Jerome Kern - Old Man River (Hector Olivera, Fox Theatre, Atlanta)

Argentinian-American organist Hector Olivera plays his arrangement of the Jerome Kern classic "Old Man River" on the four-manual, 42-rank Mathias Peter Møller organ (Opus 5566, 1929) in the former Temple of the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, a.k.a. the Fox Theatre, in Atlanta, Georgia, USA: a Colossus of an organ in a colossal (4,700-seat) auditorium, in the hands of one of the greatest and most versatile players alive.

[@Nunofurdambiznez]

There's only one word for the performance as well as the organ itself... W O W !!!!!!!

[@larryboysen5911]

The Fox, Atlanta, with its "Mighty Moller" and the artistry of Mr. Olivera is truly soul-lifting! This brings so much joy, yet sadness to me. I'm a native San Franciscan and has deep, fond memories of our LATE magnificent Fox Theatre, with it 4/36 Wurlitzer...I had the thrill of hearing this instrument under the artistry of the late George Wright. The theatre was one of the most beautiful "hardtops" in the Fox Chain, just as Fox Atlanta is the King of the "atmospheric" theatres. Sadly, the San Francisco Fox was demolished in 1963...a loss still remembered here. Thank heaven Atlanta saved and beautifully restored this national treasure, and thanks to the Ancient Arabic Order of the Mystic Shrine for erecting it in 1929...the same year our Fox opened!

[@citylimits8927]

Atlanta, Detroit, and St. Louis managed to save their Fox Theatres and the latter two still have their 4/36 Wurlitzers. I'm not sure why Atlanta ended up with Moller instead of Wurlitzer, but Moller obviously went all-in on trying to outdo even the Paramount/Fox Wurlitzers with this organ. I saw Olivera at the Detroit Fox a long time ago shortly before the Ilitch family had it restored and he was great. It was one of two times that I saw him play.

[@larryboysen5911]

@@citylimits8927 Today, I'm glad that fine Moller is alive and well, adding a fine example of "M.W."'s competition!

[@richardharrold9736]

​@@citylimits8927 I would presume that it was something to do with the sharing of the building with the Shriners and their wish for something more churchy than a Wurlitzer. Their big LA auditorium is also Moorish in style and has a big Møller concert organ (I'd say 'straight' but I think it still employs a large amount of extension).

[@ceparksromanceharps]

Having grown up and lived many years in Atlanta, I always loved going to the Fox theater, hearing the Organ being played. This is excellent!

[@Tmanaz480]

Pure 1920s technology. No loudspeakers, no amplification. The only electricity is to power the blower and the control signals from the console.

[@chrislead8864]

Hector is a master of voicing the organ, and master of both pipe and electronics,

[@jeromejarrett2683]

Atlanta's theatre organ! God bless the preservers.

[@michaelfitzgerald1865]

I love going to the Fox . " Mighty Mo" is really something to hear in person because when those 32' pipes play they vibrate you physically. I get really emotional over that as the music just resonates through your body. The last chance I got to go there was a screening of the 1926 film The General starring Buster Keaton. There was a program of other music as a prelude then the movie. It's an amazing experience to be there.

[@thespook9808]

In my (never humble) opinion, Hector Olivera is a true gift to us all. I have been blessed to speak with him as well as watch him perform a number of times while I was affiliated with a Roland dealership. He's as humble as he is talented and has a wonderful sense of humor. I was STUNNED by what he did with a simple single small keyboard (kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZqO8qqOeoZdjjbs) - music starts at about 3 minute mark. The fabulous instrument used in this video has probably never met it's true soulmate until Hector played it. BRAVO!!

[@keithsgulbransen8397]

Fantastic sound, what a great player and instrument.

[@arthurlopez4487]

Beautiful rendition by Hector Olivera. I wish they could have saved the San Francisco Fox beautiful sounding pipe organs.

[@oscarsnr]

Holy Shit! What a wall of sound.

[@angelsone-five7912]

They cut the recording just a bit early while the sound is still bouncing round the walls AFTER Hector has stopped playing.

[@brewmorgan8942]

Tremendously beautiful in this time of national emergency.

[@SaveKilgenOKC]

The mighty unit orchestra of days gone by. I've made a few trips out to Philly and ACY just to hear the biggies. I finally got to do the tour of Midmer-Losh on 9-11-19. Some people will probably go their whole lives never hearing one of these winded wonders in person. But I don't intend to be that person. And we were at a local church with the largest pipe organ in our state (in a church) and I got to go into the pipe chamber. This particular organ was a true work of art and beauty.

[@sandiegotrojandawg]

Absolutely awesome!! The Fabulous Fox Theatre in Atlanta is truly one of the most beautiful theatres in the world. What a backdrop of visual delight set to such a wondrous and most beautiful arrangement of a Southern classic! Atlanta....a beautiful city with a beautiful theatre with Hector Olivera to frame it all so gorgeously. Thank you!

