Last week, after about of month of mucking around due to all sorts of
hassles, I succeeded in connecting John "Big Foot" Fuhrmann to Piporg
and Pipechat.
 
John, as many of you would know is the owner, along with another Perth,
Western Australia, organist, Ray Clements, of the Karrinyup 3/20
WurliTzer T.P.O.
 
Through their promotion vehicle, Stirling Theatre Organ Productions,
they have successfully presented Australia's only season concert series.
'Series', as opposed to merely a collection of individual concerts. They
have sold this season 'series' since the instrument's opening as a 2/12
in 1983. Interestingly enough no other organisation in Australia that
promotes concerts on T.P.O. have realised the potency of this approach
and taken it up and run with it. T.P.O. is the poorer because of this.
 
S.T.O.P. has been able to fund the instrument's improvement and growth
over the last 14 years throught his approach. Not only that but they
have been able to create a great value add environment for the season
ticket holders, which if John wishes to elaborate on you can email him
directly.
 
The instrument itself has gone from the usual Australian screamer  - you
know, "we didn't buy a Compton but we'd like to be as loud as one" so
they turned up all the trebles and thought that the Oboe Horn should be
Tuba!  - to one of inherent musicality. However, much reamins to be
completed including the connection of piano and marimba to the now 20
rank instrument.
 
Also the time has come for the console, relays and combination action to
be sorted out. I am hoping for a full on s/w solution based on industry
standard components, but it looks like being a solid state response. I
would like to see that whatever system goes in that there is a record
and replay capability so that everyone one day will be able to hear the
hidden REAL talents of Ray Clements.  This organist has some of best
registration to harmony abilities that I've heard. However, in concert
you never get to hear these due to Ray's nerves always defeating his
musical poise. And, of course, there is BIGFOOT himself.
 
John meticulously recreates other's arrangements, but once again we
don't hear them at there best due to nerves. When you think that some of
the greatest music these days is created in painstaking work in the
studio, the record/replay mechanisms on a T.P.O. allow those that are
not so great in front of an audience be able to display their true
creative and performance ability using this device.
 
Anyway, I've deviated from my subject and that was to WELCOME BIGFOOT to
the list!
 
You can get him on:
 
[log in to unmask]
 
Ian McLean
Perfect Perth - where $60AUD will buy a pair of the conservative State
Premier's undies!