🙏 what a joy to see and hear ( ! ) this fantastic sounding instrument again. Geat memories of being THERE a “few” years ago, in happy times @ the LTOT, with so many friends… And Nicholas still in top shape 😄😄😄
Thank you for your comment. Yea the publix one wurlitzer. What a sound 👌 it's pure Wurlitzer Magic. Nicholas is still one of the best and demonstrates it so well. Check out my other Theatre organ videos.
I played this same organ 40 years ago in the Manchester Free Trade Hall, I thought it had gone forever and then it’s here sounding absolutely fabulous once again.
Go and look at the Lancastrian theatre organ Trust www.ltot.com and there are 2 concerts at Stockport. One in September with Phil kelsall and November with Simon Geldhill. Glad you found it after all this time.
Superb organ, I had the pleasure of playing it on a number of occasions when it used to be in Manchester's Free Trade Hall. Mind you I never played it as well as Nicholas!
This 4/20 Wurlitzer organ I believe, was one of twenty or so identical ordered for the Paramount theatre chain in the USA? This one came to the UK another to Australia, as two were not required being replaced by larger models! This organ has had two good homes prior to its Stockport town hall installation, and I feel that in its present home, the reverberation is too much, and the sound starts to hurt my ears and when playing the 'Blackpool style' becomes garbled, but that's my take on it ! We must be thankful that it found a home wherever!
Thank you Mike for your comment. Yes you are right on your description. The Odeon Manchester and the Free Trade Hall. Now Stockport Town Hall. Yes it is bedded in now sounds a lot better but I totally understand what you mean. Lovely to hear these instruments still being played and in superb condition.
Not one of the better Wurlitzers these days. It was beautiful at the Paramount and the FTH but subsequent changes to it over the years have, IMO, ruined what was one of the finest examples of a Wurlitzer in the country.
@OrganMusicYT It's always a shame when these original installations are altered for their new surroundings! This one has been messed with, or should I say, regulated? I mean, some of these groups seen to forget Wurlitzer knew a thing or two about installations! and as what are now basically museum pieces should be left as original specification? IMHO! One that always seem to sound a mess is the Wurlitzer at Worthing, that cost the loss of two fine organs in their own right? But I suppose if you own them you can do as you like ,regardless of what you end up with?
@@Mike-kc8rl Regulation is typically successful when the person conducting the work has a deep understanding of how the instruments should sound. However, the trend, for so many years now, of revoicing work often leads to disappointing results. It is all too common that perfectly good instruments, or just decent sounding, are revoiced beyond recognition, normally resulting in a wall of soulless noise. The Tibia(s) don't lead and the rest of the ensemble becomes indistinct, with the treble end of the ranks becoming barely audible. Even the English Horn, if present, is normally revoiced into a thin, nasal, and unpleasant "metal ripping" reed that cuts through the entire ensemble instead of blending nicely with some weight to the tone, as it was originally intended by Wurlitzer. Furthermore, the tremulants are usually "mushy" when they should babble and bubble away. In a larger room, they need to work hard to carry the effect across, otherwise, the acoustics of the room will just swallow the effect. In a big room like Stockport, the Tower Ballroom, one of the big fox theatres or a stadium (I refer to Al Melgards recordings at Chicago), or the Empress Ballroom, you can hear the tremulants working hard to get the effect across in a big acoustic. Overall, I have personally referred to the reworking of these instruments, as if often turns out, as the "pizzafication" effect, derived from the numerous pizza parlour instruments in the United States that have suffered similar fates.
@OrganMusicYT Very interesting reading. The Tower Wurlitzer organ at 13 ranks as original was much smaller than Reg Dixon would have ideally liked, so it was said! He was a big fan of the Odeon Leeds organ at 19 ranks! But the Chambers at Blackpool just weren't big enough. The modifications to the organ after the fire were to add and substitute ranks and I think it was this time that the organ was amplified to try and get big sound from the 14 ranks? This Wurlitzer to be honest is world famous, but I've never found it to be that great to listen to,just my opinion on it though!
🙏 what a joy to see and hear ( ! ) this fantastic sounding instrument again. Geat memories of being THERE a “few” years ago, in happy times @ the LTOT, with so many friends… And Nicholas still in top shape 😄😄😄
Thank you for your comment. Yea the publix one wurlitzer. What a sound 👌 it's pure Wurlitzer Magic. Nicholas is still one of the best and demonstrates it so well. Check out my other Theatre organ videos.
