The Master Of Space And Time


The Master Of Space And Time

Originally shared by Randy Culler

RIP Leon Russell

Memories from John McCuen of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band:

The sad news came today. The news that a friend in life and music passed away last night came from my wife this morning, while I am on the road. The road. That is where "the master of space and time" Leon Russell spent a better part of his life, and did so quite graciously. A shy, true southern gentleman, Leon has been in my life since summer of 1966, when he came and watched the NGDB rehearse at the Ash Grove club in Hollywood.

Thanks to Leon I got to play with some fantastic musicians over the years he introduced me to (Bill Wyman, Edgar Winter, Gary Busey). Thanks to Leon my mother had many great hours of her life made easier as she listened to his masterful piano and soulful voice.
Here is one story about Leon from my writings that may give you an insight in to what this shy icon was like as a person. As a rocker, he was a master.

While I was running the festival I created - the Deadwood Jam - one year I booked the great pianist Marcia Ball and Leon to be on the same show. Before her set, Marcia timidly and shyly asked me if I could introduce her to the man who had been such a HUGE influence on her music, Leon. I went to Leon's bus to hang out ask, but before I could pose that question he said, in his quite slow southern lilt, "Hey, John.. Do you think.. if it isn't too much trouble for you or her.. that you could ask Marcia Ball to come say hello. I don't want to bother her, and she might be too busy. .. but I sure would love to meet her and tell her how much I admire what she does. It would be great if she could come over to the bus.... and.. I really would like to meet her..but again, only if she has time.. it would be great."

I told thrilled Marcia, took her to the bus, and left these two keyboard masters alone. They chatted about 45 minutes, and she went out an knocked out the audience with another masterful set. Two hours later, when some 'unknowing' people (unaware of Leon's background) asked me 'what's he going to do?' I told them just watch and listen.. and watch the audience.. you will be witnessing a pro rock and roll master at work doing what he loves."

It is with tears that I recall that night. Leon went out and took 4500 people in the streets of Deadwood to a space and time far away. It - Leon, the band, the audience, the street, the stage crew - rocked.
And Pro? With limited set lengths due to show restrictions, I told Leon we had to stay on time with the 70 minutes. He said fine. But, in what seemed like the middle of his rocking set - last act on the festival - the clock was getting close to that limit. Merel Bregante (my stage manager) looked at me and said "I'm not going to pull the plug on Leon! But I hope he ends on time!" I told him not to worry (I had also hired Leon about 6 times for other shows over the years). Right in the middle of a hot piano solo, his glissando taking his hands up to the high notes slamming on the keys, Leon looks at his watch and ends the lick.. and shouts out to the panting, jumping, singing crowd "Thank you! Good Night" . His set was 69 minutes and 45 seconds.

The photo is from some show I don't recall. Leon had me up to jam. Edgar Winter is on my right.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Entremet

Entremet Originally shared by Kam-Yung Soh "“Like most people in the US, I grew up knowing the words to this carol and even (shudder) singing them occasionally (singing is not a strong point of mine), but never really thought about what they meant, how the carol originated, or what birds were involved”, says Dr Rasmussen in email. So she decided to figure it out. Dr Rasmussen, who’s tied for third for the most bird discoveries in the world, is probably also the world’s foremost avian sleuth, due to her meticulous detective work a few years ago that uncovered the many ornithological thefts and records frauds in museums that were committed by eminent British ornithologist, Richard Meinertzhagen. But who would ever have thought that an old Christmas carol might also hold an avian mystery? “After all, it’s just a Christmas carol!” Dr Rasmussen points out." https://medium.com/@GrrlScientist/meet-the-real-birds-of-the-twelve-days-of-christmas-fame-grrlscientist-5a8bc09350c9
Read more

Flushbunkingly Gloriumptious

Flushbunkingly Gloriumptious Originally shared by Kam-Yung Soh "Renowned children's author and occasional spy, Roald Dahl spent the last years of his life in a home located in the small English village of Great Missenden, and now his beloved village is home to an attractive museum devoted to his life and works.  [...] Today the museum holds all of Dahl's original manuscripts, as well as his "Idea Books" where he would jot down his nascent creations. In addition to celebrating his writing career, there are also displays covering his service in the RAF. However, the crown jewel of the museum is the recreation of Dahl's purpose built "Writing Hut," complete with the arm chair he had customized to write in." http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-roald-dahl-museum
Read more

Originally shared by Kam-Yung Soh

Originally shared by Kam-Yung Soh So Labradors tend to overeat. Now it has been traced to genetic differences. "Dr Eleanor Raffan, a veterinary surgeon and geneticist who studies how genes influence metabolism at the Institute of Metabolic Science at the University of Cambridge recently published a study that examines the genetics that underlie food motivation and obesity in Labrador retrievers. [...] When Dr Raffan and her team carefully examined this POMC gene variant, they found that a small 14-basepair section a little more than halfway down the gene’s length was missing. This deletion creates a frameshift mutation that results in the production of an abnormal protein where the last half is scrambled into a blob of nonsense [...]. Normally, the POMC is translated into the POMC pro-peptide, which is cleaved at precise sites to give rise to number of smaller peptides, including the appetite suppressing neuropeptides, ß-MSH & ß-endorphin, but the abnormal POMC pro-peptide do...
Read more