It was a great pleasure to be able to attend the fourth
Dedication Show, especially so after missing out on being there last year.
Along with meeting up with everyone again it was nice to meet Don Downin
for the first time after two years of communicating via the Internet. Bob
made a weekend of it, coming over from Mesa, Arizona.
Kerry Griffin, who tried to be there, gave apologies. Kerry was
in Boston on business and had hoped to be able to get a flight move to be
able to get into Chicago but that didn't work out. It was very sad that he
was unable to be with us but very much appreciate his effort and talking
with him on the phone.
Apologies were also sent from our friends Wilfred and Bente Hoasteland
in Norway and also from Johs and Stinne Larsen, in Denmark. While they
couldn't be with us I know that their thoughts and Best Wishes were with
us during this weekend. Likewise with Bruce and Julie McLean who live in
Australia. I very much hope that all will manage to be with us in the
future.
On the Saturday before the show I met up with Andy Antonczyk and
Eric Larson and we went out to the Beautiful Sound Show Rooms, where we
met up with Frank Pugno and Brian Wessel. Thanks to Andy's pre-planning
and Lee Moloney everything had already been set up and Frank and Eric got
down to rehearsing their programmes. A Hammond RT-3, An Allen GW-IV and a
brand new Allen 311 Quantum were at our disposal. Those who know and
understand about these organs will know that we were exceptionally honored
to have such a trio of fine organs for our use. For me, being in the
company of my American friends and listening to both Frank and Eric during
these rehearsals and hearing all those 'Griffin Sounds' is a very
enjoyable part of the whole weekend of this Dedication Weekend. However,
that isn't to forget Andy's part! Before Eric and Frank turned up
Andy played for pleasure, mainly on the Allen GW-IV but also on the 311
Quantum and once Andy relaxes at the keyboards he gives a very enjoyable
performance.
After rehearsals were over Frank and Brian returned home then
Andy drove Eric and myself to his home. After Sally arrived we spent
a very enjoyable evening at Andy's catching up with all the chat and
enjoying more 'Griffin' and 'Larson' music on Andy's 3-Manual Allen organ,
played by Eric. We also listened to numerous 'other' organists from
Andy's extensive record collection. It was interesting learning the
influence that Jessie Crawford had on Ken and you can hear the
similarities in Ken's performances and playing style in numbers such as
Masquarade. From this we can assume that Ken found the very moody
sounds he used in numbers such as Far Away Places, The Nearness Of You
etc, from Jessie and arranged the mood and style to suit the Hammond and
Wurlitzer Electrostatic organs, putting his own personal stamp on these
fine tunes.
What more could you ask for than to spend such and enjoyable day
and evening and still have the complete Dedication Show to look forward to
next day!
Sunday afternoon quickly came around and as we waited for the
audience to arrive it was nice to meet up once again with Bob Potts and
his wife, Cindy, who were accompanied with their Daughter. It was certainly nice to meet Bryon Young and to
know him by name. Bryon as you know has just started a new page on our web
site in which he hopes to increase the content. I met Bryon at the first
two Dedication Shows but couldn't place him by name, therefore it is nice
to be able to do so and to work and correspond with him through the web
pages.
Andy also introduced us to a recording by a Jimmy Paulin whom I
have never heard of and, apparently the recording was made while the
performer was really drunk and from which he produced quite a masterpiece
of the old tune Cecelia! Well, if not a masterpiece, certainly a
performance you are not likely to forget. He played virtually at Full
organ throughout but changed pace and mood to advantage and the whole
piece just hit you for six. Suffice to say, that Eric had not heard of it
either and as we learned later the number had ran through his mind all
through the night. The result you will read about below in my report of
Eric's performance during the Dedication Show.
The show was started off with an introduction from ----------
--------------, who gave a warm welcome to the members of The Ken Griffin
Society and also to the members of The Chicago Organ Society, who's normal
meeting day this is. With only two organists this time the whole day was
given over to Frank Pugno and Eric Larson and their performances averaged
around 40 minutes each in which they filled the afternoon with little
other than the great Ken Griffin Sound, which we had all come to hear.
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* The Hammond RT-3 as used for the Show and which produced an
excellent 'Griffin Sound'.
Frank Pugno kicked off with Ken's most famous Hit 'You Can't be True,
Dear', on the Hammond RT-3 and gave almost a perfect performance that set
the mood for the rest of the afternoon.
This was followed up with Half As Much and Now Is The Hour a nice
mixture of a faster paced number being followed by Ken's more melodious
organ sound.
This was followed by another very catchy number Give me A Little Kiss
(Won't You, Hon.), which again was very close to Ken's performance on the
recording. Frank then slowed the pace down again for the very melodious
sound of Let Me Call You Sweetheart, with exactly the same sound and
arrangement as you hear by Ken.
