Jonathan Ortloff Plays Springtime for Hitler

My performance of "Springtime for Hitler" from "The Producers" for the Eastern Massachusetts Chapter of the American Theatre Organ Society at the Shanklin Music Hall in Groton. Organ is a put-together 4/34 Wurlitzer, immaculately installed.
Enjoy!
-Jonathan Ortloff
www.jonathanortloff.com

[@theforeverpuddle8754]

That guy must have so much fun playing that all day.

[@peternacken4730]

It's 2020, how did I end up here? Awesome organ skills!!!

[@CommonSense111]

It’s 2023 how did I get here?

[@leandrotami]

Extraordinary instrument. His performance is sublime. Seeing young people with such great abilities enlightens my soul.

[@flyurway]

Well put. I've recently had the honor of getting myself on the maintenance crew of the similar 4/23 Wurlitzer in Rochester - the very one that Jon here cut his teeth on - and can tell you that, after spending my whole life working around mechanical monstrosities from cars, boats, planes and you-name-it, these organs are some of the most amazing "machines" I've ever seen in my life! I called it the "coolest machine since the Space Shuttle". Getting inside the console and chambers is just amazing!

[@StarCrusher.]

Possibly the greatest instrument ever made.

[@NoahSpurrier]

Next to to slide whistle.

[@joeslaughter01]

Excellent - made me smile listening and marvelling at the ability of the organist. Great. Thanks for uploading.

[@garyboyce9794]

A real "tour de farce". I especially liked where at 2.10 he makes the organ say "Jaaaa!" (maybe my imagination).

[@DanDassow]

+OrgelOrt Mr. Ortloff thank you for a wonder performance of "Springtime for Hitler". Congratulations on having this video featured on Mel Brook's website. A colleague on IMDb shared the link to that page. I'm impressed that you are not only a master of playing the theater organ, but also built this organ. Echoing what others have posted, absolutely brilliant.

[@conniefoster9733]

Beautiful organ, and great version of 'Springtime'!

[@gary1705]

That song was perfect for Theatre Organ adaptation almost like it was made foe it...well done.

[@yankeebean1]

Gets me right here every time. This is an important song and your skillful, witty performance honors it. Thank you Mel Brooks. Thank you Jonathan Ortloff.

[@MichaelMenei]

That was absolutely awesome!!

[@klavier1us]

Great use of the organ on an ideally theatrical tune from the Mel Brooks tour de farce The Producers. You can almost see the pretzel bustiers onstage and the dropped jaws in the audience. Its the closest moment in the play to the con men getting away with their scam, just before it all goes bad for them. Nice evocation of the overhead/June Taylor dancers at about 3:00. Next stop - the slammer for "Prisoners Of Love". Congratulations you now own 110%... Great job!

[@prost8]

Again, awesome performance, all the nuances and overkill of the original movie song, so well done young chap , congratulations !

[@thersaholycow]

WOW! All I can say! Amazing work!

[@fathillboy]

Bravo! yeah, nice rendition. excellent use of registration. and you so captured the feel of the song. Very nice.

[@jackal59]

Well! Talk about bad taste!

[@jackal59]

That was a line from the movie, said by an audience member as she walks out during the number.

[@DaveJacoby]

Absolutely brilliant.

[@joeboyle5864]

Captures the joie de vivre of the Fuehrerzeit so often overlooked by the lucky fellows who enjoyed Winter at the Russian Front ! Well done, Herr Ortloff !

[@Techsticle]

Fantastic! What an art!

[@booragal]

Wow. Absolutely brilliant. Well done.

[@stylusfantasticus]

THIS IS EXTREMELY EXCELLENT.-

[@duralexa]

Bravo Mr. Ortloff !! A wonderful performance !!

[@AndrewSheranian]

Jon, this is stunning! How have I never seen this until today!? Bravo!

[@MrKipW]

Superb. You hit all the peaks, captured all the nuances, and it's fully organistic. Now that's how to use the instrument!

[@user-qs1iz4sq8v]

holy shit wow

[@manuelalbarubio5210]

no hay palabras para expresar a todos estos grandes organistas el trabajo tan maravilloso que realizan para disfrute de tanta gente que los ve y escucha gracias

[@flyurway]

@Audinos You don't say. I never even gave that a second thought but it does make perfect sense. I kept imagining this complex array of wiring, relays, switches, etc., (during the dawn of electrification of buildings) and I know it came along later, but it does make sense that earlier it would really be a complex array of vacuum lines, vacuum relays, vacuum switching, etc.! I always admire how they made use in the day of a limited technology (by todays' standard).

