I propose this be broadcast before every American Presidential debate. Then, whenever a candidate gives a canned slogan response, this will be played again in its entirety. The audience will be allowed to dance if they like during these replays.
Korla transports us to another realm with every beat of the keys...I love the fact for all the years he appeared on television, Korla never once did speak...the eyes...the eyes...
He used to open his show with the "Magnetic Theme" I think. I have it around here somewhere...
I met him in Northern California years ago. VERY nice man. Umm...I remember he was very "low key", still with the Sikh turban, didn't talk very loudly, didn't seem like he aged visibly, smiled a lot. We talked about the colorful arrangements for organ by George Shearing and I was shocked when he said he enjoyed playing his music very much.
Very nice gentleman and very pleasant memories for me.
@pipesandwings are you serious? Or are you pulling my leg? This guy was such a wonderful pianist. He had his critics though, but you can't argue his talent.
Great stuff. i remember watching this as a kid glued to the TV.
It was very mesmerizing. Thx for this blast to the past. Anyone know how old he was here...he looks pretty young...but at the time, he looked pretty old to me. Now he looks young again. LOL
In real life Korla was just as interesting as he was on stage. He was physically a very small man, not over at most 5'6" in height. He had an amazing career, multiple marriages, and even in his final years had no shortage of suitors. As a fellow organist I met and conversed with him multiple times. He also was gifted with a great sense of humor and could easily laugh at himself. Amazing to think he got his start in Los Angeles on "Time For Beany" the puppet show.
If this video doesn't make chicks wanna doff their knickers with its' hypnotic sound and Korla's dreamy facial expressions, I dunno what will. Priceless.
Korla Pandit had his own television show in the San Francisco Bay Area during the early 50s. He was very popular there and performed in nearly every Rose Parade during the decade.
We first saw and heard about Korla Pandit when he made a cameo appearance in the film Ed Wood. We have been fans ever since. We had seen the Liberace shows around the same time Korla had been on TV, but never knew about him and performance art. Amazing, mysterious talent, one who was a master at marketing his "act" and his virtuosity at the piano and organ. Everyone who never heard of him that I've shown his videos here have became fans.
@Hawkeyesurfer: The melody is a traditional one, I believe from the middle east? I'm sure Les Baxter did a version of it, but he did not write it. In fact, I'll bet every "exotica" artist and many surf rock artists (after Dick Dale of course, see Pulp Fiction) performed and recorded it also.
Old Gimlet, he may be relatively unknown now, but to those of us who grew up in Southern California, particularly in the Los Angeles area he was a familiar face on our local television programming back in the 1950's. Along with many other "forgotten" local celebrities like Criswell of Criswell Predicts, Joe Pine, Oscar Levant and many others that performed on local L.A. channels.
RockyPants4000, you seem to be very angry and defensive. You say, who cares? Maybe some of us enjoy his talent and want to learn more about this fascinating man. My comment was not made to be critical of him or bash him, but to mention that it was sad that he got caught up in an early deception as to who he was and where he came from, and felt compelled to continue it and could never really be appreciated for who he really was, an african-american.
Nope, not angry or defensive at all. My point is that the whole issue of "heritage" has little or nothing to do with success or happiness in life, and I'm tired of people promoting it as such. Heritage is fine to celebrate if you want to, but it is often a crutch leaned upon as an excuse for failure, or an ingredient for success, when in reality, achievement rarely depends on one's background. Achievement comes from planning and effort - period.
rockyPants4000, then in effect you seem to be agreeing with me. My point is not that I think it matters so much as to what ethnicity it is for a performer to be. But my point was that for Korla Pandit the emphasis DID matter, in fact it mattered so much that he felt compelled to lie about his ethnic background and was pretending to be East Asian rather than black. If he had never mentioned that he was black it would have been fine. But to intentionally pretend to be Asian was sad.
I believe he was very clever to adopt that persona. I admit I was just a little disappointed that he wasn't really from India or East Asia. If I'd known he was just a black american I would not have been as interested. But as it was I really dug his music and character.
Let me give another example: Should Arthur Ashe be held up mainly as a great "African-American" tennis player? Not in my mind - he was a great tennis player, and that's the end of the story. Is Muhammad Ali known more as a world champion boxer, or a great African-American?
