Chris Powell and Brett Wales - Welcome
December 2011 Review (Available from ORGANS.co.uk) Filed in: CD (Electronic)
Chris Powell and Brett Wales have produced nearly fifty CDs and DVDs between them over the years, but this is the first time they have joined forces to produce a duet CD. They first collaborated publicly two years ago when they formed their company 'Key Breaks Music' to promotes musical Weekends (www.keybreaks.org if you want to know more about those). READ THE FULL REVIEW...
Phil Brown - A Morning in Cornwall (and On Days Like These)
December 2011 Review (Available from ORGANS.co.uk) Filed in: CD (Electronic)
This one is a bit of a 'blast from the past' as we used to stock a couple Phil Brown's CDs back in the days when he was a Grosvenor Recordings artiste. The last one of those was back in 2000 (I could nearly have said the last Millennium), although he did tell me he has released eight CDs since then (most of which are now deleted). READ THE FULL REVIEW...
Ryan Edwards - Better Late Than Never
December 2011 Review (Available from ORGANS.co.uk) Filed in: CD (Electronic)
If you are one of those people who only buy CDs from organists every ten years, then I have a second treat for you! The last recording by Ryan Edwards was back in 2001 and, unlike Phil Brown, he hasn't released any others which we've missed in the meantime, hence the rather tongue-in-cheek title of his latest offering, "Better Late Than Never". READ THE FULL REVIEW...
Chris Powell - In The Mood (Double DVD)
November 2011 Review (Available from ORGANS.co.uk) Filed in: DVD
This is another first as it's a double DVD with each disc played on a different organ. Disc one is played on the Roland Atelier AT-900C electronic, while disc two played on a Wurlitzer. Both instruments were recorded in the Burton Upon Trent Town Hall. The filming of this DVD is pretty straight forward, but effectively done as it seems to use two cameras, both fixed on the console (one left, one right). Apart from the occasional full-length and picture-in-picture shots, everything is shot like this, which I think looks a more professional than some of the hand-held shots from other releases. The close-ups of the Atelier are especially ‘shiny'. READ THE FULL REVIEW...
Chiho Sunamoto and Jon Smith - What Are You Doing The Rest of Your Life?
November 2011 Review (Available from ORGANS.co.uk) Filed in: CD (Electronic)
This is the second release featuring the combined talents of Chiho Sunamoto and Jon Smith, their last (and first) release being "And I Love Her", back in 2007. As far as I know, Jon's only previous CD release was "Some Enchanted Evening" back in 2004, but Chiho (as you well know) has released many CDs in the past, although her last solo release was also back in 2004. READ THE FULL REVIEW...
David Last - Wired For Sound
November 2011 Review (Available from ORGANS.co.uk) Filed in: CD (Electronic)
I am not sure how many CDs David Last has released. We started selling organ CDs fifteen years ago and this is the 42nd we've stocked, so I would guess around the fifty mark.
David has changed keyboard since his "On The Road Again" CD earlier in the year. He was playing the Yamaha Tyros 4 and Ketron Audya that time, but now it's the turn of the Yamaha Stagea organ. That makes this recording a bit of a rarity as I only know of Penny Weedon who has used it on a recording before (her "Rustle of Spring" CD in case you didn't know). READ THE FULL REVIEW...
David has changed keyboard since his "On The Road Again" CD earlier in the year. He was playing the Yamaha Tyros 4 and Ketron Audya that time, but now it's the turn of the Yamaha Stagea organ. That makes this recording a bit of a rarity as I only know of Penny Weedon who has used it on a recording before (her "Rustle of Spring" CD in case you didn't know). READ THE FULL REVIEW...
Larry Green - Jump, Shout, Boogie
November 2011 Review (Available from ORGANS.co.uk) Filed in: CD (Electronic)
I know what you're thinking… "Jump, Shout, Boogie" sounds like a new CD featuring a selection of tracks that make you want to do just that, however it isn't and features a collection of tunes which will more likely make you "Sit Down, Shut Up and Maybe Tap Your Foot a Little Bit" (OK, not such a catchy title). I couldn't notice any more of an up-tempo feel to this CD than any of Mr. Green's previous, which isn't a complaint. READ THE FULL REVIEW...
Philip Randles - That's Livin' Alright
October 2011 Review (Available from ORGANS.co.uk) Filed in: CD (Electronic)
This is the first Philip Randles release since his "On The Crest Of A Wave" CD in 2008. Again, it's a strict-tempo Maestro release with Philip playing the Orla KX1000pro keyboard which he's used on his previous two outings. READ THE FULL REVIEW...
Carol Williams - TourBus 6 (Goes To Ocean Grove) (DVD)
October 2011 Review (Available from ORGANS.co.uk) Filed in: DVD
This is the sixth in the ‘Tour Bus' series of documentary-style DVDs from Carol Williams and this time she is at the five manual Robert Hope-Jones organ of Ocean Grove, New Jersey, USA, which is set in a massive 10,000 seat auditorium. READ THE FULL REVIEW...
Nicholas Martin - The Happy Wanderer (DVD)
October 2011 Review (Available from ORGANS.co.uk) Filed in: DVD
Nick Martin is producing a lot of DVDs at the moment, this is his fifth since 2009, each one being played on different theatre organs. This one is recorded live at the Compton theatre organ in Wolverhampton Civic Hall on April 23rd 2011. READ THE FULL REVIEW...
Andrew Nix - Decade of Favourites
October 2011 Review (Available from ORGANS.co.uk) Filed in: CD (Electronic)
The new release from Andrew Nix, as it's title would suggest, is a compilation of his best recordings from the past decade, or 2001-2009 to be more precise. READ THE FULL REVIEW...
The Tony Gilbert Sound - Those Fabulous Forties
October 2011 Review (Available from ORGANS.co.uk) Filed in: CD (Electronic)
This is Tony Gilbert's third CD, with his previous two; "We Need A Little Christmas" and "Those Fabulous Fifties" both being released in 2009 (another one who took a gap year). The keyboards played aren't mentioned, which is a shame, but they do sound pretty current. READ THE FULL REVIEW...
