In Memoriam:Larry Coryell

(Galveston,Texas,2 de abril de 1943-Nueva York,19 de febrero de 2017).

En 1950 se instaló junto con su familia en Richmond (Nueva York), donde comenzó a tocar rock y country, hasta que a los quince años comenzó a recibir clases de jazz. En Nueva York, tocó con Charles Lloyd y, después, con la banda de Chico Hamilton (1966), sustituyendo a Gabor Szabo. Entre 1967 y 1968,permaneció en el cuarteto del vibrafonista Gary Burton,pasando después por las formaciones de Herbie Mann,Steve Marcus y Mitch Mitchell. Después se incorporó a la Jazz Composer's Orchestra,hasta formar su propio grupo de jazz rock, The Eleventh House,en 1973.

Más tarde se incorporó a una serie de exitosos conciertos en trío con John McLaughlin y Paco de Lucía. El grupo realizó diversas giras por Europa y publicó un DVD de su actuación en el Royal Albert Hall de Londres, titulado Meeting of Spirits. A comienzos de 1980,su adicción a las drogas motivó su sustitución por Al Di Meola.Después,Coryell mantuvo este tipo de formato con otros guitarristas,como Philip Catherine o Christian Escudé. En 2007, publicó una autobiografía titulada Improvising:My Life in Music.

Fue un guitarrista virtuoso, con un estilo conformado como un «cocktail sabroso y explosivo de country, western, blues,bop y hallazgos de Sonny Sharrock y Jimi Hendrix»

Larry Coryell - Comin’ Home (1984)

1.Good Citizen Swallow

2.Giorielle

3.Twelve and Twelve

4.No More Booze

5.Minor Blues

6.Confirmation

7.It Never Entered My Mind.

Larry Coryell (electric guitar)

Julie Coryell (vocals)

Albert Dailey (piano)

George Mraz (acoustic bass)

Billy Hart (drums).

Recorded at: Van Gelder Recording Studio, Eaglewood Cliffs, N.J. on 2/7/84

This is one of guitarist Larry Coryell's most straight-ahead sets, a bop-flavored session recorded in one day with a fine quartet that had just played a week at the Village Vanguard. With pianist Albert Dailey, bassist George Mraz and drummer Billy Hart clearly inspiring him, Coryell performs three largely swinging originals (including "No More Booze, Minor Blues" and "Good Citizen Swallow," which was dedicated to bassist Steve Swallow), Jimmy Webb's "Glorielle," and a pair of bop standards ("Confirmation" and "It Never Entered My Mind"). The latter piece has an effective vocal from the guitarist's wife, Julie Coryell. Throughout, Larry Coryell shows that he could have been a top bop stylist if he had wanted to pursue that direction, instead of his more innovative and eclectic path. ~ Scott Yanow.

Larry Coryell - Shining Hour (1989)

Nefertiti
Apathy Rains
Yesterdays
Floyd Gets A Gig
The Duke
My Shining Hour
The Sorcerer
All The Things You Are.

Larry Coryell (guitar)

Kenny Barron (piano)

Buster Williams (bass)

Marvin "Smitty" Smith (drums).

Recorded at Van Gelder Recording Studio, Englewood Cliff, New Jersey on October 20, 1989.

Larry Coryell will always be best known for arguably being the first fusion guitarist, but his career has been quite wide-ranging ever since the late '60s. On Shining Hour , he mostly sticks to jazz standards other than his own "Floyd Gets a Gig" and Brian Torff's "Apathy Rains." Several of the selections are identified with Miles Davis including "Nefertiti" and "The Sorcerer" but there are also hard swinging versions of "All the Things You Are" and "My Shining Hour." Coryell, whose playing works well in this (for him) rare setting although he is not really a boppish improviser, interacts with pianist Kenny Barron (who sometimes takes solo honors), bassist Buster Williams and drummer Marvin "Smitty" Smith. [This is the Muse edition of the album; Savoy Jazz reissued it on CD in 2003.]. ~ Scott Yanow.

Larry Coryell - Dragon Gate (1989)

01.The Dragon Gate
02.Giant Steps
03.Sunset On Soweto
04.West Coast Blues
05.Molly's Lament
06.Back Bay Blues
07.And She Loved Him
08.Bottleneck Blackout
09.Things Ain't What They Used To Be
10.Snow Prince.

