Christmas In July 2007-Day 19

Ready for some more Christmas In July music? I thought so, otherwise, you wouldn't be here, now would you? Today I've got some organ for you, stuff that I don't think you're going to get at any of those swankier blogs. The first song is from the well-known Virgil Fox, the track is Ave Maria from the album Songs At Sunset (Capitol SP 8587). There's a pretty good chance that some of you out there might have that album, but I'm going to ease myself out on a limb with these next two tracks and say that none of you have these albums. Apparently, in the early- to mid-sixties, there was a club for pipe organ fans. Once a month or so, they'd send you a new recording by a well-known organist playing a well-known organ. (Keep in mind that well-known is a relative term, because I'm not familiar with either of the artists represented here today.) Some months ago I stumbled across about a dozen of these records, bought the whole stack, and happened to find two Christmassy tracks that I'm sharing with you today. Track one is Chestnuts On The Open Fire (which you probably know as The Christmas Song, don't know why the title is so horribly butchered here) by Dick Schrum from the album So Rare (Concert Recordings CR-0119). The famous organ in this case is the Robert Morton Pipe Organ from the Music Hall Theatre in Seattle, Washington. Track two is a medley of Parade Of The Wooden Soldiers and I Love A Parade (well, it's not really a medley since she plays one song and then the other...) by Ann Leaf from Concert Echoes With Ann Leaf At The Los Angeles Theatre (Concert Recordings CR-0083, 1963). Inside of this album's jacket was a yellowed section of The Los Angeles Times from 12 October 1979, featuring an article on the impending closing of the Wiltern Theatre on Wilshire, home to the second largest pipe organ in the world. The two accompanying pictures show the organ being played in it's final concert by, you guessed it, Ann Leaf. Oh, and the sleeve may or may not be autographed. Right under her name on the front cover, someone has written in her name in a very near cursive script. Too neat to be a kid trying to copy the name, not messy enough to be an artist signing one of a hundred records after a concert. But there's no note that often accompanies an inscription on a record, so who knows. If you know any more about this organ record club, please drop me a line, I'm curious about it now. Here's the link to the music, hope you enjoy it.

This day last year featured two tracks each from two different artists, The Harmonicats and Norma Zimmer. How's that for diversity?