92 Key Decap 'Jeanneke' Dance Organ Dansorgel at St Albans Organ Museum

Built by Decap in Belgium, this dance organ was delivered to a roadhouse on the outskirts of Antwerp in 1951.
The roadhouse incorporated a room for dancing and it was there that "Jeanneke" would play from its extensive repertoire of strict-tempo dance music controlled by a coin box on the wall.
Like most dance organs, the percussion instruments are a feature on the front of the organ, together with the accordions and saxophones. Behind the organ front are 326 organ pipes and the entire organ is controlled by the cardboard book music as it passes through the keyframe.
Now at St Albans Organ Museum near London, this organ plays from single books of music, and is heard here (with kind permission to record video) playing several tunes for your enjoyment, on Sunday 21st November 2010:

1) 0:01 Drum Boogie (Arr. Albert Decap)
2) 2:03 Savoy English Medley (Arr. Eugene Peersman)
3) 7:17 Meet Mr. Callaghan (Arr. Albert Decap)

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• belgian
• dance
• organ
• dansorgel
• decap
• mortier
• bursens
• albans
• museum
• keyframe
• medley
• savoy
• accordion
• drums

[ceredigio]

Jeanneke also has a Savoy Scottish Medley in its library. Any videos of that? And is that a Peersman book as well?

[nickn5nl]

@ceredigio I will ask next time I'm there for the Scottish Medley to be played, and hopefully video it! :)

[perleeman]

The first tune is 'Drum Boogie' arranged by Albert Decap. 'Savoy English Medley' is by Eugene Peersman!

[nickn5nl]

@perleeman Brilliant, thanks for the further information. Very glad of people like you and Peter out there willing to help out! :)

[petermackett37]

7:17 Meet Mr. Callaghan. Arr. Albert Decap.

[nickn5nl]

@petermackett37 Thanks for that - I knew I knew it but it's very frustrating when I can't bring to mind the title! :)

[perleeman]

@ceredigio It is indeed a Peersman book.

[ceredigio]

@petermackett37 So it's not an original 'historic' book then! Thanks Peter

[petermackett37]

@ceredigio Kevin Meayers did the arrangement on the Marenghi.

[ceredigio]

@petermackett37 Peter, do you know if the arrangement of the Savoy English Medley on Hine's 'Golden Marenghi' is by Peersman or by someone else like Chiappa or Marenghi? You can hear it on Youtube as well, it is a slightly different arrangement and a couple of the tunes are missing.

[ceredigio]

The Savoy English Medley is outstanding! There is another video of it being played, in a slightly different arrangement, on Hines Golden Marenghi.

[thevalueofthediamond]

"Jeanneke" was the very first dance organ I saw+heard as a young kid, and I can clearly remember being stood mesmirised by the key frame just like the cameraman, but only just tall enough to see it. Happy Days :)

[ANDREWLEONARDSMITH]

Yes! its ME! Playing the organ! This is my second home! a video star at last!!!!

[IanPostlethwaite]

i thought the first tune was called Rampart Street Raccoon?