Well here we are again - yes - we have changed our format again, but this is for a good reason.
During the last few weeks we have received feedback from PC owners who are running older versions of Internet Explorer who have been having problems viewing our site. As we want our site to be available to as many people as possible, we have changed and tested our new format on PCs as well as Macs.
We hope now that everyone can see Jazzhooves at it's best.
If you do have problems, please let us know.

Admin - Jazzhooves.com

We have just closed our Jazzhooves podcast organist of the year awards. Over the last few months we have asked you to tell us who your favourite organists are which have been featured in our podcasts. We are pleased to announce the results are as follows:

• 5th place - Tim Flint
• 4th place - Chris Powell
• 3rd place - Claudia Hirschfeld
• 2nd place - Brett Wales
• Winner - Klaus Wunderlich

Our next podcast will feature music from each of these artists and we hope to speak to a few of the winners.Voting was amazing with over 3,000 votes sent in and half of those were for Klaus - long may his music be popular.
Thank you to everyone who voted and our next podcast is due soon - keep checking.

We have just received details of a new piece of software for your PC. Musicreader is a software package that you can install on your PC (PC ONLY) and allows you to read and play music directly from your laptop.In addition to the software they also sell a whole host of add on's which you can buy to enhance the whole experience.
This software is seriously worth a look and is a serious alternative to musicpad pro - which comparing cost, music reader is a massive saving.
Visit the musicreader website by clicking HERE and open your laptop to a whole new experience.

Tags: Music, reader, musicreader

Hallaleuya here is a demonstration video of the fantastic new Roland AT-900. This video shows the real sound quality of the Roland - even with vocals. If you are a lucky owner of a new AT-900 we want to hear from you. Tell us what you like or dislike about your new instrument.

Tags: Roland, AT900, Organ, Atelier

We are marking the days off our calendar to the launch of the new Ketron Audya. Here is a new Movie showing this fantastic new keyboard being demonstrated. We are in close contact with Ketron to ensure that we bring you a full hands on review - this keyboard is going to rewrite the way keyboard music is played. If you want to be one of the first to get this new keyboard, contact BCK UK distributors direct on 01992 524442

Since including our article about "Do manufacturers listen" we have already received two replies from owners of instruments. It seems that there are a lot of great features on todays modern instruments, but a lot that seem to disappoint owners. Click HERE and see what our viewers think - And DONT FORGET - tell us what you like and dislike about your organs by emailing us via enq@jazzhooves.com
If you own Wersi, Orla, Hammond or any other organ make we want to hear from you!

Tags: wersi, yamaha, roland, orla, ketron, organs, review, news, features,

At long last there is a dedicated Wersi website which has a forum, news, reviews and technical tips to get the most out of your Wersi organ. Run by Richard Postma this new site is not only supported by Wersi themselves, but allows you to buy software upgrades direct - and fast.
Visit www.wersiworld.com today and enjoy a whole new wersi owners experience.

You have just got home with a new brown box, inside is your new keyboard. You open the box, take out the instrument, plug it in and..... oh! It sounds just the same as the previous model. For over one year you have been playing your keyboard, thinking of what new features would be good, what new sounds could be added and best of all, what the new model will look like. So we ask the question, how many manufacturers actually listen to their audience.
I know from emails received that many of you are very happy with your organs and keyboards, but really, how much changes when a new model comes out. Do manufacturers play it safe with organ design or do they work on creating perfection.
There are lots of organs and keyboards out there in many shapes and sizes, some portable, some not, some with drawbars, some without - but what makes the perfect instrument and do manufacturers actually listen to the player. From a few new instruments recently unleashed, I would think not. Many new models look the same as the previous, many have the same layout, same style and some even sound similar.
When you buy a organ or a keyboard what is it that you look for first - is it sound, build, portability, what?
Email us and tell us why you bought your instrument, tell us what it is and the first thing you thought about it and we will post your emails on our site.
Tell us and the manufacturers what you love or hate about your instrument.

Make yourself comfortable and enjoy our 1 hour Jazzhooves.com podcast. This show features music from Claudia Hirschfeld, Hector Olivera, Brett Wales, Chris Powell, Andrew Mullin, Mark Speight, Mark Shakespeare, Alfred Brettnacher and many more...
If you would like a request for a special occasion or just to say hello, please get in touch. You can email jazzhooves via enq@jazzhooves.com
We respond to all messages or requests.

Weyhill Electronic Organ Society are another club who have sent us their concert listing. Visit their listing under club directories for more information including contact numbers and location. It is fantastic news to hear that a club is going from strength to strength. Their concerts for the forthcoming year are as follows:

• 17 January - ROBERT DAVIES
• 21 February - JOHANNES FREITAG
• 20 March - NICHOLAS MARTIN
• 17 April - LUCINDA ANDERSON
• 15 May - PAUL McCULLOCH
• 19 June - MARK THOMPSON
• 17 July - ANDREW VARLEY
• 21 August - SARAH FOLEY
• 18 September - CRAIG JAMES
• 16 October * - THE KEYKLIX KLAN
• 20 November - IAN HOUSE
• 18 December - JEAN MARTYN

If you haven't voted already, hurry and tell us who your favourite organist is. Our organist of the year podcast entries will be closing soon and votes received so far look like this

• Claudia Hirschfeld - 1st
• Tony Stace - 2nd
• Franz Lambert - 3rd
• Brett Wales - 4th
• Chris Powell - 5th

If you want your vote to count click HERE

We are sad to report that the UK launch demonstrations of the new Wersi Apollo by Brett Wales are cancelled. If you have made arrangements to attend one of these shows, please check with the venue. There is only one demonstration model at the moment and it sadly did not make it to the UK in time. Please contact the venue for more details as Brett has kindly offered to give a informal tour of the SCALA instead.
When will Apollo arrive - nobody is sure, but we will let you know as soon as we find out. If you have pre-ordered one of these instruments, please get in touch, we would like to hear from you.