I played this same organ 40 years ago in the Manchester Free Trade Hall, I thought it had gone forever and then it’s here sounding absolutely fabulous once again.
Go and look at the Lancastrian theatre organ Trust www.ltot.com and there are 2 concerts at Stockport. One in September with Phil kelsall and November with Simon Geldhill. Glad you found it after all this time.
I love the sound it’s not too dry - and the playing is superb ! Cheers Nick
Amazing playing by Mr Nick Martin, a masterclass performance. Nick defiantly sets the standard amongst organists. Brilliant Performance Thank you
Your welcome glad you enjoyed certainly one of my favourites too and thoroughly nice bloke too. 👍
Superb organ, I had the pleasure of playing it on a number of occasions when it used to be in Manchester's Free Trade Hall. Mind you I never played it as well as Nicholas!
Thank you for your comment. Very privileged to play this wonderful instrument. I remember as a kid seeing the organ in the Free Trade Hall.
The last few bars gave me goose bumps - fantastic
This 4/20 Wurlitzer organ I believe, was one of twenty or so identical ordered for the Paramount theatre chain in the USA? This one came to the UK another to Australia, as two were not required being replaced by larger models!
This organ has had two good homes prior to its Stockport town hall installation, and I feel that in its present home, the reverberation is too much, and the sound starts to hurt my ears and when playing the 'Blackpool style' becomes garbled, but that's my take on it !
We must be thankful that it found a home wherever!
Thank you Mike for your comment. Yes you are right on your description. The Odeon Manchester and the Free Trade Hall. Now Stockport Town Hall. Yes it is bedded in now sounds a lot better but I totally understand what you mean. Lovely to hear these instruments still being played and in superb condition.
Not one of the better Wurlitzers these days. It was beautiful at the Paramount and the FTH but subsequent changes to it over the years have, IMO, ruined what was one of the finest examples of a Wurlitzer in the country.
@OrganMusicYT
It's always a shame when these original installations are altered for their new surroundings! This one has been messed with, or should I say, regulated? I mean, some of these groups seen to forget Wurlitzer knew a thing or two about installations! and as what are now basically museum pieces should be left as original specification? IMHO! One that always seem to sound a mess is the Wurlitzer at Worthing, that cost the loss of two fine organs in their own right? But I suppose if you own them you can do as you like ,regardless of what you end up with?
@@Mike-kc8rl Regulation is typically successful when the person conducting the work has a deep understanding of how the instruments should sound. However, the trend, for so many years now, of revoicing work often leads to disappointing results. It is all too common that perfectly good instruments, or just decent sounding, are revoiced beyond recognition, normally resulting in a wall of soulless noise. The Tibia(s) don't lead and the rest of the ensemble becomes indistinct, with the treble end of the ranks becoming barely audible.
Even the English Horn, if present, is normally revoiced into a thin, nasal, and unpleasant "metal ripping" reed that cuts through the entire ensemble instead of blending nicely with some weight to the tone, as it was originally intended by Wurlitzer.
Furthermore, the tremulants are usually "mushy" when they should babble and bubble away. In a larger room, they need to work hard to carry the effect across, otherwise, the acoustics of the room will just swallow the effect. In a big room like Stockport, the Tower Ballroom, one of the big fox theatres or a stadium (I refer to Al Melgards recordings at Chicago), or the Empress Ballroom, you can hear the tremulants working hard to get the effect across in a big acoustic.
Overall, I have personally referred to the reworking of these instruments, as if often turns out, as the "pizzafication" effect, derived from the numerous pizza parlour instruments in the United States that have suffered similar fates.
@OrganMusicYT
Very interesting reading. The Tower Wurlitzer organ at 13 ranks as original was much smaller than Reg Dixon would have ideally liked, so it was said! He was a big fan of the Odeon Leeds organ at 19 ranks! But the Chambers at Blackpool just weren't big enough. The modifications to the organ after the fire were to add and substitute ranks and I think it was this time that the organ was amplified to try and get big sound from the 14 ranks? This Wurlitzer to be honest is world famous, but I've never found it to be that great to listen to,just my opinion on it though!