Pipeorgan Presentations

I Got Rhythm
Don Baker
at the Alabama Theatre, Birmingham
and the Senate Theatre, Detroit

Available on CD
CD $17

UK Customers Only (PPD): CD 12 GBP

To hear samples of the tracks on this cd, click on the track names below.
(The player will continue to play each sample in sequence after your selection - click the pause or close button on the player to stop it)

The Alabama Theatre Pipe Organ is Wurlitzer Opus 1783. The legendary theatre organist Jesse Crawford laid out its design for use in deluxe venues for Publix Theatres, thus the designation by Wurlitzer as Style Publix 1.

Its basic design included four manuals (keyboards), twenty ranks (sets of pipes) eight sets of tuned percussion units and all the sound effects needed to accompany silent movies. Eight additional ranks of pipes have been added to expand the tonal capabilities of the organ, making a total of 28 ranks (2008 pipes). The pipes and percussions units are divided into three chambers, the Main and String chambers on the left of the proscenium arch and the Solo chamber on the right. The ranks are Tuba Horn, Diaphonic Diapason, Tibia Clausa, Bourdon/Concert Flute, Clarinet, Trombone, Flute Celese, Tuba Mirabilis, Solo String, Brass Trumpet, English Post Horn, Vox Humana, Brass Saxophone, String Celeste, Orchestral Oboe, Kinura, Horn Diapason, Lieblich Fute, Oboe Horn, Quintadena, Viol D’Orchestre, Viol Celeste, Gamba, Dulciana, Gamba Celeste, Flute Celeste Wind Chime and Unda Maris.

On November 11, 1928, a Wurlitzer organ, opus #1953, was premiered at the Fisher Theatre in Detroit. The organ is a four manual special 34 rank instrument and was the eighth largest organ that Wurlitzer ever built. The organ is a mix of theater and classical specifications so that the Fisher brothers could find it easy to play should they desire. The stop rail layout is like no other, with the stop tablets arranged by chamber rather than by voice, which makes the instrument extremely difficult to play for touring organists playing concerts for the Detroit Theatre Organ Club.

The organ is unique because it is largely untouched from the original design except for the chamber layouts necessitated by two moves from its original home. The organ was originally installed in four chambers at the Fisher Theatre. In its present location, it is installed in six chambers. The Solo, Orchestral, Main and Foundation chambers are located, from left to right respectively, on the original stage of the Senate Theatre. The organ has basically the same ranks as the Alabama instrument, but also has a French Horn, additional Solo String, Cor Anglais, Quintadena Celeste, Krumet, Salicional, Harmonic Flute, wood Open Diapason.

Sadly, the DTOC is dissolving and the future of the organ is at this time uncertain.

Don Baker was born in Ontario, Canada and began studying piano at the age of eight. Twelve years later he accepted his first theatre orchestra position but when the house organist failed to appear one night he was requested to “fill in” on the house theatre organ. He was so well received and so thoroughly enjoyed playing the organ that he decided to switch instruments. Within two years he had performed successful engagements at the Rivoli and Rialto theatres in New York City and eventually became one of the best known theatre organists in the country and he held the unprecedented fourteen year position at the Paramount New York. He also spent a year playing at a major theatre in London in 1933-34.

In later years Don toured and promoted the CONN electronic organ and recorded albums on that instrument. He was often lovingly referred to as “Mr. Medley” because his programs often took the form of one long medley, slipping effortlessly from one tune to the next. He had some favorites which he played and recorded often, in exactly the same arrangement each time, since he was playing for different audiences and was probably not thinking at that time that people would buy recordings of these concerts. The Theme from The Apartment was a particular favorite of his.

Thanks are due to Bill Johnson of Concert Recording for providing the original master tape, to Random Chance for engineering the transfer from tape to CD and enhancing the sound and to Sabrina Summers (President of the Alabama Chapter of A.T.O.S) for graciously giving permission to use her photo of “Big Bertha” on the cover of this CD.