Leon Thomas

Studio Rivbea, NYC, 1973

(Note: These video clips do not contain audio.)

Leon Thomas – vocals
Neal Creque – piano
Pee Wee Ellis – sax
John Blair – vitar
Benny Wilson – bass
Baba Feme – conga
Jesse “Cheese” Kilpatrick – drums

This film was produced by Karma Stanley and Juma Sultan for the New York Musicians Organization.See the audio archive for samples of three songs from this concert. This is one of two films that we have been able to synchronize with the recorded music. (However, please note that the audio-video sync is not yet ready to be included in this website.)

Leon Thomas’ career spanned blues, jazz, rock, and pop. In addition to his own albums, like Spirits Known and Unknown, The Leon Thomas Album, and Blues and the Soulful Truth, he contributed most significantly to the music of Pharoah Sanders and Carlos Santana.

Some of his most notable work was on Pharoah’s Jewels of Thought and Karma albums. He is most known for his vocals on the songs “The Creator Has A Master Plan” – which he co-wrote with Pharoah – and “Hum-Allah.” Leon Thomas died of heart failure in 1999.