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A Regal Affair George Blackmore Gerald Shaw Available on CD CD $17 UK Customers Only (PPD): CD 12 GBP |
Blackmore
1 Around The Marble Arch
2 Don’t Bring Lulu
3 In A Clock Store
4 Parade Of The Sunbeams
5 Carousel Waltz
6 Moonlight Becomes You
7 The Bells Of St. Mary’s
8 A Stitch In Time
9 Adios
10 Try A Little Tenderness
11 Finlandia
12 Memories Of You
Shaw
13 Gershwin Medley
14 Irving Berlin Medley
15 Frenesi
16 Maria My Own
17 Granada
18 Estrellita
19 Musetta’s Waltz
20 Gipsy Dance
GEORGE BLACKMORE, one of Britain's most popular and most versatile organists, was born in Chatham, England, in 1921. He first played the cinema organ at the Regent, and later at the Palace in Chatham. At 18 he was appointed organist to the Majestic in Rochester, a nearby town and gave his first broadcast from there in 1941. Mr. Blackmore spent his Service years in the R.A.F. Upon being discharged, he was appointed to the Gaumont, Birmingham, and broadcast regularly for the B.B.C.
In 1950 George went to Aberdeen, Scotland and for the next
seven years was to be heard very frequently on air playing the Compton
organs in the Capitol and Astoria Theatres. In 1957 he joined Associated
British Cinemas (ABC) and toured their theatres. He was well known outside
of his native country also and frequently toured Australia appearing in
concert there and recording an LP on the Wurlitzer in the Dendy Theatre in
Melbourne. His first concert in the United States was at the Wiltern Theatre
in Los Angeles in 1967. But it was his appearance during the American
Theatre Organ Society’s 1975 convention in San Francisco, where he played
the 4/22 Robert Morton in the Orpheum Theatre, that really brought him to
the attention of U.S. fans. After this he played numerous concerts in
America. Until Mr. Blackmore was asked to do this recording at The Odeon,
Marble Arch, he had neither seen nor played this organ before, and with only
one preliminary rehearsal, he made the recording in only three and one-half
hours. Unfortunately, Mr. Blackmore passed away on February 21, 1994.
GERALD SHAW was born in Scotland in 1911 but his first job as a cinema
organist was at the Regal, St. Leonard’s in southern England in 1932. He
later played at other cinemas in Scotland (a country he preferred to
England) before joining the army in 1940. After World War II he played for
the Odeon company theatres in Manchester and London before being sent to the
Rivoli, Cairo and the Sao Jorge Cinema in Lisbon to play there. After his
return to England he was resident at a couple of venues in London, the
Metropole in Victoria and the prestigious Paramount, Tottenham Court Road
before being appointed to the Regal (later Odeon) Marble Arch in 1953.
Gerald left Marble Arch in 1958 to go to the Odeon, Leicester Square where
he remained as resident organist for sixteen years until his untimely death
in 1974. During his time at Leicester Square he gave a series of memorable
broadcasts from that theatre, complete with witty and often outrageous
comments on the music. A full CD of Gerald playing at the Odeon, Leicester
Square is also available from Pipe Organ Presentations.
THE ORGAN. Built in 1928, the Regal, Marble Arch, Christie organ was
custom-designed for the theatre by Quentin Maclean and Herbert Norman and
was the largest theatre organ in Europe. It was removed from the theatre in
March, 1964, only hours before the theatre was demolished to make way for a
new city street development. In addition to the pipework, there were many
percussions, tonal and non-tonal, and twenty-six effects, including a unique
"Crockery Smash", "Face Slap", an 18-note "Bird Whistle" and a full 31-note
carillon. An injunction was served on the theatre restricting the times when
the organ and carillon could be played. The injunction was a result of
complaints from local residents. The sound could be clearly heard outside
the theatre at the back, where there is a large block of flats. A later
resident was Don Thompson, the producer of this CD, who did NOT complain
about the sound of the organ which could be clearly heard in his apartment.
Among the claims made for this Christie Organ are that it was the most flexible organ ever built, and that its unique tone gave it a readily recognized personality. In "The Bells of St. Mary's", you hear the famous carillon used fully. Unfortunately, the carillon was no longer playable from the console by the time this recording was made, and so Ernest Hart (now of the Copeman-Hart organ company) played it by hand up in the roof. In our opinion the carillon did not have a good sound, but since it is the only carillon ever installed on an organ it was felt prudent to leave it in this recording. The organ itself had been allowed to deteriorate during the years it was not played and so some wind leaks are inevitable and audible. After the organ was removed its purchaser took it to Cornwall where it was stored in deplorable conditions in a barn and will almost certainly never play again.
Pipe Organ Presentations wishes to thank the British broadcaster and
journalist Alan Ashton for his invaluable advice and assistance with this
project. Alan‘s program can be heard on line at
www.organfax.com.