Episode 4 - Martin Baker

Here we are on episode 4 of Chiff Chat - The Organ Podcast! Today's guest is the improviser-extraordinaire Martin Baker.
Martin and Ben chat about the big three London Cathedrals, the God complex required to control both organs and plane simulators, and we find out what makes Martin musically tick in Organ Heaven and Organ Hell.
If you'd like to support the podcast, you can contribute via Tipjar - tpjr.us/chiffchat
Do send me an email with any organ-related questions you have to [e-mail] and they may get read out on next week's episode!
For more information on your host, visit www.benbloor.com
Chapters:
0:00:00 - Intro
0:02:58 - Welcome to Martin
0:05:20 - Big 3 London Churches
0:10:20 - Improvising
0:19:16 - Programmes and Competitions
0:24:13 - Quick-Fire Round
0:30:30 - Organ Heaven
0:36:15 - Organ Hell
0:44:19 - Quiz Time!
0:54:13 - Planes
0:58:49 - Thanks to Martin
0:59:58 - Outro

[@gamesgonenuts]

this was an amazing podcast left a like

[@wendywaldock1285]

Inspirational! So much to learn from in this podcast, and to think about and look into afterwards. Thank you Ben Bloor for creating Chiff Chat and Martin Baker for opening up and sharing so many interesting, humorous and illuminating aspects of what lmatters to him as an organist.

[@mathijs1987j]

Mr. Baker sounds so much like Roger Allam (or, Peter Mannion, really) that it is almost confusing. (Edit: let me add that I really enjoyed the episode, also for other reasons.)

[@grahamtwist]

Another fabulous 'Chiff Chat' organ podcast, Ben: bravo! Episode 4 is, perhaps, the most 'erudite' to date, though I say that not to detract from the magnificence that is Martin Baker, but to observe that some topics had compelling gravitas - particularly the insights Martin shared on improvisation. I enjoyed 'organ heaven' very much and I was delighted to hear Martin champion the awesome Charles-Marie-Jean-Albert Widor (even if your personal preference, Ben, is for Monsieur Vierne). But Martin's reluctance to cut short on this topic meant we never did get to hear what is his 'organ hell' (unless I nodded off at that point and missed this titbit - so sorry if I did . . . and I cannot claim to have been on a bus at the time, missing my stop. Not that any organist I know ever misses the right stop, especially if marked Tuba Mirabilis 8'). With Martin's penchant for flight simulators, I hope when he next advises on a new organ build that he includes four thrust levers rather than rocker tabs. And I hope we can hear him improvise on the theme: '747 take-off' - that would get any concert flying high.
But I was very sad to hear you remind us that there are only two episodes now remaining. I know that repeats will be easier than watching the BBC . . . but hopefully, Series 2 will be commissioned by Barclays once they have eaten all the confiscated Pringles. 'Chiff Chat' is addictive, and there is no rehab centre to book into should these podcasts cease. So, please keep them coming!

[@elizabethbrown8859]

Just loving these. ❤