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| Organ Sound -bites ! I have been around organs for many years and made some interesting musical arrangements, ever since I learned the art in the 1970's. This is not to say that I consider all my work to be good, far from it, as there were some howlers in the early days. I've always refused to arrange a tune if I thought that I couldn't do it justice, or if it would not fit the organ scale properly. Anyway, here are some sound files - some are my arrangements and others are what I consider to be outstanding arrangements by others. Also featured here are some recordings of a few of my favourite organs.  De Arabier has always been one of my favourite organs. One of the first recordings I bought was of this organ, a LP record of 'International Favourites'. I first saw this organ in 1976, when it was still in regular street usage with Hendrik Elderman in Groningen. I was fortunate to meet Mr Elderman and he allowed me to make a recording, on the streets in Groningen on 30th April 1976, and a track from that recording, 'When the Saints go marching in', arranged by the late and great Gerard Razenberg, is here for you to enjoy. In May 2008 I saw De Arabier twice in two days. Leon van Leeuwen, of the Perlee family, has just finished a top to bottom overhaul of the organ and Pieter van Aken has just repainted the front. It is now absolutely superb! There is a new CD of the organ which is available from the KDV ( www.draaiorgel.org ) and from the organ, if you are fortunate enough to go to Holland and see it! De Arabier - When the Saints  Mike and Liz Harris from Treorchy had this organ built by David Leech from Yorkshire and it is a splendid example of modern organ building. A few years ago, the organ was converted to play from MIDI files and I supplied some music for it, one of which is my arrangement of 'Pinetop's boogie' ( also known as the original Boogie Woogie ). The rapid action of this organ and the strong bass pipes make this a real classic! Leech organ - Pinetop's Boogie I have been a fan of the Decap dance organ for many years. Decap of Antwerp first made an organ with an inbuilt Hammond organ in the early 1960's and continued until the mid 1970's when the traditional Hammond drawbar organ ceased to be made, to be replaced with a solid state product. At that time, Decap brought out a new model organ with in house electronic organ built by Dan van de Laar. I love the Decap - Hammond combination and over recent years, a few have made their way into preservation in the UK. My friend, Norman Kendall, bought one a few years ago and was particularly keen on 'Elastiek March', so I made a bespoke arrangement for the Decap.  Decap Organ - Elastiek march  My friend Leo van Thillo owns this remarkable 121 key Decap organ called 'Forum' . I first met Leo and his organ a few years ago it Terheijden, near Breda, Holland, where it is located in the Cafe Markkantje for the duration on the annual fair. Mr van Thillo is a friendly chap, and his organ is in an excellent condition. In addition, the Cafe Markkantje staff are welcoming and the food and drink is splendid. What could be better than to spend a couple of evenings with good food and drink and a Decap organ. All the music on the 'Forum' organ is by Albert Decap, another of my great heroes and here is a track recorded in the Cafe Markkantje two years ago. De Forum - Down by the riverside  I always wanted my own Dutch street organ but never thought I would manage it. However, after owning a 30 keyless organ for a few years, I got the chance to buy 'Marina', which is a 40 key Heesbeen organ. It's not the biggest organ ( I wouldn't have space to keep a large organ, or so I though until I got the Decap, but that's another story! ), nor is it the best, but it has all the elements of the traditional draaiorgel and a versatile scale to it can play 'proper' music. I added wood-block to the organ so it is now 41 keys. Much of the music I have arranged for it is of a popular or swing type and in addition to the books I have arranged myself, there are arrangements by Tom Meijer, Hiddo van Os and Frans Baum, as well as my reworkings of arrangements in the style of Albert Decap, Arthur Prinsen, Urbain van Wichelen, Gerard Razenberg and many others. Marina went to Belgium last year ( 2007 ) to the International Hooghuys Festival in Geraardsbergen ( Grammont) in Belgium ( see www.hooghuysfestival.be ). There it proved very popular and it will appear again this September! In Geraardsbergen some friends from the UK, Val and Mark, paid a visit, which the festival photographer caught. Marina plays 'Don't it make my brown eyes blue'  My German friend Klaus Unger comes and stays for a few days when he is visiting the UK. He built the Schlemmer organ from a kit, ( something I have done myself, so I know the pitfalls!) and has travelled all over Europe to events. When I had a 20 note roll player, I made many arrangements of all sorts of music. The American organ grinders were very keen on my Country music arrangements and Klaus' organ plays 'Ring of Fire'Schlemmer organ- Ring of Fire  Jim and Sarah Harper of Wellington, New Zealand, own this Gasparini organ, once owned by the Perlee family in Amsterdam. I have made a few arrangements for this organ, which has non-standard key spacing. Jim and Sarah rebuilt this organ from a box of parts which they acquired in the USA, and I was proud to be associated as advisor to the project and their previous rebuild of a Mortier- Decap dance organ with Mike Woolf. It may appear from the photo that a native doesn't like the organ and is about to apply some alterations to it, but it is in fact from the film of 'Lord of the Rings' which was filmed in NZ. Leon Van Leeuwen has supplied re-cuts of old Piet Maas arrangements for this organ and I have made some newer tunes for it. Gasparini organ plays 'Moonlight Shadow' My good friend Ruud Brienen of Alkmaar, Holland, regularly plays his organ 'De Bandiet' in Amsterdam and other locations. 'De Bandiet' is a 67 key organ built a few years ago by Elbert Pluer and is a truly versatile organ.  This tune followed me around Holland in May 2007, both played on the organs and the original song played in the bar etc. It's called 'Rosanne' and inevitebly I have it stuck in my brain! Hiddo sent me an arrangement of it so I can cut it for Marina! De Bandiet plays 'Rosanne' My father had an LP record of the 'Carousel Becquart' Hooghuys organ on the Ace of Clubs label ( ACL1127 I think) which was introduced during my formative years and was the cause of my obsession with mechanical organs. I would love to see and hear the organ live, though I understand that it is not in the best of order nowadays, though still used on the fairgrounds somewhere in France. Bjorn Isebaert has a splendid website dedicated to Hooghuys organs ( www.hooghuys.com ) and I was pleased to meet Bjorn in Geraardsbergen last year. Marc Hooghuys is the current member of the family who maintains the organs for posterity and I was also pleased to be introduced to him a few years ago. The Becquart organ is 70 keys and the arrangements were mostly by August Schollaert, who could bring the best out of this organ. Though only one LP was released in the UK, there were several more in Belgium and Bjorn was kind enough to send me copies of these now extinct recordings from the 1950's.  Hooghuys organ plays 'Petite Waltz' from Victory VLP 531 First time I went to Belgium was in 1975 and one of the cafe's I visited then was the 'Cafe dancing Metro' in Blankenberge. At that time it had a 105 key Hammond Type L122 organ with a black and white front.  Metro organ plays - Apres Toi ( Come what may) The Decap - Hammond type organ was replaced in 1983 by a computer organ from Decap. On a visit to Blankenberge in 2007 I was delighted to find that the organ is still there, still used and in good order.  This photo shows the organ in 2007, taken by Racer. The perspex is to stop people putting glasses on the organ!  Cafe Metro 1983 organ when new plays 'Hands up give me your heart' What happened to the Decap - Hammond organ? It had various owners and recently it has been 'recycled' into a new 105 key robot organ! A few years ago Jim Harper and Michael Woolf in New Zealand bought a delapidated dance organ in an auction in Australia. In th FOPS journal 'The Key Frame' they appealed for information on the organ. Some years ago I had done some work in the organ in the UK and got in touch with Jim and Michael and advised them in the rebuild of the organ. They would e-mail the problems to me over night and I would reply to enable them to carry on next day. Oh the wonders of modern technology! When the organ was playing I sent them a book of music, my version of 'Kinep Boogie' which would give the organ a workout. Jim and Michael have carried out further work on the organ since this recording was made.  Though it carries the name Decap, it is really a Mortier organ, rebuilt in the late 1950's by Rein van den Broek to the 92 key Decap scale and hired out as a travelling organ. It was sold to a dealer in the UK and was later sold abroad before finally being offered in an auction in Australia! Kinep Boogie Finally for now, in Holland recently, on a very warm day in Haarlem, the sound of a streetorgan gave me goosebumps like never before De Lekkerkerker played 'Stay with me till morning' ( also known as 'Hopeloos Verloren' or 'The young Amadaeus'). The performance is below in video format. Enjoy.  Click to see film |
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