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"The Tulsa Sound is many things, but not really a music genre. It's more of a feel than a category. I will argue that it started in Sonny Gray's basement as a result of jam sessions that included Johnny Cale, Bill Raffensperger, Bob Bumbalow, myself and various drummers. Cale says it was what happened when we were trying to play the Blues and didn't know how. We had heard Flash Terry's band and they did know how. Our musical abilities were limited; we were still quite young and inexperienced, so the music was uncomplicated and simple. I, personally, think the basis for the feel was mostly in the hands of Bill Raffensperger, who was playing a big upright bass in those days. The other thing about the Tulsa Sound is that it was and is improvisation, pure jamming: we never knew what we would do next; we never played any song the same way twice. Robin Zander, of Cheap Trick, once commented to me, "You don't even need to know the song!" In the light of that understanding, Leon was not strictly a Tulsa Sound player, since he composes his music, including the instrumental breaks, and pretty well plays them the same way every time. Leon's contribution was that he took the feel, the sound, out to the world as an ambassador and became its most famous and successful representative. It's appropriate that the street be named for him and the Studio be recognized as a historic location and tourist magnet. The next step is a monthly TV broadcast to promote and exploit the Tulsa Music Scene and the local players. I'm hoping somebody will step up to the plate on that one."
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