Radetsky March

[bobnrainy]

Way to go Dave!...Your fans from VC

[Berliozini]

Congratulations Dave. That style of music matches perfectly on theater organs, I have seen people playing it on church organs. The enormous register used by you sound with quality, you are professional.

[wurlitzer1883]

Simply stunning.

[Dominic974280]

This guy isn't nothing, check out my video!!!

[Venomguitar]

hooooooooooooooooooooooooooly shit!

[alexeydk78]

Great organ! How many ranks it have?

[JonasClark]

For those asking about the Fox Specials, as others have noted: NY Paramount (the first of the five) is in Wichita at Century II; Brooklyn Fox, console destroyed, organ with replica console first to Music Palace restaurant in Fort Wayne, then Wurlitzer Manor in Gig Harbor, WA; Detroit and St. Louis Foxes, still installed and playing. There was a question re: where the San Fran Fox ended up; it's playing, beautifully, at the El Capitan in Hollywood, and is played before every film.

[GrounderTheRobot]

DEMOPAN DEMOPAN DEMO- PAN PAN PAN!

[musikus48]

Das ist sicher super gespielt, aber die Aufnahme ist schlichtweg besch...eiden. Ein völlig undeffinierbares Klanggemisch.

[Juticar]

wow, its almost like he isn't playing it! awesome clip!

[Offshoreorganbuilder]

This is a great performance. Thanks for the posting, but PLEASE keep the camera steady. Stop waving it around!!!

[bamaslamma1003]

Truly a great performance! I'd love to hear this magnificent instrument live.

[bartoszthiede]

very well played the only thing was the time delay in that place.

I loved it

[hootinouts]

Excellent playing

[BT318I]

Realy fast!! great video!!

[patsaxon]

I had noticed that the pedal board is not AGO, it does not look like 32 notes, but more like 25 notes.

[Organsk8er]

True, the pedalboard is not AGO, but however it is 32 notes. The Wurlitzer pedalboards are "English" style...close to AGO, but they don't radiate as much, and the pedals are just a little bit farther apart.

[Sjlviu]

:O:O awesome. i love it

[decimaquinta69]

Fantastico

[siggyschlimmfinger]

Joieah die wummert vielleicht rein....absolut oberaffengeil...:-))))

[wurlitzer3]

The Detroit Fox and the St. Louis Fox interiors are exactly the same. I believe they have the same Wurlitzers too.

[bassclef48532]

Yes they have the same Wurlitzers...there were only THREE of these Wurlitzers's built. They were called the Jesse Crawford Special and had 36 ranks in the specifications. Dave Calendine tells the story that the Fox Theater Wurlitzer was installed in FOUR days!!

[Organsk8er]

Slight correction...five of these organs were built, the first being for the New York Times' Square Paramount Theatre. Jesse Crawford didn't really design the spec, just told Wurlitzer the things he wanted, and they just filled in around that. The other four organs were built for the Fox Theatres in Brooklyn, Detroit, St. Louis, and San Francisco. Wurlitzer was very busy at the time, so they probably did install this organ in about a week...lol :) :)

[dking70]

Wrong, There was actually 4 of these fox special organs, Brooklyn, detroit, st louis and san fransico. Fortunaly the organ from the Brooklyn and San fransico were both saved and live on to this day....

[jjdsmayes]

What??? How do you figure? Better do some checking....:)

[dking70]

well then explain

[jjdsmayes]

Organsk8er says it correctly. There were 5. Although not all of these organs are in their original theatres nowadays. It's just that one of the five was not in a Fox Theatre. It was at the Paramount in NY. That organ is now in Wichita. I actually am one of the organ techs. The Detroit Fox wurly is in good condition and still in the theatre. The St. Louis Fox organ is in its theatre. Don't know where the Brooklyn organ is, but the San Fran. fox organ was removed.

[Dojora4]

@jjdsmayes The Brooklyn Fox organ ended up in a Pizza Parlor in Fort Wayne, Indiana for a while and it's currently out at Wurlitzer Manor in Gig Harbor, Washington. And of course the San Fransisco Fox organ ended up in Frank Lanterman's house and now the El Cap in Hollywood...

[lms264t]

As does the Mighty WurliTzer at the Fabulous Fox Theatre in St. Louis, MO.

[DOLRED]

Again,  fantastic interior shot; fantastic music play and performing artist. Thanks for sharing this moment.

[deancook652]

In 1996, I was taken on a tour of this theatre by one of the house organists, but didn't get to play the auditorium Wulitzer; the Doobie Bros were setting up on stage for a performance, and the console was covered in the pit. Rats! Incredibly beautiful house.

