I have a record called "Fats at the Organ", recorded on a Compton
theater organ at the Paramount Organ Studios, Bolton, UK (from
recollection).  The recording is of Waller's 88-note piano rolls played
on the Compton via an old 88-note player stack fitted with electric
switches which were connected up to the Compton.  The recording was
done in the 1980s and is thoroughly excellent.

The stops were selected manually from the console once the player
mechanism was started.  Some jiggery-pokery was required, with bass
notes being connected to the pedal keyboard and some tee-ing of the
rest to fit the organ manual's 61-note compass.  Presumably the signal
from the switches fitted to the note pneumatics were wired directly
to the organs relays.

The cost should be quite reasonable in theory -- the required work
would not be particularly extravagant.  Can anyone shed any more
light on this contraption?

It was done on the basis that Waller's organ recordings were among his
best performances, and there were no hi-fi organ recordings of Waller,
so they made them from piano rolls played on the organ.

As Waller's rolls play well without the use of the piano sustain pedal,
they come over remarkably well on the organ.  Waller's playing technique
was no doubt partly responsible, as was roll editing technique
presumably.  I think the recording is still available as a CD.

Yours sincerely

Adam Ramet

 [ John Farrell provided the rolls for the recording project, and later
 [ he played a tape for me which included a few un-released tunes.  The
 [ reason was audible: a ribbon microphone placed nearby the bass pipes
 [ was exposed to such great air velocity that the thin foil ribbon
 [ often slammed against the microphone frame!
 [
 [ One curious facet:  the LP record plays the songs at 3 half-steps
 [ lower pitch than the piano rolls.  I guess that, upon reviewing the
 [ master recordings, the producer wisely decided that "Waller at the
 [ organ" sounds better performed at slower tempo than does "Waller
 [ at the piano!"
 [
 [ I've read that Fats Waller grew up playing the pipe organ of a
 [ nearby church in Harlem; I think his organ style is reflected in the
 [ early piano rolls for QRS.  That must be why they sound so good when
 [ played on the pipe organ.  -- Robbie