No Caucasian artists, athletes, or performers are typically promoted as great examples of their race, and neither should minorities. Our societies will benefit greatly when we just ignore these insignificant differences.
He was an incredible musician - saw him many times and his skill with playing was boosted by the fact that he gave great talks. Funny, because he never talked during his TV shows. You see a lot of style and character - shadow and shade - that is unknown in most 1950s TV. Very cool....
Old Gimlet, I met Mr. Pandit more than once. He was always very polite and friendly. I was especially impressed that he would be so considerate to a teenager, which is what I was at the time. The last time I remember meeting up with him if I remember correctly was at a program being televised live from a "White Front" department store near Ontario, California. He seemed to disappear as a familiar act around Southern California about the time television went from black and white to color.
Although Korla Pandit was an extraordinary musician, it's tragic that his beginnings in show business were shrouded in deception. Like most lies they trapped him in this deception for the rest of his life. To get his start in show business he pretended to be a foreigner even though he was an African-American born and raised in the United States. First he pretended to be Latino then Indian. For an interesting article, look him up in Wikipedia for the whole story.
And Bob Hope was from England, and Rock Hudson was gay.... it's not like the entertainment industry is the center of honesty and truth. Tim Allen is a convicted drug dealer named Tim Dick who did prison time, surprise!
If Korla wanted to play a "character" that was Latino, or Indian, who cares? Don't many entertainers invent their personas?
Inventing your persona is one thing. To invent your race is quite another. I see no reason for Arthur Ashe or Muhammad Ali to be known more for their African heritage than their talent. No disagreement there. But if either Ashe or Ali had tried to hide their African ancestery and had promoted themselves as Asian, Latino, or Polynesian, then I would indeed think that was a sad thing too.
And RockyPants4000, you're correct that it's okay for performers to "play" a character. But honestly, at the time most of us did not feel that he was "playing" a character. We felt that he was honestly being himself, a talented man from India or of Indian heritage. As fans, we thought he was an honest legitimate performer. Not someone who was "playing a part". This in no way diminishes my resect for him or his talent. But in all honesty, I feel sad that he couldn't just be himself.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems I remember Korla Pandit releasing a version of "The Happy Organ" before Dave Baby Cortez released his version. Does anyone else remember this?
From all references I see, "The Happy Organ" was co-composed by Cortez, but I don't see a mention of a Pandit version. It isn't on the Pandit LPs I have from that time. Not to say that this isn't correct, but it isn't likely.
I was looking at old Martin Denny stuff. Saw this guy on the related videos. Never heard of him before but he's awsome. I think this is a Les Baxter song, correct me if i'm wrong.
I was so impressed with Mr. Pandit when I was a five year old kid and until yesterday, I was never able to reconnect with him again. I sought Miserlou on the internet and then my flashbacks started! What a marvelous performer he was and I will remember his work as long as I live. I am just thankful to have rediscovered it! I kick myself for not having been able to see him in person. I have been through the Santa Rosa area so many times. You are still awesome, Korla!
@ZuzerHun Comcast Cable company had a on demand feature called "something weird" which catered to bizarre or erotica style features. Think, Betty Page, B&W horror movie trailers and stuff like Korla Pandit. Cool stuff indeed!
Very cool, MagicJohn. He used to play at my grandpa's restaurant in LA in the 50s, but unfortunately that was before my time. I recall seeing him on Johnny Carson as a little girl in the late 60s. Sure wish I could have taken lessons from him instead of Yamaha Music School. Didn't know he was in Ed Wood--will have to check that out. Thanks.
This is one remarkable video!From the antique"Snader Telescriptions"title, to the wide open soul of Korla luring us through his eyes to a place,we don't know where,but we can't stop going,the music,in a minor key, promising that the place we're going will be strange to us, but beautiful,or are we being lured into some exotic danger? The black and white film guarantees that this scene is from a far off time,indeed,another century!Movie makers would pay billions to make films with such mystique!
but did you like it, is the question...:) yah- are there many of these "telescriptions?" Why were they produced? As movie shorts or some kind of viewer?
