Wurlitzer Theatre Organ

Ashley Miller's style and arrangements offer lots of good listening opportunities and surprises. For example if you follow along with the lyrics to this song there is a nice surprise in the arrangement when the brass trumpet appears in the bridge section after 1:57. The arrangements are also great for learning and are extremely challenging to get the details right. He often would give very welcome musical suggestions and a helping hand at open console and organ parties.

Here is my overly cautious attempt to remember/find registrations and play one such arrangement on a big Wurlitzer theatre organ with mistakes here and there. As far as I know Ashley never recorded this song on a commercial LP or CD.

More on Ashley Miller here:
http://www.gstos.org/AshleyMiller.htm

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Wurlitzer
• Theatre
• Organ
• Ashley
• Miller

[OrganCat]

Great performance. You've captured Ashley's left-hand technique which always was more 'functional' and orchestral than most other organists who simply plop down chords. Bravo!

[dynamic881964]

Great Job !!!! Great Song, and Great Instrument !!!!!

[timbo389]

Very good! I wish the organ could stay at the Senate - quite a success story.

[Organsk8er]

Very nice! I love this song, and this arrangement is really beautiful! Well done! How is the Senate organ doing, by the way? I had heard some reports that it was kind of limping along there for a while, but I know they've been doing some major work to it...hope all is well with this fabulous instrument!

[Organgrinder010]

Very nice! That console looks massive.

[RialtoTwo]

Nice, thanks for sharing.

[u8qu1tis]

Very good. You should play movie overtures or other jobs requiring theatre organ.

[klavier1us]

Thanks for the tune and the link. I think you are correct that he did not record "Strangers". Among the things we have to thank Ashley for besides his masterful playing are the arrangements he left to allow us to remember him by. I was fortunate enough to have heard him play many times. Esp. on one occasion when he did the Orchestra transcribed for TO of Gershwins "Rhapsody in Blue", while a young Native American concert pianist Jim Leafe played the piano part.

[ryst19]

Beautiful rendition. Please post more when you have a chance.

[wurlibuilder]

Nice job Paul! Ashley would be proud.