Korla Pandit, anyone?

Anyone here fans of Korla Pandit's music?
Just wondering. It's not Exotica but it sure is moody.

~Hanford

me! me! me!

Didn't he play himself in "Ed Wood"?

--cyn

*On 2003-03-26 15:46, cynfulcynner wrote:*Didn't he play himself in "Ed Wood"?

I can't remember the movie at all. Korla was in it, according to the IMDb.

From what I know about Korla, he was popular as a teen, although I'm not sure when that was, but I thought Korla was a teenager around the time Ed Wood was making movies. But I don't really know.

~Hanford

[ Edited by: hanford_lemoore on 2003-03-26 16:00 ]

I am a huge fan of his TV show in the 50s. I have seen some clips from it and they were mesmerizing. His eyes were hypnotic.

I'm a Korla Pandit fan, and he did play himself in Ed Wood. That was a really good movie.

He was not a teen when Ed Wood was making movies because his TV show was huge in the mid 50s and he was not a teen at that time.

See http://www.korlapandit.com - an excellent web site.

I heard a rumor that he used to play organ at the Castro Theater before his death. Sigh - story of my life... a dime short and 5 years too late...

At the premiere party for "Glen or Glenda?" (I think), Korla is there playing the organ.

--cyn

I was under the impression that he was a teenager during his TV show. Shows you what I know.

Korla Pandit had an ageless quality about him and looked nearly the same in his 1990s shows as he did in his 1950s shows. I would definitely put him in the "Exotica" category along with Yma Sumac, even though little of their music is similar to Martin Denny or Arthur Lyman.

I'd love to see a video of his old mid-day television show, playing the organ and staring with his smokey eyes at those thousands of housewives breathlessly watching from home. I hear that he used to have clouds rolling by behind him as he played. I hear such videos exist, but I've been unable to track them down.

I've got many of his albums, all gleaned from local garage and estate sales - one of the benefits of living in L.A.

I'd love to get a jeweled turban just like his to wear with a suit to our various tiki events.

Sabu

He may have been a teenager but he doesn't look like it.

CAUTION: I'm not an expert and I may be typing under the influence of alcohol.

I got to see him play the Wurlitzer organ at the Orpheum theater in downtown LA . (That was at least 10 years ago.) I consider myself quite lucky to have seen him live.

Wow....there's a name I forgot about....but now that you mention it I believe I have a video of his TV show....post back if interested as I will have to dig through some boxes in the ....shudder.......garage....some year I hope to park a vehicle in that thing...

His music is pretty haunting. Again, I wouldn't call it Exotica, but a few Korla tunes thrown into an exotica playlist here and there work just fine.

Although nothing compared to my fondness for Tiki, I also love the whole concept of a bar in Arabian Vernacular. I'm not thinking of anything authentic, but something that looks like it's from the set a 40s/50s action adventure flick. Silks and pillows, real saturated desert colors. Perhaps a chess-playing mechanical Turk in the corner. A Genie Lamp. Korla music playing in the background.

If only the Internet Bubble didn't burst so soon....

~Hanford

I have his "Plays Songs Of The Mystic East" somewhere in my record bins. It's one of the most hauntingly wierd organ records I have ever owned by a longshot. I also like Ethel Smith a lot for wierd organ stuff. There is a space themed record called "Organs In Orbit" that while not extremely hot as a recording has a cool cover.

I remember seeing him at Otto's "Exoticon" way back when. It was a rare occasion when he spoke. He was famous for not speaking. Just staring with those hypnotic eyes....

Hanford wrote:

Although nothing compared to my fondness for Tiki, I also love the whole concept of a bar in Arabian Vernacular. I'm not thinking of anything authentic, but something that looks like it's from the set a 40s/50s action adventure flick. Silks and pillows, real saturated desert colors. Perhaps a chess-playing mechanical Turk in the corner. A Genie Lamp. Korla music playing in the background.

Well if it's exaggerated 1940s/50s Hollywood technicolor Arabian stylings you want, check out the films of Maria Montez, if you haven't already. I don't know if many are available on video, but I got to see a great retrospective at the Egytpian theater a couple of years ago.

For those that don't know, she was known as the "Queen of Technicolor" and her films consisted of "a fabulous kingdom of sarongs, silken turbans, artificial flowers, plaster and paint in films like COBRA WOMAN, WHITE SAVAGE and ARABIAN NIGHTS" as the Egyptian's brochure said. That last one also co-stars Shemp Howard and Sabu.

Don't expect any great acting, but your eyes will be dazzled.

[ Edited by: vintagegirl on 2003-03-28 22:18 ]

I really lucked out with the Korla Pandit finds today:
http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=1099&forum=5&vpost=244543

Sabu

Korla Pandit was most definitely Exotica!! Even though Exotica as a term of reference was not used yet until Martin Denny's "Exotica" album was released in 1956, Korla paved the way with his exotic instrumentation and rhythms.

Sabu, glad to hear you are a Korla Pandit fan as well. Thanks for posting those cool pictures on the link above. That Sears brochure kicks butt!!

