Kathy’s Happy Organ Concert!

The Phantom of the Organ appeared Monday October 21 at Kathy’s Happy Organs playing BOO-tiful Music including “GHOUL-den” Oldies, “FANGS-giving Tunes” and multiple spooky-jokes!

The program began with the Lowrey playing Michael Jackson’s thriller with a long vamp as I selected the other registrations.  I told the audience to relax as sometimes a long vamp angers people during this season and raises their “VAMP”-IRE.  The ability of the Lowrey to split the keyboards into two regions gives me both Left Hand accompaniment (in this case Hammond B3 flutes) on the bottom keyboard as well as right hand solo (electric distortion guitar) with full organ and brass attacks on the top plus the auto Rock rhythm!  WOW!  Other seasonal music included music from “Ghost”, Addams Family with clapping and a special number from LURCH on the harpsichord, Munsters, Hitchcock’s Theme by Gounod and others.  I moved to the Content 224 Digital Organ for “true to composer” performances of Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D Minor and closed with Boellmann’s Toccata from the Gothique Suite.   A definite “Low-Lite” of the program was my PIGS ON BR-HOG-WAY segment where I played selections from several broadway musicals on the stunning sounds of the Lowrey Organ and the audience was to tell me the title in “Pig-speak”.  Here’s the list:  The HOGS are Alive with the SOWS of Moo-sic”.  The Phant-HAM of the SLOP-era.  OINK-lahoma.  Some Enc-HAM-ted Evening from SOWS Pacific.  New PORK New PORK sung by Frank SWINE-atra, and Chic-HOG-go.  While the music was beautiful, one audience member said following:  It’s a good thing you play the organ well, as you’ll never make it as a comedian!  HAHA!

For me, the most gorgeous piece on the program was Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata on the digital piano combining Grand Piano, with strings, octave strings and choral voices to help add sustain and to bring out the melodies and countermelodies which can easily be hidden in some performances.  This sounds a bit strange, but I found myself engaged in this piece as both a performer and a listener at the same time.  Of course, that’s always a goal of performance, but it was especially happening for me tonight in this piece.

Thanks to Kathy for another great opportunity to play amazing instruments and enjoy a great audience!