[2005dave]

The Radetzky March was written by Johann Strauss, Sr., father of the famed Waltz King.

[mortson978]

The Wurlitzer theater organ is the only living, breathing instrument. It seems to have it's own personality.

[animesis]

fantastic building, fantastic music, fantastic instrument, fantastic playing!

[Erzahler]

I'd like to note that the Denver Paramount still has its original 4/20 Wurlitzer installed, with both consoles intact.

[eragon812]

great great

[JonasClark]

I'll note, though, that one of the few remaining Publix 1 original installations, the Seattle Paramount, DOES have a Posthorn. Reportedly, their organist was incensed at Crawford's presumption and ordered the factory to leave out one of the two String ranks and substitute the Posthorn, and this did occur. The Paramount organ is playable and sounds good, but is currently undergoing a full restoration.

[JonasClark]

You're correct! Excuse me. I have the Wurlitzer book, published recently, and he is quoted there as saying that he did specify that, but aside from that, someone at the factory drew up the spec. But there's a reason he didn't put the Posthorn in the Publix 1: in his opinion, most organists (presumably being less skilled than he) did not know when NOT to use it, and thus leaving it out was to "protect the patrons from the organist".

[steamrocks]

I would LOVE to get to play a Fox Special, especially this ONE!

[gorbidog]

Just FAB-U-LOUS!!!

BRAV-O!!!

[JonasClark]

Sorry, not a "Crawford Special". Jesse Crawford did not have a hand in the 4/36 Fox Specials. He DID design the 4/20's going to the Paramount chain, one of which plays in its original home in Seattle. This is a fantastic instrument in a beautiful theatre, I hope to see it in person soon! I'm impressed to see that the stoprails have been left alone, and that the indicating keys for the expression pedals (which, if they're working right, can control the expression by hand too) are still used.

[steamrocks]

Crawford DID have a 'hand' in the 4/36 design, but it was more like just a couple of 'fingers'.

He DID specify the three Tibias and four Voxes. (Although why it wasn't 4 and 4 I'll never know. What do you want from a guy that wouldn't even put a Posthorn on a 4/20 Publix?)

Jesse did select some of the Diapasons, Strings and reeds, too. It all worked out for the best Wurli ever.

I wonder what Wurli would have done at Radio City if they didn't have to follow that gawd awful Kimball spec?

[hootinouts]

Awesome!

[JohnMGilbert]

It's wonderful to see young people keeping the theater organ tradition alive. Boycott silent film presentations shown with a video projector. Keep film alive!

John Gilbert President C. A. D.

Citizens Against Digital

[pianotuna55]

What a magnificent instrument and absolutely breathtakingly beautiful theatre!! Thanks for posting on YouTube.

[theatreorganman]

Outstanding playing, especially in light of the tremendous acoustic delay in the house! Just like the Packard factory on East Grand Blvd., the Detroit Fox (and this excellent video)are true landmarks of Americana!

[ryst19]

I haven't heard this organ since played by Hector Olivera YEARS ago. Boy, I wish they'd have another theater organ concert there. That organ sounds great!

[Organsk8er]

Hey Dave!

Fine playing, and it looks/sounds as if the organ plays really, really well, too! Sounds really great!

[bivala]

wonderful

[Dojora4]

Man that delay looks like a total pain... but what should you expect with 5,000 some odd seats

[oddrocketboy2]

The delay isn't nearly as bad as it seems in the video. There is a bit of audio lag in the video.

[Organgrinder010]

One of the best sounding theatre organs I have ever heard. Superb job!

[kashman1225]

This is the original wurlitzer for the Fox Theatre, installed in the 1920s. Sorry...it belongs in this room and is not going anywhere!

[wingfan19]

Never say never with Mike Ilitch owning it...that much is true. He'd prolly buy a new one though.

[DaveCalendine]

Believe me, after working for the Ilitch's for over 16 years, I can attest to the fact that the organ is there to stay. It isn't going anywhere. If a new arena gets built for the Red Wings, of course I will push for an organ to be put in, but I am afraid that that era of real organs in ice arenas is over. There's always hope though! GO WINGS!

[wingfan19]

I've been in the fox and never seen this organ. I'd love to see it put in the new arena for the red wings someday. Restore the "old time hockey feel". Was this organ once in Olympia Arena?

[diaphone32]

Excellent. Dave really knows how to play that 36 rank Crawford Special!!!!

[steverabb]

Great camera views of that beautiful theater and organ. I'd love to be standing there vibrating to all those magnificent sounds instead of blowing out my computer speakers. Tremendous!

[kashman1225]

Simply fabulous!

[skifusya]

Great job, beautiful!

[acchos]

SUPERB