Louis Snader had live performances shot on 16mm film. Most stars of the early 1950s made them using special sets, like today's music videos.Telescriptions were shown in movie theaters, on tv, and in video juke boxes.There is an archive of thousands of them in Hollywood.You can Google "Snader Telescriptions" and find some you can watch on your computer. Magnetic videotape had not been perfected, so film was the only way to record video and sound of the top perfomances of the day.
Don't know about that last point- I think earlier filmmakers exploited subtlety and suggestion because of the limitations of film in storytelling. For all the money poured on films now, the true art of them is diminished. Sometimes more is accomplished with less, a point frequently lost on the 'blockbuster' school of modern films. So sad...
He was the inspiration for my career in music. I started watching Korla Pandit when I was 3 or 4 years old on KGO. I didn't start playing until I was 7, but he was the one that created the intial interest. He had tremendous technique and harmonic talents.
Wow, Im a young person, but I prefer the faster version better. Korla doesnt show any expression what so ever... thats whats hynotizing about it. He's good but I guess not my cup of tea.
When I was a kid, my mom took me to see Korla Pandit perform live at a small theater in downtown L.A.,Ca. At first I scoffed. But as I watched his performance found myself mesmerized and amazed. He had a full orchestral Wurlitzer organ setup along with many other instruments. My mom swooned over to him after his performance (along with a swarm of other gushing women) and got her album autographed. He sure had quite a power over all those women. I thought my mom was going to faint or something.
I was a mid-teenager when his (Pandit's)half-hour program aired on tv in the 50s. I think it aired every Saturday morning. I rarely missed a show. Too cool. And now as I think about it it was probably my earliest exposure to the song credited with the most artist's renditions, ever: Misirlou. One cannot but wonder what type(s) of music he would be playing for us today, and what sort of midi or synthesizer he would be using in place of that old Hammond organ...? <smile> Namaste
As a kid I was influenced by Korla. I started on the piano at age 5, but switched to the organ. My mother was crazy about Korla Pandit. We had an album called 'Serenade' that was on red vinyl.
@mondomark Read about Korla's life. Speaking would have REALLY ruined the effect.
redmercer 3 weeks ago
Lux is loving this! :)
robodoll 2 months ago
I wish this was in Technicolor
powerleg 5 months ago
@powerleg How exquisite that it is not...
3investigators 4 months ago
@powerleg - Close your eyes. It is in Technicolor.
jcuk000 3 weeks ago
0:13 creepy
agarwald0205 5 months ago
I propose this be broadcast before every American Presidential debate. Then, whenever a candidate gives a canned slogan response, this will be played again in its entirety. The audience will be allowed to dance if they like during these replays.
mrwumpus 6 months ago 16
Korla transports us to another realm with every beat of the keys...I love the fact for all the years he appeared on television, Korla never once did speak...the eyes...the eyes...
mondomark 6 months ago
i bet he got so much pussy off doing this,..amazing.
glockzup 7 months ago 2
Wasn't this guy Brian Eno's babysitter in his formative years?
harvey1954 8 months ago 2
He used to open his show with the "Magnetic Theme" I think. I have it around here somewhere...
I met him in Northern California years ago. VERY nice man. Umm...I remember he was very "low key", still with the Sikh turban, didn't talk very loudly, didn't seem like he aged visibly, smiled a lot. We talked about the colorful arrangements for organ by George Shearing and I was shocked when he said he enjoyed playing his music very much.
Very nice gentleman and very pleasant memories for me.
cnmmnc8852 9 months ago 3
He is so pretty! And those gorgeous hands! It's always a pleasure to discover little slices of kitsch like this...
lyverbird 9 months ago
Davidlynchesque !!!
Euarglh 9 months ago
It is a Greek song from Michalis Patrinos.1927.Dick Dale and others are late.
Find the original here in youtube.
sardanapalos1 1 year ago
@sardanapalos1 i believe it is a turkish song released in greece.
ZuzerHun 11 months ago
great!
Miracle67 1 year ago
I grew up with this was the biggest thing on Television to give you an idea of how spare the programming was back in the mid to late 40s.
gwpriester 1 year ago
holy Turhan Bey!
malondo7 1 year ago
i love this i LOVE this! it's hypnotic
Aathron 1 year ago
i love his alluring androgyny
Khonsu1212 1 year ago
Korla Pandit had a daily television show in Los Angeles in the early
1950s where he batted his eyelashes at housewives and became a minor sensation.