[@davidlane8005]

UTTERLY SUPERB! Wonderful arrangement and astounding organ

A tune you have to have a good, really good, certified and notarised, reason for playing.

[@jkmek99]

Great choice of music and brilliant performance!!! Thanks for posting

[@theodorebiele5201]

Incredible playing! Wonderful song with a lousy name but, that's The Producers. Thanks.

[@CraigSutMusic]

Brilliant performance. From the Registration to the Style, absolutely nailed it mate. All the best!

[@swearjar78]

Just outstanding - well done!

[@shorttim77]

WOW! Super in every way!!!

[@Nici1606]

GENIUS! :-D

[@arkaisk2]

Awesome! Great! Thanks!

[@davidbryant3223]

fantastic - thank you for posting

[@MaxxTheMerciless]

Just Outstanding! Fantastic!

[@666toysoldier]

This would be a great piece for ice dancing competition. Just call it "Springtime."

[@pulp7theman]

What great talent!!! this probably the best I have seen

[@micdom43]

great the great innstrument

[@delord1619]

Wonderful instrument played by one of the best... Kudos Sir.

[@theantiquehare]

Oh em gee! That - is - awesome!

[@mikeMBW]

First time I've seen anything like this! Amazing machine! Would hate to think how many pieces go together to make all those different sounds, combinations and so on. Great video!

[@onesmomatei6033]

OMG, great piece of work..... Amazing!!!!!

[@Hartamophone]

Great music to listen to as we sip red wine and enjoy some family time in Ottawa. You must have excellent genes.

[@virginiaorganbuilder]

Back in the day, I used to go to Pizza, Pipes, and Pandemonium in Groton.

[@aussiehorndog]

He has a beautiful organ.

[@daveorgans]

I know this instrument well. It is the 4/34 Wurlitzer at the Shanklin Music Hall in Groton, MA. This is the original console from the Metropolitan Theater in Boston, fully restored with the original pneumatics driving the stops. The main switch, however has been upgraded to an modern electronic system. The hall was specifically built for the instrument, seats about 300-350 people and has some of the best acoustics in the country for a call its size.

[@zebraluvLaura]

Jonathan: it looks more like a space shuttle cockpit than a musical instrument. You have fabulous taent, and great humor in song selection!!

[@X77hgo]

Actually, the combination action systems on most theatre and church organs in the first half of the 20th Century were operated by PRESSURIZED air, rather than vacuum action. Wind is a plentiful resource in a pipe organ, and so it was put to work to be the motive force for most of the electro-mechanical functions.

[@ajheermans]

from the great film by the only man who has any balls left.... mr. mel brooks. "the producers" god bless that crazy man, he makes me laugh harder than anyone...

[@MultiMartiniman]

Amazing performance! LOVE IT!

[@flyurway]

Wow, that thing sounds like a beast! I'd probably jump in but when it comes to organ maintenance I'm as green as they get. Where I work now I'm like the electrical guru, I'm pretty damn good at low-voltage electrical systems on all our equipment, there isn't a glitch I can't figure out. I got involved with the one I'm with now and the guy who installed ALL of the new, updated solid-state systems started showing me all the complex workings...to say I was humbled is a BIG understatement, lol!

[@Old-USRefugee]

You play like a real old time theatre organist. My hat's off to you!

[@mailbroad]

Brilliant!

[@MasterIsh91]

Bloody wonderful!

[@craigkeller1966]

Excellent performance of a great tune. Well done. I started work on "The Producers" numbers myself recently after buying the book a couple of years ago then shying away from it. I think most of the numbers from the show are excellent for theatre organ work. I am certain I will never achieve your excellent standard. You also seem extremely familiar with that organ and it shows in your playing confidence and ability to place feet and hands all over the place at exactly the right time.

[@prost8]

unbelievable performance. Bravo !!!!

[@robcat2075]

Very fun! I like the keyboard view.

[@BadWebDiver]

That was freakin' awesome!!!

[@KPO6859]

Nice job! So that is what the Boston Metropolitan/Portland Organ Grinder console looks like these days! Nice performance of a fun tune!

[@jeffkamen2307]

I just clapped at my computer monitor!

[@MattSoverns]

beautiful! amazing , dynamic, a compliment to the organ comunity. awesome!