This is a strong jazz-oriented date that features Larry Coryell exclusively on acoustic guitar, playing two standard blues unaccompanied, using one or two overdubs on six other tracks and performing a pair of duets with fellow guitarist Stefan Grossman. The music covers a bit of ground from a superior version of "Giant Steps" and tributes to Wes Montgomery and Duke Ellington to some introspective originals, one of which hints at Bob Dylan. The original LP issue also includes a 16-page pamphlet with transcriptions (for guitar) of each of the melodies except "Giant Steps." Recommended, especially to guitarists and those who primarily associate Larry Coryell with fusion. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide.

Larry Coryell, Badi Assad & John Abercrombie - Three Guitar (2003)

01.Seu Jorge E Dona Ica (6:00)
02.New Lute (Prelude) (1:34)
03.New Lute (Interlude) (3:14)
04.Soundtrack (4:17)
05.After The Rain (4:56)
06.Descending Grace (5:28)
07.Metamorphosis (4:03)
08.No Flight Tonight (4:24)
09.Ralph's Piano Waltz (5:09)
10.Suspended Circles (5:25)
11.Exercise In Fourths (2:33)
12.Autumn Breeze (3:30)
13.Tímeles (7:04).

It's rare for three guitarists of this caliber to be assembled for a record date. John Abercrombie claimed that he hadn't touched his acoustic guitar for three years prior to receiving an invitation to make this recording, though he was obviously ready when the tape rolled. Larry Coryell has made a number of acoustic recordings prior to this disc. Badi Assad's three previous CDs for Chesky have all merited high praise.
Assad contributed five compositions to the session, though the stunning opener, "Seu Jorge E Dona Ica," is hard to beat. She initially accompanies her fellow guitarists on a percussive instrument called a kalimba, which sounds like it originates from Africa. This six-minute work has several distinctive sections, including a bit of her mouth percussion. Her "After the Rain" showcases the intricate interplay between the three guitarists. The moody, march-like "Metamorphosis" also proves compelling, while her switch to copper flute with an interspersing vocal transforms the piece into borderline avant-garde.
Assad's body percussion introduces Abercrombie's challenging "Descending Grace," a piece full of surprising twists. His "Ralph's Piano Waltz" is every bit as difficult, but the players seem to tackle it effortlessly.
Coryell also brought several of his pieces to the sessions. "New Lute Prelude" was inspired by the late Brazilian guitarist Laurindo Almeida, it serves as a brief introduction to the much more laid-back "New Lute Interlude." He also composed two duets to play with Assad. The wild "No Flight Tonight" features her vocals and incredible mouth and body percussion as the sole accompaniment for Coryell. They also walk a musical tightrope together in his "Exercise in Fourths" without any slips. Highly recommended. ~ Ken Dryden, All Music Guide.

John Abercrombie: acoustic guitar
Badi Assad: vocals, copper flute, kalimba, nylon guitar
Larry Coryell: acoustic guitar.

Larry Coryell - Fairyland (1971)

1.Souls Dirge
2.Eskdalemuir
3.Stones

4.Further Explorations For Albert Stinson.

Larry Coryell; Chuck Rainey, Bernard "Pretty" Purdie.

Earth and Fire were one of the leading Dutch progressive rock groups with female singers as can be heard on this, their debut album recorded in 1969. They had a powerful sound and their strong compositions were always based on inspired and highly memorab.

This LP was recorded live at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1971 as part of the "Flying Dutchman Night" and released in 1974 on Mega Records, guitarist Larry Coryell teams up with Chuck Rainey on bass and Pretty Purdie on drums for some smoking live jazz.

Larry Coryell - Difference (1978)

1.Octaves
2.Acoustic Solo
3.Memphis Underground
4.Improvisation
5.Picean Moon
6.Serabond
7.Aquarian Mode.


Review by Robert Taylor

An obscure recording that finds Coryell in solo, duo and group settings. The group performances range from free ("Octaves") to funk ("Memphis Underground"). Of the two solo guitar performances, "Improvisation," is the more cohesive as "Acoustic Solo" finds Coryell laboring for speed, a fault that has often hindered his playing. "Picean Moon" is a moody piece similar to the "ECM sound," with Michael Brecker sounding like a dead ringer for Jan Garbarek. "Serabond" is a fine acoustic duet with Steve Khan and even includes a quote from "Theme from Love Story." Despite some interesting moments, Difference is too inconsistent to sustain a lasting interest.

