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Korla Pandit, anyone? |
Tiki King
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jun 13, 2002
Posts: 548
From: Lush tropical Santa Cruz, CA.
|  Posted: 2003-03-27 6:04 pm Permalink
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....
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vintagegirl
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jun 12, 2002
Posts: 542
From: Los Angeles
| Posted: 2003-03-28 10:16 pm Permalink
Hanford wrote:
Quote:
| 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. |
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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.
[ This Message was edited by: vintagegirl on 2003-03-28 22:18 ]
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Sabu The Coconut Boy
Grand Member (first year) 
Joined: Aug 20, 2002
Posts: 2792
From: Carson, California
| Posted: 2006-07-23 12:01 am Permalink
I really lucked out with the Korla Pandit finds today:
http://www.tikiroom.com/tikicentral/bb/viewtopic.php?topic=1099&forum=5&vpost=244543
Sabu
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Jeff Central
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jul 23, 2002
Posts: 1576
From: Columbus, Ohio
| Posted: 2006-08-26 09:10 am Permalink
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
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virani
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Sep 17, 2003
Posts: 1438
From: Volcanic area of France
| Posted: 2006-08-26 09:46 am Permalink
great finds Sabs. I have that first LP. I love this guy's music and 50's television shows.
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naugatiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jan 02, 2004
Posts: 829
From: Port Angeles, Wa
| Posted: 2006-12-16 10:29 am Permalink
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.
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So_Cal_Native_in_Texas
Tiki Centralite
Joined: May 22, 2003
Posts: 11
From: Houston, TX/Orange County, CA
| Posted: 2006-12-16 3:29 pm Permalink
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.
[ This Message was edited by: So_Cal_Native_in_Texas 2006-12-16 15:59 ]
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kenposurf
Tiki Centralite
Joined: Aug 14, 2008
Posts: 30 | Posted: 2008-08-21 8:25 pm Permalink
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.
[ This Message was edited by: kenposurf 2008-08-21 20:27 ]
[ This Message was edited by: kenposurf 2008-08-21 20:49 ]
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Howland
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jan 30, 2006
Posts: 749
From: Folly Beach, SC--'Follynesia'
| Posted: 2008-08-21 9:32 pm Permalink
The Godfather of Exotica!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBbnBTO68jI&NR=1
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Tipsy McStagger
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 21, 2004
Posts: 3510
From: HELL
| Posted: 2008-08-22 05:06 am Permalink
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....
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kenposurf
Tiki Centralite
Joined: Aug 14, 2008
Posts: 30 | Posted: 2008-08-22 08:06 am Permalink
Quote:
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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....
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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.
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Thomas
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 15, 2005
Posts: 372
From: Lake Mojave
| Posted: 2008-08-28 8:38 pm Permalink
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..."
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Howland
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jan 30, 2006
Posts: 749
From: Folly Beach, SC--'Follynesia'
| Posted: 2008-08-28 9:05 pm Permalink
Quote:
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On 2008-08-28 20:38, Thomas wrote:
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..."
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Not to mention, "Korla Pandit created beauty and he stood in the vanguard of what was called the 'exotic sound'".
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kenposurf
Tiki Centralite
Joined: Aug 14, 2008
Posts: 30 | Posted: 2008-08-29 12:34 pm Permalink
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....
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vintagegirl
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jun 12, 2002
Posts: 542
From: Los Angeles
| Posted: 2008-09-01 01:41 am Permalink
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.
[ This Message was edited by: vintagegirl 2008-09-01 01:58 ]
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