#arranger

Leon Russell started talking later than most children. According to his mother, while he was watching the birds, and something was going on with the birds, Leon's first words were, "What's the matter, little birdie, you cry?". His mother was shocked because he never spoke. Both of Leon's parents played upright piano, and when he was four years old his mother heard him picking out the melody to "Trust and Obey", a hymn he had heard at church. He then began piano lessons and learned the alto saxophone, cornet, and baritone horn in his elementary school band.

Leon said was born with 'spastic paralysis', now called cerebral palsy. An injury at birth damaged his second and third vertebrae, causing a slight paralysis in the right side of his body, most notably affecting three fingers on his right hand which caused Russell to favor his left hand and develop his signature left-hand-dominant piano playing style. 

R.I.P. Lalo Schifrin (21st June 1932 – 26th June 2025)

To this day I still love this song. 😭💖 All the voice parts are sung by me using GarageBand!

“Time Adventure: An Adventure Time Vocal Cover” coming January 14th!

Ozdust Duet - for two marimbas

I was inspired by Austin Keck‘s video of his arrangement of Defying Gravity to make a marimba version of the Ozdust Duet. That scene of the movie was one of the most emotional experiences I’ve ever had in a movie theater. It reminded me of how precious it is to have friends that see me and love me for who I am, just as I am. I hope you all have the perfect dance partners to join you on the floor whenever you decide to cut a rug, however you see fit. Sometimes, you really do have to “not give a twig about what anyone thinks.” Happy dancing! 😉