| Organ Sound -bites ! I have been around organs for many years and made some interesting musical arrangements, ever since I learned the art in the 1970's. This is not to say that I consider all my work to be good, far from it, as there were some howlers in the early days. I've always refused to arrange a tune if I thought that I couldn't do it justice, or if it would not fit the organ scale properly. Anyway, here are some sound files - some are my arrangements and others are what I consider to be outstanding arrangements by others. Also featured here are some recordings of a few of my favourite organs.
 De Arabier has always been one of my favourite organs. One of the first recordings I bought was of this organ, a LP record of 'International Favourites'. I first saw this organ in 1976, when it was still in regular street usage with Hendrik Elderman in Groningen. I was fortunate to meet Mr Elderman and he allowed me to make a recording, on the streets in Groningen on 30th April 1976, and a track from that recording, 'When the Saints go marching in', arranged by the late and great Gerard Razenberg, is here for you to enjoy. In May 2008 I saw De Arabier twice in two days. Leon van Leeuwen, of the Perlee family, has just finished a top to bottom overhaul of the organ and Pieter van Aken has just repainted the front. It is now absolutely superb! There is a new CD of the organ which is available from the KDV ( www.draaiorgel.org ) and from the organ, if you are fortunate enough to go to Holland and see it! De Arabier - When the Saints
I have been a fan of the Decap dance organ for many years. Decap of Antwerp first made an organ with an inbuilt Hammond organ in the early 1960's and continued until the mid 1970's when the traditional Hammond drawbar organ ceased to be made, to be replaced with a solid state product. At that time, Decap brought out a new model organ with in house electronic organ built by Dan van de Laar. I love the Decap - Hammond combination and over recent years, a few have made their way into preservation in the UK. My friend, Norman Kendall, bought one a few years ago and was particularly keen on 'Elastiek March', so I made a bespoke arrangement for the Decap.
De Forum - Down by the riverside
I always wanted my own Dutch street organ but never thought I would manage it. However, after owning a 30 keyless organ for a few years, I got the chance to buy 'Marina', which is a 40 key Heesbeen organ. It's not the biggest organ ( I wouldn't have space to keep a large organ, or so I though until I got the Decap, but that's another story! ), nor is it the best, but it has all the elements of the traditional draaiorgel and a versatile scale to it can play 'proper' music. I added wood-block to the organ so it is now 41 keys. Much of the music I have arranged for it is of a popular or swing type and in addition to the books I have arranged myself, there are arrangements by Tom Meijer, Hiddo van Os and Frans Baum, as well as my reworkings of arrangements in the style of Albert Decap, Arthur Prinsen, Urbain van Wichelen, Gerard Razenberg and many others. Marina has been to Belgium for the last three years to the International Hooghuys Festival in Geraardsbergen ( Grammont) in Belgium ( see www.hooghuysfestival.be ). There it proved very popular and hopefully it will appear again next September! Marina plays 'Don't it make my brown eyes blue' My German friend Klaus Unger comes and stays for a few days when he is visiting the UK. He built the Schlemmer organ from a kit, ( something I have done myself, so I know the pitfalls!) and has travelled all over Europe to events. When I had a 20 note roll player, I made many arrangements of all sorts of music. The American organ grinders were very keen on my Country music arrangements and Klaus' organ plays 'Ring of Fire' Schlemmer organ- Ring of Fire
Gasparini organ plays 'Moonlight Shadow'
My good friend Ruud Brienen of Alkmaar, Holland, regularly plays his organ 'De Bandiet' in Amsterdam and other locations. 'De Bandiet' is a 67 key organ built a few years ago by Elbert Pluer and is a truly versatile organ.
De Bandiet plays 'Rosanne' My father had an LP record of the 'Carousel Becquart' Hooghuys organ on the Ace of Clubs label ( ACL1127 I think) which was introduced during my formative years and was the cause of my obsession with mechanical organs. I would love to see and hear the organ live, though I understand that it is not in the best of order nowadays, though still used on the fairgrounds somewhere in France. Bjorn Isebaert has a splendid website dedicated to Hooghuys organs ( www.hooghuys.com ) and I was pleased to meet Bjorn in Geraardsbergen last year. Marc Hooghuys is the current member of the family who maintains the organs for posterity and I was also pleased to be introduced to him a few years ago. The Becquart organ is 70 keys and the arrangements were mostly by August Schollaert, who could bring the best out of this organ. Though only one LP was released in the UK, there were several more in Belgium and Bjorn was kind enough to send me copies of these now extinct recordings from the 1950's.
Hooghuys organ plays 'Petite Waltz' from Victory VLP 531
First time I went to Belgium was in 1975 and one of the cafe's I visited then was the 'Cafe dancing Metro' in Blankenberge. At that time it had a 105 key Hammond Type L122 organ with a black and white front.
The Decap - Hammond type organ was replaced in 1983 by a computer organ from Decap. On a visit to Blankenberge in 2007 I was delighted to find that the organ is still there, still used and in good order. What happened to the Decap - Hammond organ? It had various owners and recently it has been 'recycled' into a new 105 key robot organ!
A few years ago Jim Harper and Michael Woolf in New Zealand bought a delapidated dance organ in an auction in Australia. In th FOPS journal 'The Key Frame' they appealed for information on the organ. Some years ago I had done some work in the organ in the UK and got in touch with Jim and Michael and advised them in the rebuild of the organ. They would e-mail the problems to me over night and I would reply to enable them to carry on next day. Oh the wonders of modern technology! When the organ was playing I sent them a book of music, my version of 'Kinep Boogie' which would give the organ a workout. Jim and Michael have carried out further work on the organ since this recording was made. Though it carries the name Decap, it is really a Mortier organ, rebuilt in the late 1950's by Rein van den Broek to the 92 key Decap scale and hired out as a travelling organ. It was sold to a dealer in the UK and was later sold abroad before finally being offered in an auction in Australia! Kinep Boogie
In Holland in 2008, on a very warm day in Haarlem, the sound of a streetorgan gave me goosebumps like never before De Lekkerkerker played 'Stay with me till morning' ( also known as 'Hopeloos Verloren' or 'The young Amadaeus'). The performance is below in video format. Enjoy.
A couple of years ago I was offered a nice organ in Holland, but I didn't have space for any more and it was subsequently sold to a young enthusiast in Holland, Jarith Bijleveld. Since then Jarith has had the organ overhauled and extended the repertoire and I was very glad to hear the organ this September (2009) in very good voice.
One of the new books is probably the maddest piece of music I have heard on an organ, and I love it, the 'Time Warp' from the 'Rocky Horror Picture Show'. Truly a classic organ arrangement!
Let's do the Time Warp again!
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Decap Organ - Elastiek march 
Metro organ plays - Apres Toi ( Come what may) 
Cafe Metro 1983 organ when new plays 'Hands up give me your heart' 
Click to see film
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