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Dennis James
Tacoma, WA
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At the Seattle Paramount Wurlitzer, 2002
From Dennis' press packet...
Dennis James has dedicated his professional career to the continuation of the theatrical traditions of organ performance and furthering public interest in the theatre pipe organ. From the time he began concertizing while still in his teens, James has been at the top of the theatre organ profession. He has played virtually everywhere pipe theatre organs are to be found, from the preserved movie palaces throughout the United States and Canada to concert halls and theaters in Europe, Australia and New Zealand.
Born in Philadelphia in 1950, Dennis James began formal organ training in that city at the age of twelve. He attended Indiana University's School of Music as a student of concert and church organ performance, receiving his Bachelor's and Master's degrees under the tutelage of Dr. Oswald Ragatz. Highlights of James' professional organ career include his New York City recital debut at St. Patrick's Cathedral and an appointment as organist at the largest pipe organ in the world- the Wanamaker Grand Court Organ in Philadelphia. His organ concerto debut was with the Chicago Symphony at Orchestra Hall in 1984. James' annual European concert tours have included several return engagements at Vienna's famed Konzert Haus to perform concerts and silent film accompaniment at the historic 5-manual Rieger concert pipe organ.
At the El Capitan Theatre, Hollywood
Dennis James has held many regular positions during his career, beginning as pre-show organist at the Lansdowne and Brookline Theaters in Pennsylvania during the 1960's. Appointments followed at the Paramount and Rivoli Theaters in Indiana during his college years leading to a fifteen year residency as the final professional house organist for the Ohio Theatre in Columbus (1975-1990). In 1999 James accepted the concurrent West Coast positions of House Organist for the restored Paramount Theatre in Seattle and for the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, plus Theatre Organist for the San Diego Symphony at the city's Copley Symphony Hall. He performs regularly at various other west coast locations, including the Everett Theatre (Everett, WA) and the California sites: State Theatre (Monterey), Arlington Theatre (Santa Barbara), Stanford Theatre (Palo Alto), Castro Theatre (San Francisco), Paramount Theatre (Oakland) and the Berkeley Community Theatre. James has had a long-term series of performance engagements at the "Showplace of the Nation" Radio City Music Hall, including a rare solo Wurlitzer organ concert, variety performances and frequent appearances with orchestra in accompaniment to silent films.
As an active professional in all aspects of organ performance, James regularly is invited to perform at conventions of organ devotees the world over. He has been invited as featured performer at fourteen national ATOS conventions, three national AGO conventions (including the 100th Anniversary AGO gala Radio City Music Hall concert), the New Zealand national organ convention the opening concert for a RCCO Canadian Organ convention, plus three International Organ Festivals in Manchester, England. James has received the Organist of the Year award from the American Theatre Organ Society celebrating a career filled with outstanding contributions to the preservation and presentation of theatre pipe organ entertainment.
Dennis James' educational activities have included an artist-in-residency at the Flint Institute of Music and the debut Theatre Organ Workshop artist for the Granada Theatre Historical Society. He has served as adjudicator for numerous organ-playing competitions, including the London, England 'Young Organist of the Year' plus various American Theatre Organ Society local and national contests.
Partial Dennis James discography:
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Dennis James At The "Fotoplayer." Concert Recording CR-M109. Vestal Press. Style 25 "Fotoplayer" built by Robert Morton for the Grand Theatre in Ephrata, PA. Side one: (Live, Dennis James) - The Great Train Robbery, Ragtime Nightingale, Struggle Music, Mysterioso, Furioso #3, Ragtime Bobolink. Side two: (Film Music Rolls- embellishments by Dennis James) - Serenade Grotesque, Sorrow Theme, Implorations, Treachery and Vengeance, The Gawky Rube. |
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Dennis James at The Movies. Ohio Theatre Summer Series. CAPA Music. Stereo. VOLUME 1 recorded during the 1975 season of Summer Movies. Columbus Ohio Theatre Robert Morton. Tracks include: Beautiful Ohio, It's Only a Paper Moon, What'll I Do/Baby Face, Lara's Theme from Dr. Zhivago, That's Entertainment Medley, Gone with the Wind, The Sting, If He Walked Into My Life, Sabre Dance. |
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Dennis James at The Movies. Ohio Theatre Summer Series, Vol 2. DLP label. Stereo. VOLUME 2 recorded during the 1976-77 season of Summer Movies. Columbus Ohio Theatre Robert Morton. Tracks include: The Great Waldo Pepper March, The Way we Were, South American Getaway, Am I Blue?, March of the Siamese Children, Smoke Gets in Your Eyes, Music From West Side Story. |
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Dennis James at the RTOS Wurlitzer. Theatre Organ Concert Selections |
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Dennis James Classic Theatre Organ. Recorded at two different sites. The Robert Morton organ at the Ohio Theatre, and the Morton Organ at the Forum. |
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Dennis & Heidi James - Puttin' On The Ritz Ohio Theatre Morton Pipe Organ & piano, released on private pressing Dennis James Productions DJP 103 Stereo. Among the 11 selections: Puttin' On The Ritz, I Got Rhythm, The Graet Escape March, Sophisticated lady, Mood Indigo, La danza. |
From KOMO 1000 News, February 8, 2005
'I'm Always Lurking, Ready To Play'
 Hear the Audio Report
By Brian Calvert
A very special musician practices a long lost art form, bringing life to silent movies.
While it's capable of hosting elaborate productions and sold-out concerts, the Paramount Theater is getting back to its roots this month. The classic venue is once again a movie palace.
Every Monday this month, the big screen comes down and the black and white films of the 1920s are shown. Recorded sound hadn't been added to the movies of the time, so these films are brought to life by Dennis James.
"I'm the 'Phantom of the Paramount' and I'm always lurking, ready to play," James tells KOMO News.
He's the resident organist at the historic theater, and has been there since 1985. His instrument?
"It's a 'Publix Number One,'" James says with a smile. "As I understand it, there were 11** of this particular model made, and we only have three of them remaining in their original theaters. This one's been here since 1928, when the theater opened. This was playing opening night."
Dennis at the Paramount's Wurlitzer |
Dennis spends much of his time composing for the silent films of yesteryear.
"What John Williams does is what I do," he says. "You watch the movie first and get your reaction to it. Second, you then watch the movie again and start to create a structure."
Many times, he tries to replicate the original scores used when the films were in their heyday. But the process isn't as simple as it may appear. |
"I don't try to play music and have it go with the movie, and I don't have the movie illustrating my music," James says. "We're back and forth, it's a conversation."
Silent Movie Mondays are back at the Paramount, which means so is Dennis James...the maestro, if you will.
He's a craftsman of sorts, able to breathe air into pictures that seem to have no life on their own.
"It's the 'Bride of Frankenstein' you know, it's bringing the movie to life," James remarks. "That's what I do."
**  Editor's note: There were 18 Publix One's made.
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