Visit our on line forum and read organ and keyboard news, chat and if you want to sell your instrument or looking to buy a new one, click to the left onto our Classified Advertisements page. If you would like to place an advertisement it is free - and you can even include a photograph of your organ.

We are pleased to announce that the BBC organist entertains website has added a link to Jazzhooves.com. Nigel Ogden, the presenter of the longest running and best theatre organ show on radio has added our website to his choice of links. Nigel and his music has entertained millions over the years and his show is a real highlight for any theatre organ enthusiasts.
Visit the organist entertains HERE or visit their links section HERE

WIth Roland, Orla, Lowrey, Wersi and many others making organs, we find it amazing that there are so few organ shops still in business. Living in the Midlands there used to be one of the best organ dealers just on my doorstep and this was Macclesfield Organ Centre. Run by the Bailey family, this shop offered the organist everything he needed. Music, organs, tuition and they even used to hold fantastic organ concerts.
There are still lots of High Tech dealers dotted around the place, but now the nearest organ dealer to me is now in Leicestershire. Why when there are so many people still playing and sharing a real interest in the hobby are there so few dealers.
If you know of a good organ dealer and would like to tell us about them - email us via our contact form. Tell us if they offer good prices, service and more importantly their location.

We have just upgraded our beloved Wersi Abacus duo deluxe with new memory, DVD drive and Media bay all for just £84 - take a look at how we did it and try it for yourself. We have included contact details of the parts supplier who will happily ship to any location.
Click Here to read more..

So, you have listened to the CD's and in fact you have more than likely listened to our own recordings found in our podcasts, but the question is - what is actually the organ and what is recorded. Well, if you are expecting the artist to stick his hand in the air and admit to recording 70% of the track, then you will be in for a long wait.
The truth is, if you hear a recording from a modern organist and hear strings, horns, pianos, guitars, choirs and a big gong, then the chances are that the track has been sequenced. We read on other organ websites that more and more audience members want to hear 100% live music - but is this really what they want?

As a child I remember seeing organists in concert and thinking to myself "will this drone ever end" as many players either stuck to organ sounds or strings. With the introduction of exciting features found on todays modern instruments, do we really want to take a step back and stop creating interesting arrangements and big powerful sounds?
To me, its a bit like having sat nav in the car and someone fishing out the map and saying that this is how it should be really done!
I think there are 2 camps when it comes to playing modern organs. Camp 1 is those who know how to sequence, embrace the technology and find their way around with ease, and then there is camp 2. Camp 2, is those who cannot sequence if they tried, in fact, they sound worse when they try recording and so stick to the old way of playing organ. To me there is no right or wrong - if you can sequence, then do so and enhance your sound. If you cannot - then just admit to it and play live - but don't try to belittle the talent of those who can - and trust me, it is a skill to be able to piece together a 12 or 16 track sequence.
Someone once told me that doing something takes effort - and to do nothing in life takes no effort at all, but it is always those who do nothing that moan. So, lets see an end to this play live rubbish and encourage organists to create fantastic tracks using the technology at their disposal.
If you have a viewpoint on this story please click on the HAVE YOUR SAY text just below.

Here we are already in February and we are currently putting together a new podcast which is due for upload on Feb 16th at 9pm. This show features music from the best organists from around the world. We are pleased to also have a new track from Andrew Mullin which is fabulous and has to be heard.

Incredible organist and entertainer Chris Powell has updated his website. The new modern look site gives visitors useful information about Chris's concerts, recordings and software. We hope to catch up with Chris soon and will report back to you. Chris runs the Burntwood organ society and together with his wife Marie, they both ensure a great nights entertainment. Visit Chris's website by going to www.chrispowell.org

We are pleased to announce that all future podcasts will be available with video which can be viewed using any MP4 player. This includes most generic video players as well as Apples iPod and iPhone. Our first podcast to feature this new feature is available in our podcasts section and can be downloaded to your chosen player. We hope you enjoy our new podcasts.

We have been asked many times to include organ club concert calendars for the forthcoming year from a number of organ clubs across the UK but have never felt the need to have the details published on our site. We have since had an email from someone who visited a club after seeing a concert advertised on another site only to find that there was no concert, in fact the dates had been wrongly featured. In light of this sad information we are now prepared to include organ clubs concert plans for the forthcoming year.
If you visit a club or run a club and would like your concert plans featured on our site, please drop us a simple email and we will include it on your club listing. See North Staffs Organ Club entry here for an example.

Jazzhooves.com is a website dedicated to the hobby of playing electronic organ or keyboards. We support all major manufacturers including Yamaha, Roland, Wersi, Korg, Orla, Bohm, Thomas, Technics and many others.
We now support and feature software add-ons including VST voices and sound packages. Many of todays modern keyboards use such software and we aim to bring you news about new voices, synth packs and many others. The focus of our website is to bring players together and our regular podcasts we aim to bring you music from both professional players and home enthusiasts. If you would like to get involved with Jazzhooves or have something you think we might like to include, please get in touch.

We have just been sent the new BFD2 drum sotware from fxpansion and it has to be heard to be believed. Our full review of this new software will be on line soon - along with screenshots and more. At this point we would just like to say - if you need some drum software, then buy this software, nothing else comes close.
More coming soon..