Remembering Keith Emerson

I saw the reports earlier today that Keith Emerson passed away at the age of 71. While Emerson's music may not have influenced me as much as some other artists, I had great respect for his abilities and a keen appreciation for his innovations on keyboards. My first exposure to his work when I was a teenager left a distinct impression.
The first time I heard Keith Emerson, it was with his signature group Emerson, Lake, and Palmer. I was at my brother's house and he let me check out some of his records with headphones while he and some friends of his were playing cards. The first album I checked out was ELP's Tarkus. The opening of the title track, a side-long anti-war epic, begins with synthesizer tones that stack on top of each other, gradually building and phasing around the speakers (and with headphones, inside your head). The next 20 minutes were a tour de force of complex harmonies and odd meters, mixed with more conventional rock elements. It was an eye, and ear, opening experience.
Eventually I collected and digested all of ELP's early albums, including their self-titled debut, plus Trilogy, the live Pictures at an Exhibition, and their classic Brain Salad Surgery. As a drummer back in those days, I was much more tuned in to Carl Palmer's drumming. In the fullness of time, though, I have developed an appreciation for Emerson's blending of jazz, rock, and classical (including avant garde) musical elements. His career included composing art music and film scores as well as ELP and his earlier band, The Nice. Progressive rock would not be the same without his influence, both musically and as a flamboyant performer. RIP.