Jim Riggs at the Wurlitzer "Dance of the Blue Danube" Duet

[lagerandwine]

Looks like ground control at nasa, but sounds heavenly. Over.

[sammee6602]

Keep the music playing Mr. Riggs.

[ThePilot314]

handmade music .......... wonderful

PLEASE MORE!

[ThePilot314]

1.000 points for such a nice music!

Those happy days ............ they gone, BUT come back via You Tube!

Thank you so much!

[EdJoeDePremio]

I love Jim's Music I can lisson for hours

[Streetcar1743]

With my joining the St. Louis chapter of the American Theatre Organ society, I learn some of the popular accompianment techniques that professinoal theatre organsits use. I just created an exersice using the "Pedal-Chord" meovement on my Miditzer and that way, I can have something to watch.

[Marshall7302]

what opus is this console? Cuz ive never seen a wurlitzer with three full rows of stoptabs like that. where is this organ and is the console and pipe work original?

[ComposerTX]

Originally from a temple in Buffalo, I think. Console currently controlling 30 ranks of pipes at the Little River Studio in Wichita, Kansas. Wichita Theatre Organ produces 6 concerts a year, 2 per weekend, worth the trip.

[Dojora4]

@Marshall7302 I'm pretty sure the console is actually a Hope Jones... it was last used to control Dick Simonton's 4/36 Wurlitzer in his basement in the Los Angeles area. The core of the pipe work came from the Miller theatre in Wichita.

[megablocksmad]

most organs the stop tabs from right to left are top to bottom

[deancook652]

Occasionally, on some 4 manual Wurlitzers, you'll find the third from the top manual called "Orchestral," as at the 5th Ave Theatre in Seattle. These specs were lighter on the 'big wood" (big Tibias & Diaphones) and heavier on "color" (Oboe Horn, Kinura) and tonal percussions.

[Streetcar1743]

I have leanred from Jim Ryan of SLTOS that you name your manuals starting at the bottom one and the Great is just bellow the Bombarde manual and the Bombard is bellow the Solo while the Accomp. manual is the bottom one. By watching this video, I can see what manuals your right hand is on and your left one is on.

[jonathane1976]

Nice

[Streetcar1743]

Well, I did get to play the City Museum Theater organ and WOW!!! I got takien on a trip back in time to the days of silent films. I have learned that the toe pistons work the pecussion and the toy counter.

[Streetcar1743]

What pedals stops are being used on this song? And what section on the stop rail would be the choir? I am going to try to play the organ at the City Museum. It's a Wurlitzer but it has 3 manuals rather than 4.

[oddrocketboy2]

A theatre organ doesn't have a Choir manual. The bottom manual is the Accompaniment.

[aihoschema]

Well apart from playing the Hammond I am not an organist. I have learned in an organ workshop that the nomenclature of organ manuals is great and swell if only two - on top of that it's the solo manual and the lowest (if four) is the choir manual. I guess this doesn't apply to theatre organs since any manual can be assigned to all available pipe ranks due to the Hope-Jones electro-pneumatic system as opposed to the mechanical system (wooden trackers) of baroque church organs.

[theaterorganguy]

Jim VERY good. I want to learn this.

[fivechildren]

This type of video is the reason I enjoy you tube so very much !!

A1 video !

[oddrocketboy2]

wonderful, Jim! I got to play this gem in August when I was in town to pick up my Wurlitzer Style EX. I hope to make it to LRS in March! Now how about some trios using both consoles and the piano!

[jgraif]

and, by the way, what does it matter who "recorded" the piano roll? this is about mr. riggs' project; to play "duets" with these wonderful reproducing rolls. the piano and organ make a wonderful duo that is rarely heard. i had the privilege of studying the organ with someone who played in a theatre in the 1920's. the best part of my lesson was the duet we would play (with him at the piano) of the piece i was studying.

[jgraif]

there are a few extant examples of "rebuilt" wurlitzer consoles that contain three "edge to edge" stop rails. this one appears to be the console that once controlled the instrument in the home of richard simonton. it was "narrowed" so it would not "overpower" the small, 75 seat theatre in which it was installed. that is why the stop rails cover the ends of the solo (top) manual; something you won't find in an "original" console. the instrument moved but the console did not. where is it now?

[54spiritedwill54]

More...we want more!!

[JonasClark]

Anyone know any details on this organ? I'm 100% certain that no original Wurlitzer console had three complete stoprails on the horseshoe, though I think it looks very good. Anyone know the location, number of ranks, or origin of the console?

[bloke33]

A sound of a Wurlitzer always makes the hairs on the pack of my neck stand up :P It's BLODDY BRILLIANT ballroom dancing to one of these beasts! :D

[SteveCarras]

Boy, the more I look, the more swithces on that old Wurlitzer I see! Totally good job.

[allendale1962]

totally awsome! I wish I was the piano player along with you instead of the player piano! LOL.

[GemOrganLady]

AHHH! Music to soothe & regenerate the soul!

I love it!!!!

[kensingtonpalace]

that's gotta be loads of fun to play along w/ that piano!

[Macinabit]

more please!!

[pipeorganist]

Very nice wurlizter and very nice playing !!

[RagtimePianoMaster]

This video is very nice.

Great playing. I'm sorry but this roll is NOT played by Lopez.

It's a Duo-Art roll (number 517) recorded by Ralph Addison (F Milne).

[rhopejones]

Maybe, but I doubt it. I have in my hand the original Ampico roll of this, 210401-E and the attribution is to "Vincent Lopez--assisted". It carries the date of 8-28, which I believe is before the merger.

I don't know of any sharing of performances, or translations between the archrivals before they merged. I'll stick with what Ampico says about the playing.

