David's Recordings

Christmas Wonderland  

David Harris & Organist Jelani Eddington
Steinway and Mason & Hamlin Grand Piano
4/26 Robert Morton Pipe Organ
Van Der Molen Residence, Wheaton, Illinois

December 13, 2004

Review by Ralph Beaudry, Associate Editor for Theatre Organ, the Journal of the American Theatre Organ Society (as published in the November-December 2004 issue of the journal).

"Christmas means music...from popular holiday favorites, to the beloved hymns of the season, and even some of the great classical music associated with the holidays." Those are the words Jelani uses in his liner notes to introduce this entrancing festival of charming, cheerful holiday music. And it's an added delight that Jelani is joined by his frequent musical partner, David Harris, at the 9-foot Steinway grand! Although for several years they've performed together around the country this is only their second duet album. In reviewing their earlier disc (Fascinating Rhythms, Journal, January 2002) Lew Williams wrote, "...in conclusion this is a first class production both musically and technically. Let's have more of these two."

So here's "The Dynamic Duo" again -- and this one-hour CD is also the debut album of the completely remodeled and expanded "Wonder Morton" in the renowned Wheaton-Fox Studio of the Van Der Molen home in Illinois. The nucleus of the Wheaton-Fox Morton came from the Lowe's Bronx Fairmont Theatre and, as a 3/16, was first played in its new home in July 1982. Clark Wilson recorded it first on his Morton Magic LP, which we had the privilege of reviewing in the February 1984 issue of The Console magazine. In that review we commented "...selections, arrangements, registrations and overall quality is top notch...with a great emphasis on solo voices and beautiful soft combinations. And the organ is a jewel! Highly Recommended!" Tom Hazleton recorded a two-cassette album titled Glory Sounds, which was reviewed in the Journal, September 1986. In reviewing Tom's cassettes Walter Beaupre wrote "The Van Der Molen Mostly-Morton has superb presence...This album may prove an excellent introduction to the joys of theatre organ sounds for those unfamiliar with [them]."

The excellent, detailed 12 pages of full color liner notes describe the changes and improvements made to the Wheaton-Fox Theatre and its Morton during the late 1990s. Briefly, we'll summarize those changes by saying that the organ is now 26 ranks and has one of the rare, astonishingly ornate 4-manual "Wonder" Morton consoles (from Loew's Kings Theatre in Brooklyn). In addition to the Steinway grand piano (which is playable from the organ console, but on this disc, David is at the keyboard), there is a 9-foot Mason & Hamlin grand piano and a Hammond B-3. And, "The Friendliest Organ Around" (as it was called in a July, 1984 Console magazine article) now has a mascot. If you look closely at the cover photo, you'll see the stuffed Fox sitting to the left of the Morton console!

Jelani and David open with a sparkling whiz-bang arrangement of Sleigh Ride (minus the usual horse-laugh at the end) and then continue with a bright, breezy version of Jule Styne's Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!. The piano and organ blend beautifully as Jelani and David pass the melody line back and forth while the other one adds tricky fingered fills which beautifully enhances\ the cheery spirit of this album and their musical companionship. Of course, we all know the words to Irving Berlin's White Christmas. But, since the Duo's version also includes the rarely played verse, here are those lyrics:

The sun is shining, the grass is green,
The orange and palm trees sway,
There's never been such a day,
In Beverly Hills, LA.
But it's December the twenty-fourth,
And I'm longing to be up north.

Jelani's detailed liner notes say this about the next number: "The Van Der Molen Wonder Morton sings forth in a solo rendition of a great up-tempo waltz, The Christmas Waltz, a holiday favorite composed in 1943 by the Cahn-Styne duo and made popular by the late Frank Sinatra. Classical music guru Jim Svejda has this to say about Tchaikovsky: "[He] more than earns his position as one of the three or four most popular composers. He never cheats his listeners, giving them huge doses of overwhelming (and often surprisingly complex) emotions, a keen sense of orchestral color, and one of the greatest melodic gifts that any composer possessed." His music for The Nutcracker Ballet (Opus 71) was written in 1891-1892. We were surprised to learn that while writing that ballet he found time to come to America and conduct some of our orchestras! When he had completed the ballet he excerpted some of its best music to create The Nutcracker Suite (Opus 71a). Jelani and David next play the complete 22-minute Suite which includes the Jolly "Overture", the stately "March," the tasty "Dance Of The Sugar-Plum Fairies", the spirited "Russian Dance", the exotic "Arab Dance", the rather percussive "Chinese Dance", the sprightly "Dance Of The Reed Flutes", and the lushly flowing "Waltz Of The Flowers." It's simply superb!

Time for a piano solo and David plays one of Victor Herbert's best-loved songs, the peaceful lullaby, Toyland, from the 1903 musical Babes In Toyland. We were surprised to find that Herbert was commissioned to write this score as a "sequel" to the very successful first musical version of The Wizard Of Oz! In fact, the story of Babes In Toyland begins with a shipwreck (instead of a tornado), then the castaways travel through a forest where they meet Mother Goose characters like Bo Peep, Miss Muffett, and Little Blue Blue (instead of the Tin Man, Scarecrow, and Cowardly Lion) who accompany them on their journey, not to Emerald City, but to Toyland.

Jelani returns to the Morton and the Dynamic Duo swings into a deliciously jazzy version of Winter Wonderland. It's a wowser! A European Carol Fantasy is Jelani's original, completely orchestral arrangement (for piano and organ) of ten mostly familiar carols from England, Germany, Italy, France, Poland, and Spain. Each melody melds beautifully into the next one and this 17-minute medley is a luscious musical treasure!

Two rollicking Christmas tunes close out the disc. First we hear the song Variety Magazine claims is the world's all-time most recorded number -- Santa Claus Is Coming To Town. And we'll quote the liner notes about their final song, We Wish You A Merry Christmas. They tell us "Jelani was able to record the organ portion of this arrangement, and then take a seat at the 9-foot Model CC Mason & Hamlin piano on the right side of the stage to accompany David and the Wonder Morton during playback of the organ. The result is a truly unique 6-hand, 2-feet arrangement of this holiday classic that you are certain to enjoy."

That's absolutely true and we give this Christmas album by the "Dynamic Duo" a Must Have rating for their selections and sparkling arrangements as well as for the magnificent voices of this truly Wonderful Morton, the liner notes and excellent "you are there" recording . . . .

Phone:   1-203-913-3372
         
David Harris Productions
P.O. Box 38202
Bridgeport, Connecticut 
06605

www.davidharrisproductions.com