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KP: Do you play your own compositions about the same each time or are they constantly evolving?
Landon: I play most of my pieces differently every time I play them because of the room for improvisation. Only recently have I begun to compose pieces that do not include improvisation.
KP: Do you write out your music or just keep it in your head?
Landon: Most of my music is in my head. There are times when I write something down because I don't want to forget it. It might be a chord progression or a specific melody. Occasionally, I will record something in order to remember it. I don’t keep a sequencer or my hard disc recorder on for that purpose, though. I do most of my composing on my "real" piano, a 1926 Steinway O that is in need of some regulation and voicing. It’s fine for playing and practicing, though.
KP: When did you start studying martial arts?
Landon: I started doing Tae Kwon Do in my 20's. I got my green belt and started sparring with pads when I saw someone break his wrist. I told the other guys in my band about it and they said, "Hey, if that happens to you, we're all out of a job." So that was the end of karate back then. In my 30's I did some Tai Chi, but that really didn't satisfy me or make me feel that I could handle myself in a difficult situation. Several years later, I was playing a gig with Richie Morales, a drummer who is on my CD, "The Gershwins, Cole Porter, & Me." I saw him muscling around a box that looked pretty heavy. I said something about him being in shape, and he told me he was doing karate. I decided to get back into it and set the goal of getting my black belt. Little did I know what that would entail.
KP: How long did it take?
Landon: It took me about 5 1/2 years of serious training. I had to do some pretty hardcore fighting against guys who were bigger, stronger, younger, and more experienced. I took a lot of pain! It's Kyokushin karate with some Krav Maga, grappling, and Muay Thai. Kyokushin karate was the first full contact sparring school - very practical and extremely dangerous. They used to go full contact with no protection. When sparring, I always wear headgear, mouthpiece, shin guards, and 18 oz. boxing-type gloves. I want to be sure that nothing ever happens to my fingers, and after about seven years, nothing has. I am no longer training hard, just keeping in shape a few times a week.
KP: How does fighting coincide with your philosophy of peace?
Landon: It's kind of the same idea as “Peace Revolution!” Is a revolution possible if it is peaceful? I think it's possible but highly unlikely, unfortunately. In the same way, I think it is possible to be a peaceful warrior. Ultimately, the goal is to NOT fight, but to have skills for disarming and defusing a negative situation. As black belts, we pledge to use the skills defensively to protect ourselves and to help others along with having humility, honesty, integrity, courtesy, and harmony. Almost all of the self-defense techniques we learn are to be used only after we have been physically attacked.
KP: Back to music! Who are your favorite composers?
Landon: In jazz, that has to be Herbie Hancock. His "Dolphin Dance" is a contemporary masterpiece. I don't use the word genius lightly, but Herbie is a genius. When he was playing with Miles Davis in his 20's, he was playing solos that were light years ahead of anyone else. And speaking of geniuses, that title also has to go to J.S. Bach. What planet did he fly in from? That guy was so advanced and his work is still amazing to me. There is also Wayne Shorter, John Coltrane, Jobim, Duke Ellington, George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Lennon and McCartney, James Taylor...the list goes on...
KP: Who are your favorite performers?
Landon: When I think of performers, I think of people who are larger than life onstage. I remember standing next to Bruce Springsteen at a backstage party and being shocked to see that he was shorter than me - and I'm not tall. The way he took command of the stage and jumped up on a piano and on a big speaker box, I could have sworn he was eight feet tall! Keith Jarrett also comes to mind, but in a different way. I wish he would tone down his orgasmic sound effects, but I would have to call him a genius. His solo improvisations are outstanding.
KP: Do you have any hobbies?
Landon: Who has time for hobbies these days? The only thing I continue to do is my martial arts workouts, which started as a way to stay in shape and turned into a passion. I used to have a greenhouse and tended a 2,500 square foot organic garden. I grew tons of vegetables. I used to own horses and rode with my kids a lot. I'm a certified PADI advanced open water diver and lived in Bermuda where I went diving every day. My other hobby is investing. Do you think I could afford my lifestyle as an indie artist only?
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