Organ Music at Turner Field

I like organ music. I like the Braves. Ergo, I like articles about organ music at Braves games:

For the past four years, the Atlanta Braves had used recorded organ music for games at Turner Field, but it wasn’t the same. Fans heard the familiar, traditional sound of an organ, but without a living, breathing, musician making decisions at the keys, who was going to make them laugh?

And who has organ recordings of Radiohead?

That’s just one creative touch that has come from the fingertips of Braves organist Matthew Kaminski, who is in his first season with the team. From his perch at the electronic keyboard in the Turner Field press box, Kaminski usually has something worthy of a chuckle up his sleeve.

Reader Melissa D. passed the link along, and she’s a fan: “I can vouch for his creativity, as during this past weekend’s Mets series, I got a good laugh out of his choice of ‘Angel of the Morning for Angel Pagan and ‘You May be Right’ for David Wright.” That’s funny right there, I don’t care who you are.

In any event, following last week’s article about the St. Louis organist, I’m hoping this presages a trend in ballparks returning to more prominant organ music at ballgames. If that, in turn, leads to legislation outlawing the use of “Machinehead” by Bush and your usual assortment of tired old jock jams, all the better.


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Open Stance
14 years ago

I hate it when my jock jams.  Yow!

Melody
14 years ago

Yes!  The widespread use of live organ music at games would be fantastic.  The recorded music just sucks all the energy out of a park.  With a person sitting behind a keyboard, they can read the situation and play what’s called for.  There’s a lot more give and take, instead of overpowering blasting speakers that say, “Time to go back to the concession stand!”

Wrigley had only organ music, as I recall, and it really added to the atmosphere of the ballpark.  If the Cubs do it at Wrigley, then it must be good!  Well, except for the whole losing thing.

SW
14 years ago

In the Giants series he played “The Flintstones” theme for Fred Lewis, “Winnie the Pooh” for Randy Winn, and “Kung Fu Fighting” for Pablo Sandoval.

Mac
14 years ago

I caught him playing Elvis Costello’s “Oliver’s Army” for Oliver Perez during the Mets series.  Surprised the heck out of me.

Chris
14 years ago

i stopped in just to say what SW had already said