Look for more Korla Pandit information during my seminar on Exotica Music at the Hukilau this year!!!

Cheers and Mahalo,
Jeff

great finds Sabs. I have that first LP. I love this guy's music and 50's television shows.

Here's a tidbit I just discovered. Korla Pandit was actually an African American born in St Louis under the moniker John Roland Redd.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korla_Pandit

The source is debatable but now Amy Camus has some competition.

I'm very much a fan of Korla Pandit! I even just like saying his name.... "Korla Pandit..." Superb organist and not as well known today as he should be.

As far as his African American heritage, that's been confirmed, not by Wikipedia, but by biographer David DeClue, on Pandit's own website - http://www.korlapandit.com/historyparttwo.htm

Like many African Americans, he was racially mixed.

To me, his whole story is fascinating.

[ Edited by: So_Cal_Native_in_Texas 2006-12-16 15:59 ]

Korla Pandit was likely my earliest musical influence. A couple of years ago a friend of mine who has a second hand store called me up and told me he had just bought part of Korla's estate...it's a long story from there, but I bought all the items he had..rare live recording...videos..slides..stage clothing and props..paintings..and the original mold that was used to make the busts of Korla he used on his show. As a result of this purchase I got to know Verne Langdon who was a close friend and student of Korla's. I sold some items to him..loaned and gave him some as well..many of which now appear on the Korla Pandit web site run by Verne and Freek Kinkler. The happiest moment we had was finding a painting of Korla that his ex wife Beryl had done many years ago..Verne knew her and how much she wanted the painting.. we sent the painting to her which helped to make her last days on this rock a little happier. Verne now owns the original mold for the Korla bust and made one for me..photo attached. Korla's music while not exotica in the south seas sense, is in my opinion, one of the earliest and deepest roots of the exotica style..the true godfather of the movement.

[ Edited by: kenposurf 2008-08-21 20:27 ]

[ Edited by: kenposurf 2008-08-21 20:49 ]

The Godfather of Exotica!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBbnBTO68jI&NR=1

you can actually find his music on itunes, much to my suprise......i have an old album of his around here somewhere but his best stuff was put out by dionysis records(?) years ago....that's when they used to run videos of his old shows on a big screen during some of the earlier west coast tiki events....love the turban and the giant gem....

On 2008-08-22 05:06, Tipsy McStagger wrote:

you can actually find his music on itunes, much to my suprise......i have an old album of his around here somewhere but his best stuff was put out by dionysis records(?) years ago....that's when they used to run videos of his old shows on a big screen during some of the earlier west coast tiki events....love the turban and the giant gem....

Verne Langon has released two Korla Pandit cd's. They are the best one's I've found. I own most of Korla's vinyl issues, most of the same titles can be found on ebay often at great prices.

On 2008-08-21 21:32, Howland wrote:
The Godfather of Exotica!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBbnBTO68jI&NR=1

That is a great mini- (two mins.) documentary! Thanks for the link. The narrator's text is intelligent, and cites not only Pandit's "self-invention" and blending and obscuring of racial and cultural identities, but also notes that he "assumed an androgynous mask long before David Bowie..."

On 2008-08-28 20:38, Thomas wrote:

On 2008-08-21 21:32, Howland wrote:
The Godfather of Exotica!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBbnBTO68jI&NR=1

That is a great mini- (two mins.) documentary! Thanks for the link. The narrator's text is intelligent, and cites not only Pandit's "self-invention" and blending and obscuring of racial and cultural identities, but also notes that he "assumed an androgynous mask long before David Bowie..."

Not to mention, "Korla Pandit created beauty and he stood in the vanguard of what was called the 'exotic sound'".

Before Korla took on his Indian persona, he played with The Sons Of The Pioneers where he was know as Cactus Korla.
Godfather of Exotica and also I believe created the first of what we now call music videos....

I love Korla, but he didn't invent the music video. Soundies were already being produced by 1941, several years before Korla went on TV in 1948 (the same year that another Exotica legend, eden ahbez, had his first hit with "Nature Boy.")The"telescriptions" to which you may be referring were actually produced by Louis Snader in the early 50s. Korla was one of the many artists for which he produced "music videos." Both Soundies and Telescriptions were shot on film, but the Soundies usually had the music dubbed over and presented in public places while the Telescriptions were performances shot for TV in which both visual and audio were recorded live.

[ Edited by: vintagegirl 2008-09-01 01:58 ]

On 2008-08-29 12:34, kenposurf wrote:
Before Korla took on his Indian persona, he played with The Sons Of The Pioneers where he was know as Cactus Korla.
Godfather of Exotica and also I believe created the first of what we now call music videos....

Thanks for the info...interesting that he never spoke a word on his show but captivated his audience just the same....btw: just posted some sealed Korla Lp's on the marketplace forum..shameless plug :)

I am late to the Korla Pandit appreciation club, and really only knew him from his Ed Wood cameo until digging a little deeper into his music and history. I figured there had to be some old threads about him on TC.

For any Frank Zappa fans there is an interesting nod to Korla (as "Korla Plankton") in the lyrics to Excentrifugal Forz off of the Apostrophe(') album:

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