Frank then concluded his first 'solo' performance with Ken's upbeat
number The Woman In The Shoe, which was almost identical to Ken's
recording but managed to follow this up with an even closer arrangement of
Ken's great show stopper Auf Wiederseh’n Sweetheart. With each
performance you are amazed at how exact you are hearing the Griffin Sound
and can almost imagine Ken being at the console.
Ken produced a number of recordings where the counter-melody was
overdubbed. At that time this was quite a new innovation and Ken was
amongst the first to use this technique using reel-reel tape. He would
record the main melody then record the counter-melody and in the recording
studio they 'dub' the two tracks into one. However, to get the same result
during a live show you require, as Frank put it "To grow an extra
pair of arms" or resort to two organs and organists. Therefore, Eric
assisted Frank by playing these counter-melodies and other sound effects
on the Allen GW-IV.
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* Eric & Frank playing Ken's 18th Century Drawing
Room, with Eric playing the pizzicato on the Allen GW-IV.
Frank first played 'April In Portugal' and while he played that
precisely as Ken did, Eric created the background beat by 'palming' the
keys in rhythm. Between them they produced an exact play-a-like
performance of Ken Griffin.
Next Frank played You, You, You. This is amongst my favourites of
favourites of Ken's recordings. It's such a great tune that carries you
along with it and the deep organ sound in the centre melody really 'spits'
out the notes from the keyboard. If you know this recording you will recall that
Ken added his fast paced right-hand 'brassing (a single note melody
that accompanies a main melody in the background at reduced volume. A
series of staccato chords played to accentuate the rhythm) and once again while
Frank played the melody, Eric played the fast 'brassing' and together
gave the perfect performance of this great piece. If I remember
correctly, while Ken produced a number of recordings that did well in the
charts, he never quite managed to match the sales of You Can't Be True,
Dear, but You, You, You was the one that came very close. Frank and Eric
are to be congratulated on combining their talents to produce such a
perfect performance.
As if that wasn't good enough, Frank and Eric came up with an equally
breath-taking performance of Ken's 18th Century Drawing Room, where the
over-dubbing is equally as important as the melody. This is a very fast
number where the "pizzicato
effect" is used time and again at some speed and
two organists keeping in strict harmony is paramount and once again our 'Fingercrunching-Duo' came up with the goods. 18th Century Drawing Room is
based on the Piano Sonata in C-Major, and while Ken's more upbeat arrangement is not what
the pureists would like, it must surely be a unique arrangement that Ken
should have been proud of and I am sure Mozart would appreciate it.
Frank moved to the Allen GW-IV for his next number, Apple Blossom
Wedding. This is another of those really great tunes that you enjoy
hearing time and again. This was also one of those numbers where Ken
dubbed the piano and organ together, which also created a unique sound
that was very much part of that 'Griffin Sound'. Again we would require
two organists but Frank used the uniqueness of the Allen, which could
produce both the organ and piano sound at the same time, making it easy
for a 'good' organist to play this arrangement solo. Well, our Frank is
even better than 'good' and while the Allen couldn't produce the correct
'Griffin Sound' Frank gave an excellent performance of this fine number.
Not exactly as Ken's arrangement but it was very close.
For his final number on the GW-IV next played I'll Never Smile Again. I have never heard Ken play
this tune but Frank gave a fine performance of this old smoothie.
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* Frank at the Allen GW-IV Organ
With all that 'Griffin Sound' Frank moved onto the brand new Allen
311-Quantum to play his final two numbers in his own playing style. The
'Quantum' is a really fine instrument, with a very bright and crisp sound.
Frank first played 'Linger A While' and concluded with a fantastic
arrangement of In The Mood in which he performs some really fine
foot-peddle work, which is as fascinating to watch as is his overall
keyboard playing. An excellent conclusion to a very good set of numbers
that really entertained and Frank deserved the considerable applause.
There was a 20-minute break for refreshments and some more chitchat.
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* Eric Larson at the Hammond RT-3
Eric started the second half of the show with
Ken's 'second' biggest hit The Cuckoo Waltz and you immediately heard the
play-alike quality that is Eric's trade mark and as good as other organists
are I doubt if anyone else gets anywhere as close to Ken's sound and playing
style that Eric does, and so consistently. Eric now has a very comprehensive
collection of play-a-like recordings and the Cuckoo Waltz is as close as it
gets.
My Heart Cries For You is one of those tunes
that shouldn't suite the organ but Ken's arrangement made it more than
acceptable and Eric caught this arrangement very well.
