OrganFax

FRIENDS OF THE RYE WURLITZER

What is it that makes a group of enthusiasts, an organ Club or Society, achieve success and popularity? Undeniably one of the ingredients is a hard working and dedicated team who together make up the Committee. But the driving force surely has to be the Chairman. Rarely if ever have I come across a Chairman who is so active that it's almost impossible to find him standing still long enough to interview him, but most certainly Richard Moore fills that role. In the course of the May Bank Holiday WurliTzer weekend, he never took his eye off the ball for one minute, and this resulted in a series of pipe, electronic and piano performances by such luminaries as Len Rawle, Chris Powell, Nigel Ogden, Janet Dowsett and John Mann. There were times when I thought he was auditioning for Joseph and his Technicolor Dreamcoat, because each and every time he came on stage he'd changed into a different suit!

I'm not suggesting for one minute that every Chairman/Compere does likewise, but heaven forbid that a Chairman should walk on stage, having made no effort to smarten his appearance: offer commiserations upon the death of a Committee Member and without pausing introduce the artist, and compounding the faux pas by getting the artists name wrong! An embarrassing and unforgivable incident, which I am assured, happened at a SW organ club recently. At Rye, Richard Moore involves, and obviously motivates his team... and that is key to the success of any Club. How many would walk around Town, wearing a sandwich board, handing out concert leaflets.

Adding to the overall success story at the Thomas Peacock Community College is the enthusiasm of the College Principle Ann Cockerham, a charming lady who was present throughout the weekend to ensure all the facilities were running smoothly. In a conversation with her she indicated that now the instrument is up on stage where it can be seen as well as heard (until this weekend it was in the balcony) she feels this will add considerably to the interest in the instrument, not only with the pupils, but the public too. Another visionary.

The full story of the WurliTzer can be found on the Friends of the Rye WurliTzer web pages, so it would be superfluous to repeat them here. The whole raison d'etre for the event was to celebrate the Wurlitzer's new location at the college, and to see it rise majestically from a new home beneath the stage. Regrettably the Rye water table has temporarily dampened that idea, but the Friends are undeterred in that goal. As if that wasn't enough, the computer action decided to have a funny turn and this meant the various skills of the organists were even more evident as they judiciously selected their individual ways around the restrictions. Mind you, there was a point when John Mann briefly sounded like Les Dawson playing the piano... but John being John, he gamely took it all in good fun, as did the capacity packed audience.

After what could only be described as the most original opening ceremony ever performed in organ world circles, the spoof chain sawing through of a Safety Barrier by the Minister for Health & Safety, one of a number of Departmental 'Officials' who appeared throughout the two days, the honours to first play the organ on stage went to Len Rawle, who also combined his performances with those on a trusted but faithful Yamaha HS8. Nigel Ogden offered us the chance to hear both the WurliTzer and also featured some delightful piano solos. His interpretation of Percy Grainger's composition Country Garden was a highlight for me. Chris Powell arrived, complete with his Atelier AT-80SL, and after one of his usual well thought out programmes, presented in an ebullient manner not unlike that of the late Mark Shakespeare, he departed as rapidly as he arrived in order to get back home to be with Wife Marie who was due to give birth to their first child within days. There is no truth in the story that their offspring will be named Enoch Baden Powell! What a lovely programme Janet Dowsett gave, and I especially appreciated her inclusion of the wonderful music from the film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Seeing as how Richard introduced so many 'Men from the Ministry' during the weekend, perhaps that should have been Snow White and the Seven vertically challenged persons. One could say that Janet's performance was sparkling in more ways than one: the spotlight catching her gold sequinned dress made me wish I'd brought my dark glasses. On the other hand...

I was invited to present two of my computerised audio visual presentations; KLAUS WUNDERLICH: THE PIED PIPER, and WITH PAINTBOX, EASEL & CANVAS, the story behind an unusual organ interlude devised by the late Andrew Fenner. This proved to be such an attraction that regrettably there was not enough room to accommodate everyone. The success of these was due in no uncertain way to Steven Barrett- White who provided a top of the range high intensity projector, as well as making it possible for the audience to see in close up, the artists stage performances via a huge video screen. It was a weekend at which I was able to meet for the first time a number of people who until then I had only corresponded with via e-mail: Wayne Ivany and David Reed of the COS: Jeremy Buck of the CTA and Richard Cole of the London Music Museum.

Having to face the possibility of a seven plus hours return journey home to Cornwall, my Wife and left early to battle through the holiday traffic in an effort to miss the descent of several hundred hairy bikers for a rally at Hastings, we missed out on the finale which comprised of the Rye Dance Centre putting on a marvellous Big Band routine in the company of Len, John & Janet. I'm told it was colourful and boisterous to say the least.

What with a bumper raffle at each and every performance: an in-exhaustible supply of tea, coffee, biscuits AND home made cakes, (not to mention gifts of Rye WurliTzer marmalade handed out to guests by the Man from the Ministry of Food and Hygiene!) this was a joyful and fun packed weekend that each and every Member of the Friends of the Rye WurliTzer should chalk up as another success story.