoon"
silent film. Granted it is not his best work, nor his worst, but an easy and fun film to play
Several opportunities to use the sound effects of a 1926-ish vintage Wurlitzer Theatre Pipe
Organ. Now ~ Please, if you're going to throw tomatoes, make sure they're fresh.
They taste better in salads that way( ).

Uncle Al

[Fred in Skirts]

Good luck with the gig!! Be sure to let us know how it all came out. Oh! by the way do you work from a score or do it improv

Fred

[crfriend]

One never wishes a showman "luck" -- it's considered a jinx.

'Tis a pity that this shindig is 2/3rds of a continent away. If it wasn't, I might be tempted to show up and heckle.

You'll be fine, Al. Don't let the butterflies bite, and for gods' sake wear that kilt!

[Big and Bashful]

Break a leg!

Isn't that the theatre phrase?

[dillon]

Cat-in-a-bag? Isn't that a Thai dish?

[Caultron]

Cat-in-a-bag? Isn't that a Thai dish?

S/b OK as long as the cook and waitress are fully dressed.

Although I suppose you still gotta worry about where the cat has been.

Oriental cookbook: 50 ways to wok your dog.

[Uncle Al]

Good luck with the gig!!
Be sure to let us know how it all came out. Oh! by the way do you
work from a score or do it improv
Fred

I work the score as an improv. . Most of these films only came
with a 'lead-sheet' with suggested themes. Some artists made
it up as they went along with the film. Sometimes the artist never
got to preview the film, thus they 'played it cold'.

Uncle Al

[Fred in Skirts]

I work the score as an improv. . Most of these films only came with a 'lead-sheet' with suggested themes. Some artists made it up as they went along with the film. Sometimes the artist never got to preview the film, thus they 'played it cold'.
Uncle Al

Wished I could come and hear you play that organ. I have an affinity for pipe organs, I have been present at several organ recitals when I lived in Philadelphia and they still had the great organ at the Wanamaker's Department store.

Fred

[Uncle Al]

Hi Fred,

Thought you'ld enjoy these
www.wanamakerorgan.com
Wanamaker Organ Day 2009 - Walt Strony - "Over the Rainbow"

The Midmer-Losh concert organ in Atlantic City is the largest instrument.
It is under a full restoration and is only partially playable.
Dr. Steven Ball is working with the ACCHOS to help guide the
restoration. It will take about 8-10 years to complete the job.
Steven is young, energetic and fully capable of playing the M-L organ.
The instrument that I'll be playing is on 10-15 inches of wind.
The M-L lowest pressure is 25 inches of wind going up to about 100 inches.

Hope you enjoy these clips and websites

Uncle Al

[Uncle Al]

One never wishes a showman "luck" -- it's considered a jinx.

TRUE! Thank goodness the phrase 'break-a-leg' is only a
figure of speech.

'Tis a pity that this shindig is 2/3rds of a continent away. If it wasn't, I might be tempted to show up and heckle.

Be my guest My goal is to make the audience forget that I'm even there.
The film is the 'STAR' of the show, not the music

You'll be fine, Al. Don't let the butterflies bite, and for gods' sake wear that kilt!

I would like to 'wear the kilt' but I must 'blend-in' with the console.
So it will be a black-pants evening. Too, if I have to crawl around
the pipe chambers, pants are required. I don't want to ruin a good kilt

Uncle Al

[crfriend]

'Tis a pity that this shindig is 2/3rds of a continent away. If it wasn't, I might be tempted to show up and heckle.

Be my guest My goal is to make the audience forget that I'm even there.
The film is the 'STAR' of the show, not the music

Try telling that to millions upon millions of modern movie fans who have grown up with the sort of magic that John Williams has brought to the "silver screen". Even Steven Spielberg himself has commented that without Williams' music his original groundbreaker Jaws would have been half the film it was. [0]

Never underestimate the power of a good score. (Or at least do so at your own peril.)

Have the venue owners never heard of something called a vacuum cleaner? They make pretty quick work of dust which should be the primary contaminant in pipe-chambers. I wouldn't wear one of my floor-sweepers to work in such a space, but certainly something knee-length could be well enough managed to not be a problem.

And, yes, sometimes technical glitches do crop up. I remember at the gala presentation of the Mighty Wurlitzer at Hanover Theatre in Worcester a number of years ago a pipe in the upper stage-left chamber started ciphering, and some poor SOB had to be dispatched to shut it up. The organist for the evening picked up on it instantly, stopped playing, and took the opportunity to present an impromptu lesson on how these wonderful machines sometimes (mis)behave. This is what makes the "real thing" much more interesting than "digital clone wannabes". (The fix was to pluck the pipe from the wind-chest, poke the actuator with a finger, and replace the pipe. It's all electro-mechanical you see, save for trackers which are fully mechanical.)


[0] The "shark theme" from Jaws is quite likely the most recognisable ostinato in modern music -- it's so common that we now seem to have forgotten where it originated. And it still, after all these years, resonates with its original power and menace.

[Fred in Skirts]

Al thank you for the links I will be spending some time on them in the AM.

Fred

[pelmut]

I have been present at several organ recitals when I lived in Philadelphia and they still had the great organ at the Wanamaker's Department store.

Looks as though they still have: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKWIX7LcV5Y

[Fred in Skirts]

I have been present at several organ recitals when I lived in Philadelphia and they still had the great organ at the Wanamaker's Department store.

Looks as though they still have: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKWIX7LcV5Y

It has been at least 25 years since I was last in Philly. Wanamaker's is gone replaced by Macy's. So I did not know this at the time wither the organ was still in the store or not, It still is.

Fred

[Uncle Al]

Today I asked a good friend, who's a theatre organ/silent film 'nut',
what he thought of my interpretation of the silent film I played last
Saturday night.

Here is his response -
"Your interpretation utilized themes that the audience would be
familiar with. That is one way to score the film. It works and
that's all that matters. It was done skillfully however. You did
not try to overwhelm the film with too much organ allowing the
audience to get involved in the picture and completely forgetting
about the background music. The sign of a competent theatre organist."

I'm pleased that I succeeded on my first time out as a silent film accompanist.


Uncle Al