Leo Ornstein

Leo Ornstein is name-checked on the cover of "Freak Out!" (1966) under the heading "These People Have Contributed Materially In Many Ways To Make Our Music What It Is. Please Do Not Hold It Against Them". Russian-American pianist and composer (born in Kremenchug) who among many other pieces wrote one called, "Impromptu: A Bit of Nostalgia, for piano". A child prodigy, he came to America with his family in 1907; in his twenties he was notorious as a "futuristic" pianist and composer. He receded into obscurity for decades before his work was rediscovered in the 1970s. Depending on what source you consult Ornstein was born on December 11, 1895, or December 2, 1892, or December 11, 1892, or December 12, 1892. For a while it looked as if December 11, 1892 was correct, but now it might be 1894.