Eric followed this with Jealous, which I call
a 'walking or strolling' style of tune that Ken often used and this fine
tune really has you wanting to 'stroll along with it'. I have heard vocal
verions of this tune but they have never inspired me in the way that Ken's
arrangement did
and once again Eric got everything spot on.
Ken played Lamplighter's Serenade as a
very bouncy number that you can easily whistle along to and Eric played
exactly to the right pace and bounce. A very enjoyable tune.
Next Eric played Side By Side. We have heard
Eric play this number a number of times but it still amazes me at how close
he gets this to Ken's arrangement and once again he surpassed himself.
This was followed up with another fine
playing of September In The Rain. It wasn't meant to be exactly to Ken's
arrangement but you could certainly hear Ken Griffin in there every now and
again.
Eric's next tune was Kringle's Jingle. By
coincidence a member of the audiance asked Eric how Ken made the 'Jingling'
sound that carried through most of this recording. Ken had over-dubbed a loop
of this Jingle but again for a live performance you require two players and
Frank Pugno came to Eric's aid and played the 'Jingle' on the GW-IV and once again our
'Fingercrunching-Duo' played Ken's arrangement to perfection.
Ken also recorded this tune as 'Whistler's Jingle', which had a slightly
slower pace. My guess is that this arrangement (and title) was produced so
that it could be played at any time of the year.
Eric moved to the Allen GW-IV for Satin Doll
and played a very melodious arrangement of this swinging old number.
My Kind Of Girl is very much a
'Showtime' number and Eric played it very much as a fun piece
Eric next gave a remarkable rendering of
Ken's very harmonious arrangement of My Best To You. This is a really sweet
tune and Eric played it with great sensitivity, only straying from Ken's
arrangement and into his own playing style for a few bars. Eric used the Allen
GW-IV
rather than the Hammond for this number because it required playing two keyboards at the
same time with one hand, using his thumb to play the lower keyboard while he played the
main melody on the upper keyboard. The rather straight edge of the Hammond
keyboards makes this difficult while the Allen's overlapping keys make for an
easier reach. This is a very interesting movement to watch and also makes
for a very interesting sound combination and Eric is to be congratulated for
playing such a melodious arrangement of this fine old number.
I have never head this tune as a vocal or
knew that there was even words to it, but Sally gave out a few photocopies
of the Song Sheet, which includes a photo of Ken, at the organ. I shall be
trying to learn the words before long and see how they fit the mood of this
lovely tune.
Eric concluded his concert with an old song
called 'Cecilia'. It is a reflection on Eric's keyboard ability and a keen
mind and ear for sound, that he only heard this particular arrangement the
evening before when Andy played this from his extensive record collection.
Eric had thought about the tune well into the night and during our live show
sat down at the organ played the exact arrangement. You can't describe this
arrangement and really need to hear it to get the full impact that the
original impromptu performance produced.
Eric and Frank closed the show with the
inevitable dual playing of You Can't Be True, Dear and you really can't
follow that.
The show concluded with a hearty hand shake
between Eric and Frank and well deserved applause from the audience.
Bringing to a close an incredibly enjoyable afternoon
Our thanks to everyone who made the effort to
attend and to the organisers of Beautiful Sound and The Chicago Organ
Society for their kind support and we hope to see you all again next year.
As a point of interest next March 11th
represents the 50th anniversary of Ken's death and 95 years since his birth
and representing over 70 years of what we know as the 'Griffin Sound'. Quite
a landmark. Perhaps we can put on something a little more 'special' for this
event!
Photos From The Show
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* Two views of the audience, caught between tunes
October2005).jpg)
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* Left: Eric, Bill, Sally and
Frank
* Right: Eric and Sally
# Frank, Eric and Don Downin
AFTER THE SHOW
After the show a number of us met at the
Hotel close by and enjoyed a grand meal. It also gave us a chance to relax
and talk
longer and catch up with old friends and get to know new ones.
(October2005).jpg)
(October2005).jpg)
* Left: Sally White, Bill Reid, Eric Larson, Robert Ridgeway, Andy
Antonczyk and Lee Maloney
* Right: Bob & Cindy Potts & Daughter, Sally and Bill
I couldn't conclude this report without
giving special thanks to Andy Antonczyk, who carries out all the organising
from booking
the venue to arranging the use of instuments and any necessary
equipment, and even the supply of refreshments. Without Andy's
help these
Dedication Shows would not be possible.
# Andy Antonczyk
We would like to wish Andy's mother, Pat
well after a recent fall in which she broke an arm. Pat usually helps greet
our
visitors at the door and arranges the refreshments but had to miss out this
time.
Photos marked # by Bill Reid
Photos marked * by Don Downin.
Watch
these pages for the 2006 Dedication Show. It can only get better!
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