Like many American entertainers, Korla Pandit was an invention; he was born
John Roland Redd in Missouri, the son of a [black] preacher. Donning the turban,
fine Indian clothes, a faux exotic background and the name he'd stick with for the
rest of his life, J. R. Redd became Korla Pandit.
johneebee242 1 year ago 4
Did Frank ever play with this guy. or record him? its cool he saw fit to mention him in one of his songs.
great version of misirlou by the way.
mrbillmacneill 1 year ago
Korla Plankton with his tiny ruby playing the one celled hammond!!!!! lol
lghalihaf 1 year ago
Korla was still cookin' even in the 90's.
Goofy Tim Burton (they call him a "director") used Pandit in his 1994 "opus" "Ed Wood", still doin' what he did best!
What a different world it was then!
vawlkee51 1 year ago
Actually, the original is a rebetika song. Put "Misirlou Rebetiko" on youtube.
But Korla is amazing.
Vengajaleo 1 year ago
indians are so brillient ....
andyandyyipyip 1 year ago
@andyandyyipyip -He was not Indian but a light skinned black from Missoiri who re-invented himself in the late 1940's
Waynescott1 1 year ago 2
Does he have an album that features this rendition of Miserlou?
Chaosga 1 year ago
Keith Emerson, eat your heart out. Korla was so good!!
judsons 1 year ago
Wasn't this guy in Tim Burton's Ed WOOD ? Beautiful! Love it! Where did you find this film?
Chaosga 1 year ago
I personally knew him and heard him many times live on stage.
pipesandwings 1 year ago 2
@pipesandwings are you serious? Or are you pulling my leg? This guy was such a wonderful pianist. He had his critics though, but you can't argue his talent.
Chaosga 1 year ago
This guy is amazing!
iamyohan 1 year ago
ZuzerHun, I totally agree! I also like Asha Bhosle doing "Parde mein rehne do" and Eartha Kitt doing "Uskudara gideriken"!
cindersgirl 1 year ago
Wow and I thought Dick Dale is the original performer of this song...
Bravo Korla Pandit!
HLM190586 1 year ago
Love it!!! I'm now fantasising about a very erudite version of "Pulp Fiction" with the Blue Rajah
BunstanMcFunkstan 1 year ago
Thanks for posting this ReverandDan. I love your show. It changed my life.
watnabe 1 year ago
Great stuff. i remember watching this as a kid glued to the TV.
It was very mesmerizing. Thx for this blast to the past. Anyone know how old he was here...he looks pretty young...but at the time, he looked pretty old to me. Now he looks young again. LOL
angelsart 2 years ago
There's always Korla Plankton
Him 'n me can play the blues
An' then I'll watch him buff that
Tiny ruby that he use
He'll straighten up his turban
An' eject a little ooze
Along a one-celled Hammond Organism
Underneath my shoes
resacarat 2 years ago 13
Holy crap. That was about him? I've had Apostrophe since it first came out. Thanks resacarat.
ObeyVonZip 2 years ago
qbert recommended- m1 approved
real talent!!
djmrmystic 2 years ago
i wanna doff my knickers to this
thehurtline 2 years ago 3
In real life Korla was just as interesting as he was on stage. He was physically a very small man, not over at most 5'6" in height. He had an amazing career, multiple marriages, and even in his final years had no shortage of suitors. As a fellow organist I met and conversed with him multiple times. He also was gifted with a great sense of humor and could easily laugh at himself. Amazing to think he got his start in Los Angeles on "Time For Beany" the puppet show.
pipeorganistken 2 years ago 5
If this video doesn't make chicks wanna doff their knickers with its' hypnotic sound and Korla's dreamy facial expressions, I dunno what will. Priceless.
westofthefields 2 years ago 5
surprise
MrAsturcon 2 years ago 2
Korla Pandit had his own television show in the San Francisco Bay Area during the early 50s. He was very popular there and performed in nearly every Rose Parade during the decade.
