[rodgersorgan] Re: Your most memorable Rodgers moment - up until now...

Oh, great Teddy!   I knew him for many years, and each time was a new 
experience.......or something like that.  
Several years ago Rodgers sent Ted here to Houston to make a tape recording 
on a Rodgers 955 which I temporary installed in First Presbyterian Church 
(Houston), while their Aeolian-Skinner Pipe Organ was having major voicing 
changes 
done and major work on the console.  The church has excellant accoutics.  If 
you have one of those tapes, you definitely have a collector's item!  That may 
have been his last major recording session.  We did something quite 
interesting for this recording:  in order to save time and money for the actual 
recording and payment to the recording engineer, Ted and I spent 3 days and 
late 
nights in the church recording every selection in the PR-300 sequencer on a 
seperate disk!   If Ted hit a wrong note, or felt anything was not exactly 
correct, 
we would start recording once again, until he got it perfect for himself.  
Finally on the 4th day, the recording engineer arrived, and setup his equipment 
in 
a separate room from the sanctuary.  We had an intercom system whereby all 
could communicate to each other.  Ted simply inserted the each disk, one at a 
time,  in the PR-300, pushed "play", and the engineer recorded the organ 
playing 
"LIVE".  We finished this recording session in less than 8 hours!  This 
church is located within 2 blocks of a major hospital, so many times we would 
need 
to stop due to an ambulance passing by outside!  I, as well as Rodgers 
factory, was extremely pleased with the outcome of this recording.  I have a 
couple 
of these tapes and treasure them.  My favorite on the cassette tape is the 
Albolini "Adagio in G minor", where Ted used MIDI with the 955.  Outstanding 
job, 
Teddy!   Now here is where Ted showed his "other side":  the church and his 
hotel were only "2" blocks apart from each other, and every day I had to drive 
him between the two locations, as he refused to walk!
Ted's last visit to Houston was to play the dedication program on another 
Rodgers 955 which I had installed here.  Ted arrived at the airport one evening 
when I had to play for a wedding at my own church.  Our Rodgers representative 
(who I will not name now), was the one to meet him at the airport and take him 
on to his hotel.  The plane arrived on time, and (as I was "reported" back 
to), he came running down the walkway screaming "Oh, hello (name)", at the top 
of his voice.  They went to the baggage area to wait for his luggage.  When his 
suitcase came around, Ted reached to pick it up, and it opened with 
everything inside falling all around them on the floor, with the baggage area 
full of 
other passengers!   And what ended up on top of everything.......but his "lace 
panties"!   The Rodgers rep didn't know what to do.  But Ted just sits down on 
the floor and says, "oh baby, you simply must help me with my things".  
Well, there is just one story on the great Ted Alan Worth.   I deeply respect 
his playing, and wish I could have heard him play more often.  I'm just glad 
I wasn't at the airport that one evening!  hhehehehhe
William Morris, Houston
!
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