Larry Coryell - Lady Coryell (1969)

 
01.Herman Wright
02.Sunday Telephone
03.Two Minute Classical
04.Love Child Is Coming Home
05.Lady Coryell
06.The Dream Thing
07.Treats Style
08.You Don't Know What Love Is
09.Stiff Neck
10.Cleo's Mood.

Larry Coryell (Guitar, Bass Guitar and Vocals)
Bobby Moses (Drums)
Elvin Jones (Drums) - 7,9
Jimmy Garrison (Double Bass) - 7.

On Lady Coryell, the 25-year-old Larry Coryell already possessed a virtuoso's technique and a rich harmonic and melodic imagination. He uses these gifts here to build swirling, multi-tracked, oftentimes intensely psychedelic performances that range seamlessly across the jazz and rock landscape. The most important tracks are "Treats Style" and "Stiff Neck." On the former, the guitarist is teamed with jazz masters Jimmy Garrison (bass) and Elvin Jones (drums) in a power trio of cool swagger and screaming blues. "Stiff Neck"is a furious duet between Jones and the guitarist. Coryell begins in a driving, post-bop vein, segues to a raw, acid blues and then out into a splintered, barrage of power chords and feedback.Jones navigates the way ahead, countering Coryell's audacity with controlled fury and an assured, muscular pulse. On the rest of the session, Bob Moses, a bandmate from the guitarist's first recordings, takes the drum chair, while Coryell overdubs the bass parts. Together they calmly probe the shifting sections and layers of the title track before transforming a Junior Walker R&B shuffle, "Cleo's Mood," into a mind-bending, rave-up. Even Coryell's hoarse-throated singing is effective. On "Sunday Telephone," -- over a maelstrom of phased, fuzzed, and wah-wahed guitars -- he yowls dementedly, "One more dime operator, can't you see it's Dr. Strange on the line." The album's only lapse is the country corn of "Love Child Is Coming Home," where Coryell tries to transcend one genre too many. - by Jim Todd, AMG.

Larry Coryell, John Scofield & Joe Beck - Tributaries (1979)

1.The File (5:17) (Larry Coryell)
Joe Beck(left), Larry Coryell(center) and John Scofield(right)
2. Mother's Day (3:17) (Larry Coryell, Joe Beck)
Larry Coryell(left) and Joe Beck(right)
3. Little B's Poem (4:25) (Bobby Hutcherson)
Larry Coryell(left) and John Scofield(right)
4. Zimbabwe (8:10) (Larry Coryell)
Joe Beck(left), Larry Coryell(center) and John Scofield(right)
5. Solo on Wednesday (2:54) (Larry Coryell)
Larry Coryell solo with second part overdubed
6. Thurman Munson (5:19) (Larry Coryell)
Joe Beck(left), Larry Coryell(center) and John Scofield(right)
7. Eeuinox (5:05) (John Coltrane)
Joe Beck(left), Larry Coryell(center) and John Scofield(right)
8. Alster Fields (5:27) (John Scofield)
Joe Beck(left), Larry Coryell(center) and John Scofield(right)
9. April Seventh (5:49) (Larry Coryell)
Larry Coryell solo
10. Medley: Song For My Father / Sister Sadie (5:21) (Horace Silver)
Larry Coryell solo
11. Copenhagen Impressions (4:04) (Larry Coryell)
Larry Coryell solo
12. Variations On A Theme (2:47) (Larry Coryell)
Larry Coryell solo.

Larry Coryell : 6 and 12 string acoustic guitar
John Scofield : 6 string acoustic guitar (on 1,3,4,6,7,8)
Joe Beck : 6 string acoustic guitar (on 1,2,4,6,7,8).

Review by Scott Yanow

This CD reissue brings back material that guitarist Larry Coryell recorded for the Novus subsidiary when it was run by Arista. Most of the set matches Coryell with fellow guitarists John Scofield and Joe Beck in acoustic trios, two duets and one overdubbed solo performance. The variation of moods and the jazz-oriented material make this summit meeting a success even if the guitarists tend to sound more distinctive on their electric counterparts; after about 20 minutes of similar sounding acoustic guitars, it is difficult not to doze off. Expanding the original program are four Coryell solo acoustic performances that were originally included in the Arista Novus LP European Impressions. Once again, they are well played but primarily of interest to guitarists. [Originally released in 1978, Tributaries was reissued on CD in 2004 and includes bonus tracks.