Hastings, BexhillOrgan andKeyboard Society

FLY Me to the Moon, Paul Roberts requested at Pebsham Primary School last month. An expensive undertaking in today's recession.

Not so with the Hastings and Bexhill Organ and Keyboard Society where their price of admission is a single fiver. Surely the best value around for two hours of first-class entertainment including interval tea or coffee and biscuits.

Theatre organ programmes frequently open with a march. Nothing so mainstream for Paul. In the 30s heyday of Hollywood there were “bio-pics” of the musical “greats” of the period, Gershwin, Kern, Berlin, Cole Porter, Walter Donaldson …‘Walter who?’

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The name may not be familiar but the tunes were. And are. That Certain Feeling, Making Whoopee, My Blue Heaven, I Wonder Where My Baby is Tonight, My Blue Heaven ….

The score of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers yielded Bless Your Beautiful Hide, Wonderful Wonderful Day, Spring, Spring, Spring and Goin’ Courtin’, its virility contrasting with the delicacy of La Valse Bleue.

Moving to the piano, Paul’s selection ran from Erroll Garner’s Misty to Fats Waller’s signature, Ain’t Misbehaving.

At the organ, Stephen Foster’s Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair arranged by the late, greatly-missed organist Brian Rodwell incorporated a flute effect. A wide-ranging medley included Five Foot Two,Eyes of Blue, When I take my Sugar to Tea, When I’m Sixty-Four and Getting Sentimental Over You.

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Popular themes pre-interval were Mr Sandman, The World is Waiting for the Sunrise, When I’m Cleaning Windows, Till Then and Bye,Bye Blues.

The Lady is a Tramp thereafter was followed by Lonely Nights, Bye, bye Blackbird, If You Knew Susie and Ma, He’s Making Eyes at Me.

Paul’s closing selection highlighted Lullaby of Broadway, Jeepers Creepers and Deep Purple. In response to the audience’s appreciation, chairman Peter Hathaway requested an encore, Paul playing a symphonic arrangement of the title song of Kander and Ebbs’ hit musical Cabaret.

Thursday October 28 at 7.30pm sees the long-awaited return of Jean Martyn at Pebsham Primary School with a varied programme of light classics, popular melodies and almost certainly a singalong. Still only £6 inclusive of refreshments.

MARRION WELLS

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