[@vincevega1000]

Unbelievable!

[@Observing87]

Delightful. Piece sounds like it was written in the 1920's, just for organ. Well registered, well voiced, great instrument, well arranged and brilliantly played.

[@wolfsmith7337]

Wonderful job! Keep it up!

[@nukedukem6]

This is great

[@kerryincolumbus]

UNBELIEVABLE perfomance! Is this kid, what, about 15-16? Absolutely amazing!!

[@Organsk8er]

Sweet!! I love it!!!

[@williamstarsinic4244]

Great registrations.

[@daveorgans]

Because that is the name of the piece. It is from Mel Brooks' "The Producers" Broadway/Film musical.

[@califdon]

If you ever get out to the West Coast, be sure to contact NorCal Theatre Organ Society and ask for a tour of our 4/42 Wurly in Berkeley! (If you stay here for long, we'll recruit you for our crew!)

[@MCP2012]

Bravo, Jonathan!! ;-)

[@Goodchappy]

Excellent!

[@califdon]

I've heard a lot about Shanklin, but never been in your area, thus never had the pleasure of hearing it live.

[@audinos4827]

@flyurway In the 20's, the capture systems were often operated by a vacuum system. You would hold in the desired piston while selecting the stops, then release the piston and it was set. It would usually make a small hiss and take half a second for the vacuum system to "suck" the stops into their new positions.

[@flyurway]

@diaphoneman You're right, I think Audino's had the wrong idea. I've since gotten on the maintenance crew of the 4/23 in Rochester that Ortloff here learned on, it IS all pressure - and it's pretty amazing how they cram all those metal tubes into the console all running to servos (2 per stop), talk about 10# of crap in a 5# bag! There's hardly any room left inside a console for the dust! :D To just say these things are really amazing machines is still an understatement.

[@julorg]

Jon, you're great !

[@robertobordino7141]

awesome

[@Duurrk22]

Fantastic! Not another like him.

[@GEU30CG]

Not pushing the cresendo. Just has his foot on the expression. You can clearly see the crosendo pedal on the right and its never touched. Its just volume increasing. It appears there may be 2nd touch on the manual he's using. He also adds a major 7th chord.

[@flyurway]

@66enic66 Listen? Heck, I can't get enough of WATCHING, lol! Fascinating how he plays the registration as much as the keys!

[@MontieVA]

Bravo !

[@flyurway]

@mikeMBW The sound is the same, I'm not talking about computers producing sounds. I'm talking about the computerized capture system (pistons) used to control the registration - selection/changing of stops. Thanks to the microprocessor it is far more reliable and user-friendly than in the old days. My point was that it was amazing that they could even do it at all in the first place given the limited technology of the day. The organ still plays the same, the pistons are just more reliable.

[@fgherman]

Bravo!!!

[@TheHazza1543]

You Sir, are a legend.

[@nycsguy]

That was great!

[@califdon]

Take a look: Enter "NorCalTOS" followed by a period and "org" (apparently I can't post a URL here) and look up "NorCal Theatre Organ Society" on Facebook Groups!

[@jasonfeingold2314]

bravo!

[@bobjennings9889]

Great playing! Never heard this great number with such an awful memory!

[@matthewpearson9970]

Smashed it.

[@haroldredline6587]

well all I can say for Jackal59 is take it in context! Consider the play/movie and what a farce it was, as it was intended to be! This is FINE playing and FINE arranging!

[@joaquimr.7988]

É ! AJA CÉREBRO E AGILIDADE NOS DEDOS E COORDENAÇÃO MOTORA.

[@flyurway]

@mikeMBW Interesting point you make. Nowadays they have the microprocessor to control the capture systems making them ever more reliable, versatile and easy to program. Back in the 20's when they were building these instruments, I don't even know if the vacuum tube was out yet let alone any kind of electronics. I can't imagine the complexity of wiring and electro-mechanical relays it took to do the same job then. These are like a very complex, manual "machine".

[@shiningarmor2838]

I remember that movie!

[@anone.mousse674]

Shining Armor Some of Zero Mostel’s finest work.

[@GEU30CG]

Not pushing the cresendo. Just has his foot on the expression. You can clearly see the crosendo pedal on the right and its never touched. Its just volume increasing.

[@frippl]

Great job, Jonathan. See you at Pittsburgh OHS?

[@mukageegee]

Does Jonathan live near Blackpool??!! Brilliant.