[@bd6597]

Just like the Fabulous Fox Theater in St Louis

[@thayes8334]

What a great instrument played by a fine artist! Thank you for posting this!

[@angelsone-five7912]

Lovely playing that gives me goose bumps every time I hear it. How could anyone give this the thumbs down?

[@sebastianwelcome2080]

l know man must be crazy

[@gary1705]

Absolutely beautiful words cannot describe it 👏👏👏👍👏👏👏👏👌👌👌👌

[@mel_tillis2]

Love it!! Those 64's have my subwoofer jumping off the wall!! Great audio!!

[@Tmanaz480]

indeed! I switched to my mid-priced earbuds and got a much cleaner low end.

[@matteozanon]

Actually it has only 32's. Only a few organs have a 64' resultant and only two organs (Midmer Losh Atlantic City and Hill and Son in Sydney Town Hall) have acoustic 64'.

[@silaslongshot941]

Really need to get downtown to the Fox for a live concert one more time before I kick the bucket.

[@sandiegotrojandawg]

What a glorious arrangement of this classic song!! The swells and nuances Olivera so expertly delivers has me in tears. I have visited this grand palace of a theatre, the Fox (2nd largest theatre after Radio City Music Hall), in Atlanta numerous times before and it never ceases to amaze me. The beautiful organ is awesome.

[@TheVaughan5]

Although with slightly fewer seats, overall the Uptown in Chicago is larger than the Fox but what the hell, they are great reminders (Uptown in bad condition now) of when going to movies was as much about the theatre as the film! Today's younger generation have no idea about that experience.

[@Tmanaz480]

sandiegotrojandawg ... Many people don't realize that theater organists are also arrangers. They don't just play from a chart. The Organist must choose the combinations of stops and all the myriad settings to create an original performance.

[@johnnyjames7139]

The Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles is bigger than RCMH at 6,000 seats.

[@citylimits8927]

The Detroit Fox I believe is actually 2nd biggest at 5,048 seats, followed by the St. Louis Fox. I think that they have both slightly larger seating capacity than Atlanta. All three are spectacular though.

[@Tom-Lahaye]

What an enourmous sound! The theatre in itself is a monument, and good that it is saved, organ included, and did not fall into the hands of 1950's-1960's "let's move forward in the future" developers which ruined so much, not only in the States but in Europe as well. There are 2 old cinema's preserved where I live, but they were built in the 1930's, so after the time of the theatre organ, as sound movies were already becoming the standard then. So they never had an organ.

If think you'd be interested to youtube or google the Civic theatre in Auckland, New Zealand. you're in for a treat. The Wurlitzer is long gone but as an atmospheric cinema you'll have some fun looking.

[@westernshipway3115]

Very true!!

[@marmite-land]

1930's people still very much liked the theatre organ, during all-night events, the organ would be in heavy use during entractes, singalongs, concerts, etc... and many recordings of various organs were made during this period

[@Tom-Lahaye]

@@marmite-land That's true, already existing organs didn't disappear overnight. But cinemas that were newly built from the 1930's onward did never get one, and many older cinemas which had no other activities than playing movies sold them. Other theatres having live performances and dance evenings would keep them. In western Europe many of the dance halls in the time which couldn't afford a live orchestra got one of these, but even more often they bought a mechanical dance organ which had a huge resemblance to a band organ. It didn't need a trained musician but only someone who could change the rolls or books, they were in fact the first discjockeys, as they talked the music together and encouraged people to get on the floor. In my family photo album there is a nice picture of such a dance organ which played in the dancing where my parents met in the 1950s. By the late 1950s this already was old fashioned as real discjockeys and jukeboxes became common even in more rural and conservative areas, this dance hall did away with the organ around 1960 and I believe it was scrapped!!!.

[@marmite-land]

@@Tom-Lahaye Half of all theatre organs in France were installed after the invention of talking films, like the one at the former biggest theatre of the world, the Paris Gaumont Palace, but almost all of them were recycled into military equipement or other stuff because of WW2

[@steamboat75043]

Now I want to hear this arrangement on the midmir-losh! :)

[@westernshipway3115]

And me ideal!

