Korla Pandit?

[RKB4%ERF%EbrFacErf@bangate.pge.com]

I was remembering a great organist who I first heard back in the early 
days of TV...around 1957....when I was  about 10 years old. His name was 
Korla Pandit. He had a 1/2 hour show that competed against the like of 
Liberace (piano) and Florian Zabak (violin). He played both a Hammond 
organ and a grand piano. His trademark was his Indian turban and unsmiling 
face. He would just look mysteriously into the camera and play gorgeous 
music. Evidently he was the "lady killer" of the day. After his tv days he 
migrated to Canada. About 12 years ago he retired and moved back to the 
San Francisco Bay Area. I know that he was instrumental in getting me 
interested in learning how to play organ when I was a tadpole.

I had the chance to hear him in concert on a Wurlitzer Theatre Pipe organ. 
He was incredible. His Jazz arrangements of popular hits of the day and 
fantastic playing of big band really made an impression on me. I bought 
one of his albums which had tunes that he variously played theatre pipe 
organ, piano and the Hammond. 

Supposedly he was a child prodigy in India and had quite an interesting 
career. Do any of the other members of the Hammond NET group remember him 
or know if he is still around?

                Bob Berta