Jim Riggs is a theatre organist extradordinare. He has even appeared at Macy's in Philadelphia to play the former Wanamaker Court Organ. He plays in the style of the late, great Jesse Crawford. When I first worked for Taylor Music, I was still in high school, and Fred had me working at the Montgomeryville Mart on weekends as a demonstrator. I would put a roll on the player piano and play along with the piano. That was a real crowd pleaser and resulted in many instrument sales. Jim plays with a Steinway grand piano equipped with a Piano Disc Player System. The piano arrangement is played by Adam Carroll, via a four hand performance. Check out the 3rd refrain as the piano does some great arpeggios against the solid solo organ melody. Nice camera closeups too.
Monday, June 18, 2012
Jim Riggs is a theatre organist extradordinare. He has even appeared at Macy's in Philadelphia to play the former Wanamaker Court Organ. He plays in the style of the late, great Jesse Crawford. When I first worked for Taylor Music, I was still in high school, and Fred had me working at the Montgomeryville Mart on weekends as a demonstrator. I would put a roll on the player piano and play along with the piano. That was a real crowd pleaser and resulted in many instrument sales. Jim plays with a Steinway grand piano equipped with a Piano Disc Player System. The piano arrangement is played by Adam Carroll, via a four hand performance. Check out the 3rd refrain as the piano does some great arpeggios against the solid solo organ melody. Nice camera closeups too.
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THIS THURSDAY- March 7, 2013: Silent Movie Series with Washington Center House Organist Dennis James / Douglas Fairbanks Night: MYSTERY OF THE LEAPING FISH plus WHEN THE CLOUDS ROLL BY
ReplyDeleteWASHINGTON CENTER HOUSE ORGANIST: Longtime popular Puget Sound area theatre organist Dennis James will provide a live accompaniment for the screening. James' historically informed, stylistically correct, fully scored, rehearsed and synchronized silent film performances bring new enthusiasts by the thousands from throughout the region to this nearly forgotten form of entertainment. Says Kevin Boyer, the Washington Center's marketing director. "When Dennis James plays the organ, he's not just playing a tune on a keyboard, He does all the synchronized sound effects, too. He's getting a workout. You forget that it's a silent movie." He added, "The music meshes so well with the movie. It's a live performance."
THE THEATRE: The Washington Center for the Performing Arts, South Puget Sound's largest performing arts facility, is committed to providing a wide variety of entertainment and cultural activities for the residents of five counties. Located in the heart of Washington State's capital city, The Center has become a community gathering place, providing a focus for the performing arts unique to the region. Opened in 1985, the facility has played host to thousands of events, with almost 2,000,000 people crossing its threshold. The Washington Center is actually the grandchild of the old Liberty Theater, a 1924 vaudeville house which stood on the same ground the Washington Center does today. The Liberty Theater was renovated and refurbished in 1948, becoming the Olympic Theater movie house. The Olympic was then taken down to just a few exterior walls in the early 1980’s, and completely rebuilt as the Washington Center. While the building's facade still retains elements of the 1924 architecture, the interior is contemporary and modern.
THE ORGAN: In 1995, Andy Crow and Les Lehne finished the installation of a 3/23 Wurlitzer that included ranks from the original 2/9 Olympic Theatre instrument. The three-manual console (original theatre home unknown) has been completely rebuilt and now has a black satin finish. The instrument is installed in three chambers over the proscenium: Main, Solo, plus another (percussion) chamber in the middle. The organ is currently maintained in excellent shape by the professional organ restorers Ed and Patti Zollman, without any participation of the region's Puget Sound Theatre Organ Society organ team.
When: 7 p.m. Thursday, March 7, 2013
Where: The Washington Center for the Performing Arts, 512 Washington St. S.E., Olympia, WA
Phone 360-753-8586
Website: www.washingtoncenter.org
Thank you for your post. I have had the pleasure of hearing Dennis James playing on an American Fotoplayer Model 50 (two side chests) in the home of Harvey Roehl in Vestal, New York. He accompanied "The Great Train Robbery" and as you said, the performance was spectacular. You DO forget you are watching a silent film. Only wish I was closer to this performance. If you hear of Mr. James playing near the Philadelphia area, please be sure to let me know. We are home to the great Wanamaker Organ located in Macy's Department store, center city Philadelphia, PA.
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