[@SaveKilgenOKC]

While I have heard it 3 times, I never made the big tour. I finally made it 9-11-19. I had been in NYC the 2 days prior but didn't want to be there that day. And it did not disappoint. We had about 50 people show up for the tour. And by the time the recital started, we had about 120 people, more than I ever remember. And I captured these two recordings on a Zoom H4. kzbin.info/www/bejne/rp66imqKYqh4jNk kzbin.info/www/bejne/enuqqGBumLueh6c

[@davidrichter544]

In my life the most wonderful person i have known is hector the first time i saw him was on a yamaha organ shock was all i can say i still am in wonder over the talents god gives to man thank you for all you give

[@lawrenceloder]

For Jonas Clark -- Moller used the traditional stop tongue colors -- white = flues & tibias; yellow = strings; red = reeds. He then refined things a bit using -- blue = piano; green = other percussions; black = tremulants & couplers.

[@jonmar191]

John Lawrence o"'mm

[@florianchurch]

Fantastic Sound !

[@ddoyle11]

Wow. No words........

[@aidenp265]

I love the fox, love going, and the history and early technology. It even got air conditioning a year before the White House

[@burtward895]

I come here every few mornings to get a re-charge. Just so sad my city knocked down every single grand movie palace we had. And we had about a dozen of them. Why can't you save just one for your own city? Because once they are gone, they are forever gone!

[@lorifrazer-ki5ez]

So fantastic!! Love his playing!! And sense of humor!! ❤

[@eddiemccullock9064]

One of the most thrilling and expertly played pieces of music I have ever heard, brilliant!!

[@philip25041948]

FANTASTIC!!!!A very moving performance.

[@AnOrganCornucopia]

There are some black tabs which are for the couplers. Green is percussions, dark blue is piano, red is reeds, yellow (not mottled) is strings, white is all the rest.

[@Tmanaz480]

I love his sort of hybrid arrangement. It's characteristically theater organ overall, but... With moments of of absolutely cathedral-like classical sound. As if the instrument is defending itself against those who say it's not a "real organ".

[@josephgraif2588]

the beauty of a moller!

[@marmite-land]

This is like those electronic relaxing musics you find in mass on internet, but this one is actually acoustic ! with natural soft sounds and slow complex chords ! It really helps when you're stressed. I think this effect also comes thanks to the choice of pipe sets and the tremolo. You'd never hear that coming from a church organ (sadly)

[@josephgraif2588]

well...they are two, distinct instruments, intended to interpret different types of music.

[@millcity9711]

Outstanding.

[@estellashumate1097]

Saw Hector many times! He’s fantastic! Makes it all seem so easy!

[@williamowens5542]

Thank you for this, from a geezer who spent four decades in Atlanta, including during the restoration of the Fox. Now in retirement I can go to the Hawaii Theatre, which is old, majestic, grand and lots of other adjectives. But it's no match for the Fox and Moller.

[@trapezemusic]

Thanks for posting this fine music and for the great interior photos of this magnificent theatre.

[@jacqueschaval1961]

Merci infiniment pour ces bons moments passés avec vous Vous nous fêtes rêver ! Je suis organiste titulaire d’un orgue et ma joie serait de faire installer un orgue de cinéma à Grenoble dans une salle afin de faire découvrir ce merveilleux instrument et toutes ses possibilités Si vous avez une idée pour réaliser mon rêve n’hésitez pas à me le dire Super et merci

[@keithmansell206]

Absolutely wonderfull,as it’s great to hear a very well known piece played on a cinema organ. Keith John Mansell.UK

[@andersonchap]

Magnificent!

[@samuelchristensen322]

I want to see the Alanta Fox theatre so bad!! I love architecture and seeing the theatre is on my bucket list!!!

[@benjamincaron46]

I remember in 2012, I went there and saw Beauty and the Beast on stage, and had the most magical night with my family. It's so beautiful and worth the visit.

[@AnOrganCornucopia]

It now appears to be out of print again, and this track is all I have of it... =(

[@WINCHANDLE]

he really captures the angst of the piece.

[@danielmkubacki]

Well played.

[@sebastianwelcome1090]

nice man nice the sounds so powerful too flipping wicked

[@MANTLEBERG]

I love the photographs, would love to see projection booths..

[@LeendertCordemans]

Thanks.

[@Steff2929again]

This is an absolutely brilliant recording. I spent a small fortune when I bought a used copy of it some years ago. Less than a year later it was re-issued and the price dropped back to a more reasonable level... typical. But it was worth it.

[@sebastianwelcome2080]

Nice rich and powerful sound when played right

[@rodericksmith8218]

Stunning: The tune itself; its part in musical theatre; and this rendition. R&H musicals are always slow to build up, but lead to a magnificent climax. I've been to a theatre organ in San Francisco; this clip has just added Atlanta to my next USA program.