ancestralyuba 2 years ago
WHAT A GREAT SURPRISE..! AMAZING
lucaskarq 2 years ago 3
We first saw and heard about Korla Pandit when he made a cameo appearance in the film Ed Wood. We have been fans ever since. We had seen the Liberace shows around the same time Korla had been on TV, but never knew about him and performance art. Amazing, mysterious talent, one who was a master at marketing his "act" and his virtuosity at the piano and organ. Everyone who never heard of him that I've shown his videos here have became fans.
nitekatt2007 2 years ago 3
Unbelievable good
hammondfanatic 2 years ago 3
@Hawkeyesurfer: The melody is a traditional one, I believe from the middle east? I'm sure Les Baxter did a version of it, but he did not write it. In fact, I'll bet every "exotica" artist and many surf rock artists (after Dick Dale of course, see Pulp Fiction) performed and recorded it also.
reluctantpopstar 2 years ago
Old Gimlet, he may be relatively unknown now, but to those of us who grew up in Southern California, particularly in the Los Angeles area he was a familiar face on our local television programming back in the 1950's. Along with many other "forgotten" local celebrities like Criswell of Criswell Predicts, Joe Pine, Oscar Levant and many others that performed on local L.A. channels.
roscodawg 2 years ago 2
RockyPants4000, you seem to be very angry and defensive. You say, who cares? Maybe some of us enjoy his talent and want to learn more about this fascinating man. My comment was not made to be critical of him or bash him, but to mention that it was sad that he got caught up in an early deception as to who he was and where he came from, and felt compelled to continue it and could never really be appreciated for who he really was, an african-american.
roscodawg 2 years ago
Nope, not angry or defensive at all. My point is that the whole issue of "heritage" has little or nothing to do with success or happiness in life, and I'm tired of people promoting it as such. Heritage is fine to celebrate if you want to, but it is often a crutch leaned upon as an excuse for failure, or an ingredient for success, when in reality, achievement rarely depends on one's background. Achievement comes from planning and effort - period.
rockyPants4000 2 years ago 2
rockyPants4000, then in effect you seem to be agreeing with me. My point is not that I think it matters so much as to what ethnicity it is for a performer to be. But my point was that for Korla Pandit the emphasis DID matter, in fact it mattered so much that he felt compelled to lie about his ethnic background and was pretending to be East Asian rather than black. If he had never mentioned that he was black it would have been fine. But to intentionally pretend to be Asian was sad.
roscodawg 2 years ago
Pandit has nothing to be ashamed of. He lived a remarkable life. He married in Mexico because interracial marriage was still illegal in the US.
Anonymity was easier in those days -- a way of life chosen by many for their own reasons.
He survived. He flourished.
He contributed.
ancestralyuba 2 years ago 3
@roscodawg
I believe he was very clever to adopt that persona. I admit I was just a little disappointed that he wasn't really from India or East Asia. If I'd known he was just a black american I would not have been as interested. But as it was I really dug his music and character.
BrownBrown90 10 months ago
Let me give another example: Should Arthur Ashe be held up mainly as a great "African-American" tennis player? Not in my mind - he was a great tennis player, and that's the end of the story. Is Muhammad Ali known more as a world champion boxer, or a great African-American?
No Caucasian artists, athletes, or performers are typically promoted as great examples of their race, and neither should minorities. Our societies will benefit greatly when we just ignore these insignificant differences.
rockyPants4000 2 years ago
He was an incredible musician - saw him many times and his skill with playing was boosted by the fact that he gave great talks. Funny, because he never talked during his TV shows. You see a lot of style and character - shadow and shade - that is unknown in most 1950s TV. Very cool....
OFR 2 years ago 3
im mesmurized, cant believe this master is unknown
OldGimlet 2 years ago 4
Old Gimlet, I met Mr. Pandit more than once. He was always very polite and friendly. I was especially impressed that he would be so considerate to a teenager, which is what I was at the time. The last time I remember meeting up with him if I remember correctly was at a program being televised live from a "White Front" department store near Ontario, California. He seemed to disappear as a familiar act around Southern California about the time television went from black and white to color.
roscodawg 2 years ago 2
Pandit moved to northern California and had a regular television program on KGO-TV (San Francisco) after leaving Los Angeles.
ancestralyuba 2 years ago
thats great :D
afcev 2 years ago
Although Korla Pandit was an extraordinary musician, it's tragic that his beginnings in show business were shrouded in deception. Like most lies they trapped him in this deception for the rest of his life. To get his start in show business he pretended to be a foreigner even though he was an African-American born and raised in the United States. First he pretended to be Latino then Indian. For an interesting article, look him up in Wikipedia for the whole story.
roscodawg 3 years ago
And Bob Hope was from England, and Rock Hudson was gay.... it's not like the entertainment industry is the center of honesty and truth. Tim Allen is a convicted drug dealer named Tim Dick who did prison time, surprise!
