The Big Sound Available on CD CD $17 Quantity:   UK Customers Only (PPD): CD 12 GBP Quantity:

Remastered digitally on CD from the original 1980 recording.

"Simply astounding in its realism...glorious...a spine-tingling delight."
- Theatre Organ Magazine

AT THE FOX:

JEROME KERN MEDLEY - Who / You Are Love / I Won’t Dance

APRIL IN PARIS

SIGMUND ROMBERG MEDLEY - Deep In My Heart / Stout Hearted Men / Softly, As In A Morning Sunrise / Will You Remember / One Alone / The Riff Song / Lover Come Back To Me / Students’ Marching Song / One Alone (reprise)

RICHARD RODGERS REMEMBERED - Where or When / The Lady Is A Tramp / My Funny Valentine / Johnny One Note

BILL

THE MERRY WIDOW MEDLEY - Introduction to Act One / The Waltzes / Vilia / Girls! Girls! Girls!

HOW ARE THINGS IN GLOCCA MORRA?

A CHORUS LINE MEDLEY - One / What I did for love

AT THE PARAMOUNT:

BILL BAILEY

SPRING IS HERE

CROWN IMPERIAL MARCH

WHEN YOUR LOVER HAS GONE

POMP AND CIRCUMSTANCE # 1

This spectacular theatre was built three years after the more famous Paramount Theatre in New York City, and is by architects Rapp & Rapp. While the NY Paramount was relatively restrained in design, the Brooklyn theatre is a riot of architectural excess. There is a sunburst effect over the proscenium, which is enhanced by the semi-atmospheric latticed ceiling over the balcony. The vine-draped arches along the walls were lit by a Wilfred "color organ" that painted moving shapes in colored light. The theatre was decorated by Frank Cambria and can best be described as "completely over the top!"

With the decline in movie attendance and the deterioration of the neighborhood the theatre eventually closed and ownership passed to Long Island University, which converted the theatre into a gymnasium, but, amazingly, left the glorious décor intact. The four manual, 26 rank Wurlitzer remains in situ and is still used for concerts. This recording is taken from a concert performed there by Don Thompson on April 4, 1976. The addition of the hardwood gymnasium floor has produced astonishing acoustics, which were ably captured by Biff Buttler using a TEAC 7030SL and Neumann U871 mikes.

The music played during the concert on this organ includes Sir William Walton’s brilliant march "Crown Imperial," written for the 1937 coronation of King George VI, and Sir Edward Elgar’s first of six marches called "Pomp and Circumstance." This also has a royal connection since King Edward VII found it so inspiring that he requested that patriotic words be written for it and so the melodic part of the march became the well-known "Land of Hope and Glory."

The Fox Wurlitzer has not been in constant use over the last sixty five years and has suffered neglect and deterioration. A dedicated group of 15 people known as the Downtown Theatre Enthusiasts worked diligently to bring both organs into playing shape for use in shows during the early eighties. It should be pointed out that at the time of this recording, the organ was not, in their opinion, in condition for recording purposes, and as a result, the sounds you hear, while glorious, are not perfection. There were no combination pistons in use, the organist had to hand-register all selections, and there were occasions during the recording session when other problems appeared, (such as ciphers) necessitating some editing, which we hope is inaudible. In addition there were numerous wind leaks which resulted in an air hiss which is quite audible on this recording. However, it was decided in the interests of authenticity not to attempt to edit this out of the recording. Not one of the thousands who bought the original LP album commented on this but CD’s are a different animal. If the hiss is offensive, we found that slightly reducing the treble gain on the stereo play back controls removed much of the hiss without affecting the integrity of the music and the organ sound. There were multiple dead notes also, and quite often this prevented the use of subtle, single stop registrations, hence the general ensemble sounds used almost throughout this recording.