'100%' ORIGINAL
By Kirstin Bergquist

Pianist/singer/songwriter Louis Landon is ready to unveil his newest work, '100% Me.'

Louis Landon's "100% Me" will debut Sunday, April 10, from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m., at the Adriance Memorial Library in Poughkeepsie. Though Landon has previously played concerts devoted to his own work, this is his first entirely original library program. Landon was inspired to create '100% Me' by the suggestion of a Poughkeepsie librarian, who heard one of Landon's songs about playing his own music and suggested he write a whole program of it. The result is a variety of songs that reflect Landon's diverse musical background, spanning a wide array of genres from jazz to rock, even some hip-hop and cha-cha sounds. As Landon says, "The program will give people a good idea about who I am and what I express in my music. I hope that people will be moved emotionally."
As it turns out, Landon is quite an interesting man - a true original. He is the type of musician who is dedicated to sharing music with the world in a way that so many of his contemporaries seem to have forgotten.

The man behind the music
Having begun playing piano at age 5, a young Landon soon became mesmerized by the sounds of rock 'n' roll and blues, turning his attention to the electric guitar. It was at age 20 that Landon finally found jazz and returned to his roots on the black-and-white keys. He wasted no time enrolling in the Berklee College of Music in Boston and slaving over the piano for an average of eight hours a day. After jamming with various Boston musicians, Landon got his first break touring with saxophonist John Payne.
Years later, Landon has had much exposure on both the national and international levels. He has played with classical greats such as Mikhail Baryshnikov and toured with "Pucho and his Latin Soul Brothers," Rupert "Piña Colada Song" Holmes and John Hall of the rock band sensation "Orleans." Landon has also written and produced music for films, video and commercials, including much work for the NBA. In 1991, the musician founded his own production and record company, the Landon Music Company. He has released five albums since 1994 and played more than 100 concerts at a variety of tri-state-area libraries. He has even gotten involved in politics by writing songs such as "Donald Trump Can Kiss My Butt," that make quite clear his feelings about the corrupt nature of New York's gambling industry.

Clearly, he has a sense of humor, but Landon is also very serious about the goal of his music. His stated mission as a musician is: "To create a more emotional world by creating and performing music from his heart." Moreover, Landon is aware that libraries are not always the venues that come to mind when one thinks of a concert. "A library is very much about intellectual development," he says, "information and ideas for the brain. I know I am making a sweeping generalization as novels can feed the heart. However, a music concert, at least my idea of a music concert, is about touching people emotionally. Reaching the heart."

Landon says of the upcoming performance, "I think it's courageous of Adriance to offer such a program, where emotional intelligence can be strengthened, and that's what I think music has the power to do. And hopefully, '100% Me' will do that."

Louis Landon in concert
Adriance Memorial Library, Auditorium, 93 Market Street, Poughkeepsie
Sunday, April 10, 1:30-2:30 p.m.
845.485.3445
www.poklib.org


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