Music of Westfield Organist Featured in '42'

Ed Alstrom can add another unique credit to his already-interesting resume. A film credit, that is.

The musician who signed on as the music director at The Presbyterian Church in Westfield last September also has the coveted position of serving as Yankee Stadium's weekend organist. So when the music producers of the recently-released Jackie Robinson biopic '42' were looking for a baseball stadium organist, Alstrom received yet another one-of-a-kind chance in what he called a "lifetime filled with exciting and unique opportunities."

Alstrom, who began playing the organ at the age of 5, explained that the producers were looking for just the right person to replicate the legendary sound of Gladys Gooding, the organist for the Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field. 

"They called my boss at the stadium and he asked me, 'Could you? Would you?' and I said, 'Sure,'" Alstrom explained. "They sent me the recordings of Gladys Gooding. They wanted me to play it and get it to sound like a recording from the 1940s."

The accomplished jazz musician, who counts working with Herbie Hancock and on the Broadway production of 'Hairspray' among his career highlights, said the producers wanted approximately 30 seconds from each of two songs, both classics: 'Take Me Out the Ballgame' and 'The Sidewalks of New York.'

"I recorded them in my basement and sent them MP3s," he said.

After submitting his recordings, Alstrom said the only feedback he received was that they were "pretty good." So when he went to see '42' on opening day, the organist said he still didn't know if his work had been included or if it ended up "on the cutting room floor." Much to his delight, Alstrom not only heard both of his songs (one was even used twice) but he also got to see his name appear in the film's music credits.

"It was pretty cool," he said. "It's a great movie. They did it as right as it could be done."

With his first major motion picture credit under his belt, Alstrom said in his line of work, you never know when something unusual is going to come your way. While he noted that he isn't "waiting by the phone" for his next film offer, Alstrom said very often in his business when you get a call, "you never know who's going to be on the other end." 

In addition to his post at the Presbyterian Church in Westfield and his gig with the Yankees, Alstrom is also a host for Fairleigh Dickinson University's radio station, 98.1 WFDU. 

For those who haven't had a chance to hear the musician who hails from Montville, he and friend Mike Doyle will be performing at Jeffrey's from 7 to 9 p.m. on Wednesday, May 29. 

"We'll be playing old, familiar rock 'n' roll," he said. "It'll be fun."