Gerald Shaw At Leicester Square Available on CD CD $17 Quantity:   UK Customers Only (PPD): CD 12 GBP Quantity:

Digitally re-mastered from two recordings made in 1964 and 1970 at the Odeon Leicester Square Compton (5c/16), in London, England.

1. A Song Of Home (Signature Tune)
2. Parade Of The Tin Soldiers
3. Too Late Now
4. Rio Chambira
5. Chopin – Waltz in A Flat
6. Summertime
7. Belle Of The Ball
8. Sicilienne
9. The Man I Love
10. Blue Room
11. The Irish Washerwoman
12. Adios Mexico
13. Serenade To A Wealthy Widow
14. Turn Ye To Me
15. Ritual Fire Dance
16. April In Portugal
17. Chim Chim Cheree
18. Cygnets’ Dance From Swan Lake
19. Love Medley: Falling In Love Again / Falling In Love With Love
20. Golden Earrings
21. Whistle Down The Wind
22. Three Coins In A Fountain
23. Tico Tico
24. When You Wish Upon A Star
25. From Russia With Love
26. Love Duet from Madame Butterfly
27. The Carioca
28. Moon River
29. Song of Home reprise

GERALD SHAW was born in Scotland in 1911. While still a teenager Gerald had three organ lessons from the famous Dr. George Tootell at Marble Arch Pavilion and eventually became organist on a small Compton (2/6) in the Regal in St. Leonards in 1932. He played for the formal opening of the theatre and also gave a daily hour-long recital. He then moved to the Regal, Glasgow, with its larger Compton (3/12), where he gave his first broadcast. Later he moved south again for a short spell at the Astoria, Brixton, Compton (3/13). Shaw then moved back to Scotland to the Glasgow Paramount, later called the Odeon, Compton (4c/10) until he joined the army in 1940.

After the war, Gerald Shaw re-joined Odeon at the Manchester Paramount/Odeon WurliTzer (4/20) for a short period and finished this peripatetic existence with a residency at what became his base cinema for a time, the Odeon, Swiss Cottage (a north London neighborhood). The instrument there was a Compton (3/8).

During this period the Rank Organization, which owned these theatres, was expanding its empire overseas. Shaw was sent to open and play at the Rivoli, Cairo on a four manual ten rank Compton, the only theatre organ in the Middle East, from which he broadcast weekly on Egyptian radio. He had many drop-in guests and it became a sort of "In Town Tonight" show. From Cairo he was sent to the Sao Jorge cinema in Lisbon, Portugal, where he played a three manual electronic instrument which was also made by Compton and called the Theatrone. When he returned to Britain he played at The Metropole in the Victoria district of London at and the prestigious Paramount/Odeon, Tottenham Court Road, London (Compton 4c/10).

In March 1953 he moved to the largest Cinema Organ (4/37 Christie) in Europe at the Odeon (formerly Regal) Marble Arch, to become its last resident organist. He soon got the instrument back on the radio after 12 years' absence. He left in November 1958 to go to Odeon's No. 1 premier cinema, The Odeon, Leicester Square (Compton 5c/16).

While at the Odeon, Leicester Square, which was England’s number one theatre organ job, he could be heard playing for intermissions six days a week for sixteen years. He also played at all the premieres and the Royal Command Performances there. Members of the royal family often used to drop in incognito during the matinees and Gerald always played Queen Mary’s favorite song for her. He had a regular series of broadcasts for several years on the BBC on Wednesday afternoons. When Gerald died in April 1974 he was England’s last remaining full-time theatre organist, with over one thousand broadcasts to his credit.

As noted above, the Odeon was and still is London’s premier movie theatre and is an art deco masterpiece. The extraordinary illuminated surround of the organ reflects the design on the walls of the theatre. The instrument is the only five-manual organ built by Compton and the chambers are housed under the stage. Some think the instrument has a curse on it. One organist, James Bell, died in mid–broadcast. Frank Olsen suffered a massive heart attack during his opening number at a concert and fell backwards all the way down to the orchestra pit floor, and Gerald himself took his own life. The organ lift is extraordinary in that not only does it go down from concert position to movie accompanying position on the floor of the pit, but can also be sent down to “parking” a floor below and covered over so that a full orchestra can play in the pit.

The John Compton Organ Company patented an electronic device called the Melotone and featured it on many of their theatre organs, presumably to make them sound more lush and so compete with the WurliTzers that many people thought had better sounding tibias. Compton tibias were usually made of metal, rather than wood. Gerald Shaw uses the Melotone frequently on this recording, especially on ballads, and in mutation combinations.


Acknowledgements.

Pipe Organ Presentations wishes to thank Bill Johnson of Concert Recording for his exceptionally kind offer to provide the original master tape for the first fifteen tracks on this CD, recorded in 1970 and for his permission to re-release them. The remaining 14 tracks were recorded by Don Thompson in 1964.
P.O.P also wished to thank John D Sharp for his kind permission to use his photo of Gerald and the Compton. Unfortunately, Mr. Sharp passed away at the age of 88 before he could receive a copy of this CD.