Ian Griffin

November 6^th 2004

The very one who gave the very first concert for our club way back in 1988 !! And what a superb artist Ian is.
Without any disrespect whatsoever to any other organist on the circuit, I believe that after Brian Sharp, Ian is the finest orchestral player in the country. There is never a disk in sight, all his sounds are produced instantaneously, and hence any tune he plays will never sound the same twice. His improvisation is quite outstanding, perhaps not surprising knowing that Ian used to pick out tunes at a very tender age with not a note in sight! Quite an achievement.
Dressed in a black sequinned shirt (Messrs. Griffin & Jackaman have visited the same shop in Blackpool!) & black trousers, Ian proceeded to begin his concert playing his old faithful Technics KN2000 keyboard and also his Ketron X1, linked together and connected to a pedal board. All this is coupled to a mixer and amplifiers and - according to Ian - most important of all - a cooling fan!!!!
He began his concert with a beautiful rendition of one of the best known of all rumbas - "Begin the Beguine". This he followed with a Buddy Hollie tune "True Love Ways", included in this medley were "Twilight Time" and "At The End Of The Day" as well. Another Latin tune in the shape of "In A Little Spanish Town". "Bewitched Bothered & Bewildered" next got a look in as well as Ivor Novello's "When I Fall In Love" before concluding this selection with "All The Way".
The great organ master of all time, Bryan Rodwell, gave out some good advice with his instruction when beginning a tune: 'Always come in off the floor'. Ian has listened well. His artistry of quietly starting a tune and gradually building it up is exquisite. Next some Big Band sounds for a "Little Brown Jug" and the "Chattanooga Choo- Choo" giving Keith the chance to show off with some superb sound activated lights and shapes. From 'Jekyll & Hyde' we had "This Is The Moment". Another Latin selection in Rumba style next with "April In Portugal" - "Your Eyes Are the Eyes Of A Woman In Love" & "I Could Have Danced All Night". Neil Sedaka's "Solitaire"is rightfully making its way back into many organists' repertoires. Another Welshman as famous as Ian, is none other than Tom Jones, we heard two of his hits "It's Not Unusual & Help Yourself".
By now it was time to help yourselves to tea/coffee & biscuits, whilst Ian busily prepared the order of play of all the requests he had received during and prior to the interval. Those of us who have heard Ian in concert before will be familiar with the pattern of his concerts; a pre-arranged program for the first half followed by requests during the second half.
A couple of tunes to kickstart the second half; i.e. "Quando Quando", followed by a classical piece: the "Adagio Cantabile".
There were only two titles which I was not familiar with amongst the requests, however, the list was as follows: "Brazil - Telstar - On The Street Where You Live - My Blue Heaven - I Left My Heart In San Francisco - Misty - Wind Beneath My Wings - Crazy - At Last - Moonlight Serenade - Unforgettable - The Young Ones - Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow? - Apache - I Dreamed A Dream - Twelfth Of Never - Once In A While - I've Got You Under My Skin - Jealousy - Sweet Georgia Brown - I Want To Be With You - More - Strangers In The Night - I Won't Send Roses - The Entertainer - Tonight - Theme from Summer Place - Dancing Queen - Nessun Dorma - The Most Beautiful Girl In The World - No Matter What - The Power Of Love - Memories - My Heart Will Go On (Titanic) - Thank You For The Music - My Way".
Basildon tradition calls for an encore. If he hadn't worn his fingers out, he certainly tried with the samba "El Bimbo".
A superb evening of highly entertaining music by a very fine musician, namely the one and only Ian Griffin.

Why not come along to a Basildon Keyboard Club Concert, you will be made very welcome, have a great evenings entertainment, a complimentary cup of tea or coffee with biscuits and of course experience the delights of live music played on top of the range electronic organs & keyboards by the best players.