[@burtward895]

Thanks to O.U., we've had a resurgence in interest in unit orchestra organs. The most recent one done with fanfare was the old WKY-Radio Kilgen 4/16. It sat in horrible condition at the OKC civic center. In the MAPS remodel, they designed it out. So they moved it to the new OK history center where an idiot tried to install it. It didn't play right. So then it was almost a loss until a donor came forward and contracted the new O.U. organ construction department to re-install and restore it. OU had restored many other organs as part of the new music degree. The work was done last year and it was put back into service in the central hall of the OK History Center. Wow, if I were kid starting new, I would get O.U.'s new organ construction degree. www.ou.edu/aoi/about/organ-shop.html

[@sebastianwelcome1090]

can't beat that sound though even on keyboard

[@dieselheart001]

This is glorious! Thanks for posting it!

[@TheWurlitzerman123]

I know this video's been out for a while, but I was just able to pick up a copy of the album this track comes from on EBay for $10. If the other tracks are as good as this one, I'll anxiously await it. This rendition of "Old Man River" should be subtitled "The Religious Experience Edition."

[@hagerup64]

Perfect 💚💚👍👍

[@josephgraif2588]

hard to understand why cameron carpenter dismisses this truly american invention as an aberration of the true instrument that should be ignored. yes, back in the day, it was considered an "appliance", like the popcorn machine. that said, it has survived to this day as an incredible medium for the interpretation of popular, film and orchestral art music.

[@toddschwing5437]

Holly Cow! I see two sides to this, what we can't do and what we choose to do. Will we rise and overcome our greed and dependency on fossil fuels and will we allow the mighty river to ensure us to move forward into a new frontier as it has always inspired us to do? This piece is so powerful and meaningful, without words. When will we listen to her?

[@mainaccount131]

Super excellent

[@JonasClark]

Absolutely amazing performance, which I've never heard before. Thanks for posting! I know Wurlitzers well, but not Mollers; can anyone tell me what Moller's stops' color code is, being that it also uses green and blue, but has no black tabs?

[@metropolis-vq4ml]

White are basically the flue pipes = flutes, diapasons; Yellow are the string ranks; Red are the reeds, both color and solo; Green are percussions; Black are couplers but they were - before the console was respecified recently - ganged together on the right said of the rail along with the trick couplers. Within a voicing group the tabs are arranged from soft to loud, opposite of Wurlitzer. On the many occasions I had to play it, I found it to be a very organized console and very easy to play - not intimidating at all. It has, however been respecified in the past couple of years and I haven't played it since then so I don't know how it's laid out now.

[@WINCHANDLE]

miracle is survived unlike the Fox in San Fran...torn down for what?

[@davidrichter544]

What performance in Walnut Creek Did you hear this

[@robertsiebert1735]

Wonderfu!l !

[@TheBaritoneCrooner]

What happened to the big intro? I have this CD. Why'd you cut out the beginning?

[@richardharrold9736]

Because this track is all I have of this recording! Steff2929again, a Swedish KZbinr, did send me the rest of it, but I subsequently lost it in a hard drive failure, and my PC won't boot with my backup drives in it... which is a bitch to say the least.

[@SaveKilgenOKC]

The beasty has a 40-foot drop to the basement. Now that's a ride and one really long control cable. A guy lived in the theatre for 30 years. Now if that was me, you know where I would be at dark-40.

[@sebastianwelcome2080]

Wow no way from uk England

[@sebastianwelcome2080]

l heard this before but the sound sounds so rich and deep powerful the orgain very emotional sound man from UK England

[@Grampsrn]

Took my breathe away. Hector milked the soul of Might Mo.

[@Grampsrn]

+Steve Knapp: Good news! You can get "Hector Olivera, Intermission At Atlanta's Fabulous Fox" The insert has nice pix and write ups, though somewhat small, in 4-5 languages. I played it through my Roland system and could feel I was there at the Fox. A genius at a fabulous instrument.

[@potatobrah0019]

The end of this sounds a little bit like the end of the firebird suite.

[@youraveragegearhead9993]

What are those green stops?

[@wizardofodds8239]

The audio ruins every possible wonderful sound of this unique Moller organ. Perhaps the audio has deteriorated since download. Buy Hector's CDs instead.

[@hankaustin7091]

There's always one pessimistic downer in every crowd....

[@richardharrold9736]

​@@hankaustin7091 I did the best I could with this, but this is the reality of KZbin compression of what was already indifferent quality MP3 audio at the time...

[@bryangl1]

Wonderful arrangement on a wonderful instrument. Hector seems to have deserted cinema organs these days - a pity.

[@LeendertCordemans]

Great sound. Is this a pipe organ or Electric?

[@ricktomlinson8824]

pipe organ !

[@Tmanaz480]

All pipes. Multiple chambers full of real pipes built in to the theatre.

[@lesknoll9492]

It's as pipe as it gets. I have had an opportunity to play it too, WOW!

[@samuelchristensen322]

It sounds electric but it is all acoustic!!

[@sebastianwelcome2080]

@@samuelchristensen322 it sounds so rich and deep the sound