If Korla wanted to play a "character" that was Latino, or Indian, who cares? Don't many entertainers invent their personas?
rockyPants4000 2 years ago 2
Next you'll be telling us that the characters in "TEAM AMERICA" are puppets !!!!!!!!!!!!
dorsettwerp 2 years ago
Inventing your persona is one thing. To invent your race is quite another. I see no reason for Arthur Ashe or Muhammad Ali to be known more for their African heritage than their talent. No disagreement there. But if either Ashe or Ali had tried to hide their African ancestery and had promoted themselves as Asian, Latino, or Polynesian, then I would indeed think that was a sad thing too.
roscodawg 2 years ago
And RockyPants4000, you're correct that it's okay for performers to "play" a character. But honestly, at the time most of us did not feel that he was "playing" a character. We felt that he was honestly being himself, a talented man from India or of Indian heritage. As fans, we thought he was an honest legitimate performer. Not someone who was "playing a part". This in no way diminishes my resect for him or his talent. But in all honesty, I feel sad that he couldn't just be himself.
roscodawg 2 years ago
Yul Brynner - same deal - no one worries about it in his case, though.
digitalArtform 2 years ago
Correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems I remember Korla Pandit releasing a version of "The Happy Organ" before Dave Baby Cortez released his version. Does anyone else remember this?
roscodawg 3 years ago
From all references I see, "The Happy Organ" was co-composed by Cortez, but I don't see a mention of a Pandit version. It isn't on the Pandit LPs I have from that time. Not to say that this isn't correct, but it isn't likely.
gilgamess 2 years ago
this is fantastic. thanks for uploading.
reverseengine 3 years ago 3
I was looking at old Martin Denny stuff. Saw this guy on the related videos. Never heard of him before but he's awsome. I think this is a Les Baxter song, correct me if i'm wrong.
hawkeyesurfer 3 years ago
I was so impressed with Mr. Pandit when I was a five year old kid and until yesterday, I was never able to reconnect with him again. I sought Miserlou on the internet and then my flashbacks started! What a marvelous performer he was and I will remember his work as long as I live. I am just thankful to have rediscovered it! I kick myself for not having been able to see him in person. I have been through the Santa Rosa area so many times. You are still awesome, Korla!
MugenME360 3 years ago
I love this. Just got one of his albums off itunes and listen to it each night.
capucine 3 years ago
wow!.........jist wow!
meganinjo 3 years ago 2
i watch this on a daily basis. i would like a law passed so that ALL channels must broadcast stuff like this regularly
ZuzerHun 3 years ago 46
@ZuzerHun Comcast Cable company had a on demand feature called "something weird" which catered to bizarre or erotica style features. Think, Betty Page, B&W horror movie trailers and stuff like Korla Pandit. Cool stuff indeed!
Chaosga 1 year ago
@ZuzerHun this should replace all the 30 second ads before your youtube videos play.
theCLcritic 11 months ago 2
@theCLcritic great idea xcept i dont have ads b4 my vids .)
ZuzerHun 11 months ago
ab sofort in meinem Repertoire!
welfkerner 3 years ago
His son, Shari Pandit lived on the Sunshine Coast of British Columbia & was also a prolific songwriter and wonderful on the keyboards.
Sadly he passed away at the age of 52.
cvueguy 3 years ago
The father of Exotica play the organ so softy and he is good at that.
MohammadAhsan 3 years ago
How did this video get on youtube??? Long live magnetic tape!
MammaleousMaximus 3 years ago 5
Geez, this guy gave me organ lessons when I was a kid. He also was in the movie Ed Wood playing himself
MagicJohn11 3 years ago 4
Very cool, MagicJohn. He used to play at my grandpa's restaurant in LA in the 50s, but unfortunately that was before my time. I recall seeing him on Johnny Carson as a little girl in the late 60s. Sure wish I could have taken lessons from him instead of Yamaha Music School. Didn't know he was in Ed Wood--will have to check that out. Thanks.
