Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Before I discovered Little Richard and Jerry Lee, my earliest keyboard influence was Korla Pandit and his TV show in Los Angeles...he never said a word of the show..just played and gazed into the camera. Flash forward..more than a few years..I get a call from a friend who owns a 2nd hand store and I end up buying a huge lot of Korla Pandit items (he spent the last 20 years of his life in this area...there were slides, stage clothing, tons of recordings on reel to reel unreleased stuff...and one very special item a painting of Korla by his wife (a Disney artist)..Korla's wife Beryl had moved to Canada by herself by this time . I sold most all of these items to two parties ...one a former student of Korlas and one a mega fan in Europe. Korla's former student kept in touch with Korla's ex and as it turned out she had lost track of this painting and longed to have it again. Together we sent it on to her and I like to think that her last days were made a little happier as a result.
The history of Korla Pandit is quite interesting and charming (not really from India but of African American and Latin heritage..once a member of The Sons Of The Pioneers billed as Cactus Korla.......)
I have a bust of Korla made from the original mold in my office...the story goes on but for now..here's a link and some videos....
http://www.korlapandit.com/

Cool stuff, G! Now I've gotta figure out a way to snap out of Korla's trance! He would have been a great hypnotist!

Seriously, though, this is some excellent music for those who are into meditation and relaxation. I've never heard "Miserlou" or "Song of India" played like that, but it was definitely cool. He had a very unique delivery/presence.