Just wanted you to know that we do check these things as best we can.....

rhj

[RagtimePianoMaster]

Dear rhopejones and dear YouTubers,

I'm sorry and I apologize for the incorrect information I've wrote in my previous post.

I was wrong.

It's true that the original piano roll is the "Lopez" Ampico roll.

Because the Addison Duo-Art roll sounds identical, I suppose it's a reissue of the original Ampico arrangement, for Duo-Art player piano owners (the two systems are not compatible)

Sorry again.

[pipeorganist]

wow nice organ, and great playing !!

[cbidwll59]

Jim - as usual .... EXCELLENT ! We want more!

[JonasClark]

Beautiful work! Fun and bouncy... I love seeing the up-close performance, complete with stop changes. I'll be sending this to friends to explain the idea of multiple keyboards/manuals and why they're useful, as well as the use of the pistons for stop changes and how they physically move the tabs.

[Streetcar1743]

Thsese Wurlitzer movies really takes up close and personal with a theater organ and really see the stops change. Today's other pipe organs now have that same "bump" sound when you change the stops with either a button under one of the manuals or a TOE PISTON on the pedalboard.

[ssacme]

and I thought they only made jukeboxes!

excellant job on the wurlitzer, this old music makes all of us think of a time when music had feeling.

Al

[pianotuna55]

What a great foxtrot! Your registrations are great!

Very musical....I love it, love it!! I'd like to see move of you in the future. Thanks for playing!

[pianotuna55]

This is GREAT! I love the fox trots from the 20's.

[Scarious]

That is the coolest instrument in the world..

[Brandotuomikoski]

Who is playing the piano. It is awsome

[WillardPugh]

The piano part is actually a player piano roll from the 1920s. This one is attributed to Vincent Lopez, a pianist/bandleader very popular back then. His specialty was ornamentation: arpeggios, breaks and such. Most (if not all) piano rolls with his name attached include the designation "Assisted", meaning he might have originated the musical ideas but they were likely played by someone else. Still, the piano arrangement IS superb, regardless of who actually played the notes. Glad you enjoyed it!

[hopeyjo]

Jim it's so good to see you back on the scene - in full flavour. Your one of a small handfull of artists that keep the theatre organ scene interesting and worth following. Thanks for posting this gem! RH-J

[vigilance77]

That's hoppin'! Makes me think of the movie, "The Cocoanuts" with the Marx Brothers!! ( : D

[jamez123123]

that was great!

[helencrawford]

The mister & I are proud of your splendid performance! Seriously, this is gaining excellent exposure to those uninitiated in our art. Perfect combination of artists, instruments, & music. We look forward to more!...wish you could have performed this at the NY Paramount studio for Victor Records...

HAC

[ampicob]

The "Dance of the Blue Danube" is probably one of the first AMPICO rolls I had ever heard on a friends Mason & Hamlin AMPICO. This percipitated my looking for a M&H AMPICO which I did find and had restored. So, this song has great meaning for me. Your friend, Robert (ampicob)

[bill4718]

More...we want more!!

[jjonasjonas]

Can't wait to hear more duets from Jim Riggs. Great fun!

[krumkin8]

Fabulous, fabulous, fabulous!

Nuf' said.

CBS

[wurli815]

Jim - I have always been a big fan of your playing, but these duets are nothing less than sensational. Please post more duets and solo work - this is some of the best stuff on YouTube!

[KawhackitaRag]

By the way, I love Ampico rolls, but you should know that all Ampico rolls listed as "assisted" on the roll means that it was entirely ghosted in the artist's name by someone else; in this case, Edgar Fairchild or Adam Carroll.

[WillardPugh]

You are quite right. Lopez was "assisted" on just about every roll with his name on it. Those well familiar with his (dance orchestra) work have told me his specialty was ornamentation and other frippery.

[KawhackitaRag]

Excellent! Syncing up like that; that's really hard to do! Not to mention just playing the organ that well; all the second-touch countermelodies etc.; that stuff must take years to master! That's one of my favorite tunes, too; I haven't found the sheet music yet; but I'm still looking.

[bob4120]

You are fantastic! I have a home theatre organ. You've inspired me to practice!

[rhopejones]

Perfect match of music, musicians and instruments!

[bigcity233]

Great duet!! - I hope you post more! I'll look for the CD.  Vincent Lopez was associated with a number of Ampico recordings. For a second, I was surprised to see a Steinway grand playing Ampico. Then I realized it was a mondern Steiway with a digital player. Digitizing these Ampico (and Duo-Art) rolls is the only way to preserve these irreplacable time capsules of music.

[WillardPugh]

The Steinway has a PianoDisc. We would play a piano track while recording both it and my organ "enhancement" into the organ relay. It's a great gimmick, no?

[dkelzenb]

Ah yes, Simonton! So many stopkeys! But how can you play that organ?? It doesn't have a KINURA! :-P

dkelz

[dkelzenb]

But surely that IS San Sylmar... The console is unique! Terrific show, and Jim is as always spectacular!

dkelz

[WillardPugh]

Thanks, Dave. It's the Simonton console, now at the Little River Studio. It's the perfect organ for the Duets; close up, lots of clarity and a piano that kicks ass!

[davidgray2]

Jim: Congradulations, it's brilliant! Can't wait to see more. How big's that organ? Thought it was San Sylmar at first, before I heard the acoustic. You should release a CD of this stuff, you really know how to work these duets! I believe I am to wish you a very happy birthday also! Many happy returns.

David

[WillardPugh]

Your ears, as usual, were correct. It's not Sylmar, it's the Little River Studio. And I'm way ahead of you---a CD of the Phantom Duets is already in the can. Think I ought to shoot more Duets for a DVD?

[Dojora4]

I'd buy that DVD!