KouklaK 3 years ago
i cant see beacose the tears in my eyes lol
youpeters 4 years ago 2
Lots of talent, charisma, instant pathos. Truly an icon.
telecaster1963 4 years ago 7
ah what a beauty!!
Romarachel 4 years ago 4
Woooww, the first Phantom Surfer !!! cheers
Frostgbv 4 years ago
This is one remarkable video!From the antique"Snader Telescriptions"title, to the wide open soul of Korla luring us through his eyes to a place,we don't know where,but we can't stop going,the music,in a minor key, promising that the place we're going will be strange to us, but beautiful,or are we being lured into some exotic danger? The black and white film guarantees that this scene is from a far off time,indeed,another century!Movie makers would pay billions to make films with such mystique!
mully60 4 years ago 16
i like your comment;)
garretjen 4 years ago 4
but did you like it, is the question...:) yah- are there many of these "telescriptions?" Why were they produced? As movie shorts or some kind of viewer?
RobinofSactown 4 years ago
Louis Snader had live performances shot on 16mm film. Most stars of the early 1950s made them using special sets, like today's music videos.Telescriptions were shown in movie theaters, on tv, and in video juke boxes.There is an archive of thousands of them in Hollywood.You can Google "Snader Telescriptions" and find some you can watch on your computer. Magnetic videotape had not been perfected, so film was the only way to record video and sound of the top perfomances of the day.
mully60 4 years ago 2
@mully60 Amazing and completely accurate description.
ObeyVonZip 1 year ago
Don't know about that last point- I think earlier filmmakers exploited subtlety and suggestion because of the limitations of film in storytelling. For all the money poured on films now, the true art of them is diminished. Sometimes more is accomplished with less, a point frequently lost on the 'blockbuster' school of modern films. So sad...
unclejoeoakland 1 year ago
He was the inspiration for my career in music. I started watching Korla Pandit when I was 3 or 4 years old on KGO. I didn't start playing until I was 7, but he was the one that created the intial interest. He had tremendous technique and harmonic talents.
smithrgdcfm 4 years ago 5
interesting.
em23 4 years ago
KOOL!
kingvidiot66 4 years ago
I saw him in person a number of years ago at a music store, and he was fantastic. I got his autograph on a record album too. His music was amazing.
stargate1121 4 years ago 3
Wow, Im a young person, but I prefer the faster version better. Korla doesnt show any expression what so ever... thats whats hynotizing about it. He's good but I guess not my cup of tea.
entertonysworld 4 years ago
When I was a kid, my mom took me to see Korla Pandit perform live at a small theater in downtown L.A.,Ca. At first I scoffed. But as I watched his performance found myself mesmerized and amazed. He had a full orchestral Wurlitzer organ setup along with many other instruments. My mom swooned over to him after his performance (along with a swarm of other gushing women) and got her album autographed. He sure had quite a power over all those women. I thought my mom was going to faint or something.
synchro505 4 years ago 6
I was a mid-teenager when his (Pandit's)half-hour program aired on tv in the 50s. I think it aired every Saturday morning. I rarely missed a show. Too cool. And now as I think about it it was probably my earliest exposure to the song credited with the most artist's renditions, ever: Misirlou. One cannot but wonder what type(s) of music he would be playing for us today, and what sort of midi or synthesizer he would be using in place of that old Hammond organ...? <smile> Namaste
dirtpick 4 years ago 6
As a kid I was influenced by Korla. I started on the piano at age 5, but switched to the organ. My mother was crazy about Korla Pandit. We had an album called 'Serenade' that was on red vinyl.
stanley375 4 years ago 4
I think that my grandma had some of his record albums. I vaguely remember listening to them when I was over at her house when I was a little kid.
stellaluna4u2 4 years ago 5
This is rediculous. Korla is so good, it's mystifying. Check out the other videos, especially Kumar. Please post more Korla!
WolfmanFran 4 years ago 5
Google this guy's name if you want to read a life story that reads like an improbable novel.
My granny was madly in love with him in the fifties.
floridajudy 4 years ago 5