Ongoing Theatre Organ Recordings Digitization

Matias Bombal, entrusted with (and storing in temperature controled safety), the audio recording collections (reel-to-reel tape, cassettes, open reel tapes, DAT, CD's, wire recordings and transcription discs) of the NorCal TOS/ATOS (American Theatre Organ Society) from 1958-2000, made by William O. Schlotter, Jack O'Neill and others, as well as the extensive collection of the Organ Loft of Salt Lake City, including visiting artists and KSL radio broadcasts with Gus Farney, the collection of organist Everett Nourse and others, seeks to continue to digitize the collections and make them available for public listening on the internet on his Soundcloud channel. 75 performances have already been digitized and are available at this link to anyone on the globe with internet access:

https://soundcloud.com/mat-as-antonio-bombal/sets/theatre-organ-recordings?si=2708ecd307374b5fb644c60ce4b1d26f&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

The combined collections exceeded 5,000 performances of legendary and lesser know theatre organists performing on various instruments across the United States and England. The theatre organ, one of only two instruments indigenous to the United States (the other is the banjo) is a remarkable, palpable instrument offering a language of musical expression unmatched by any other instrument but seldom heard today. These collections offer the very best performers to master this remarkable instrument for theatrical music and the Great American Songbook. By result, when available for listening, these never before avilable recordings offer a unique educational resource not only for fellow musicains but for the public at large to hear a language in music that has almost fully vanished, but for select communities and historic theatres that still have such an instrument extant.

The money gathered here in this first, of possibly many such GoFundMe campaigns is to support Matias Bombal for his long hours working in the transfer, digitization, editing and upload to Soundcoud of these recordings on a regular basis (minimally one per week, sometimes more) and the writing of accompanying data for each transfer, the maintenance and service of the vintage equipment needed for the making of the transfers, costs of Soundcloud storage, and upgrades to computers and audio editing software as needed, etc. Donors should indicate if they wish to remain anonymous or wish to be thanked in the contextual descriptions of recordings that they help support with their donation.

Matias Bombal, 55, is a Sacramento, California resident, syndicated radio film critic, master of ceremonies and former motion picture theatre manager. He has independently worked in film and audio preservation for most of his adult life, directed three documentary feature films and hosted radio programs of vintage music from 1920-1950.