CORYELL

Whether this is the debut album or not is debatable, but its his first one under his own name and what a debut this album makes. It's actually virtually impossible to tell that the guitarist on this album will be the jazz and jazz-rock giant he became. Behind this very hippy-ish artwork hides a pure blistering piece of hard rocking guitar. The line-up consists of permanent sidemen such as school friend Mike Mandel (KB), drummer Purdie, with the bass slot still not decided between Rainey and Stinson. Guesting are old collab Amerindian Jim Pepper, Miles collab Ron Carter, while wife Julie signs the liner notes (and gets two track credits as well) and in-house producer Danny Weiss at the production helm, this debut album is certainly no accident and the very base of LC's early career.

Quite a varied album we get here, as the tracks range from the good rocking sung track like the opening Sex track (sounding like Lenny Kravitz circa Let Love Rule, with more instrumental space) and Morning Sickness (guitar as medication), to incandescent lengthy instrumental extrapolations Jam With Albert (Stinson the bassist), from the softer psych-blues Beautiful Woman (again early Kravitz comes to mind) to the slow-starting boogie Elementary Guitar Solo #5 (an excuse for a hot searing and soaring solo) turning into a wild mid-section tempo. The two Julie-penned tracks are both quality piece that do not detract from the rest of the album, especially the wild No One Really Knows, starting out nicely, until Larry hoofs it into the stratosphere with his guitar and the closing Ah-Wuv-Oh, where Pepper's flute plays an interesting contrast with Larry's guitar.

Certainly one of LC's best moments in his career that will feature many, I would like to point out that if LC would progress musically greatly, he was starting from a solid base like this album. Indeed this album can't be called jazz, jazz-rock t all, it is a pure R'nR album, and one that's highly recommended, too.

I feel some albums that this Larry Coryell made in the item of Jazz/fusion at the time of Vanguard there are a lot of very reformative elements. As for it, the listener will feel the element of Rock at this time and the element of psychedelic remarkable. Coryell that placed "Lady Coryell" announced at the same time and had digested with this album in the age submitted the perfection as a certain answer in continuing album "Spaces". Generally, Spaces of the work of Coryell at this time might be famous. And, the item of Jazz/fusion had a lot of musicians who took various elements to the music that relied on one road that Miles in the 70's advocated and derived. And, it might be Coryell to have submitted it most remarkably at this time. The performance and the sensibility of this Coryell are guessed also for Phil Miller of Hatfields to have been influenced. It is spoken that fact Phil listened to Coryell well. It might be too regrettable to catch this album as an attempt before "Spaces" reaches music with which the throb feeling overflows and the tension. As for the drum of Bernard Purdie, the style is already consistent and the Play is good at this time with Bass of Ron Carter and Chuck Raney each other. As for the situation in this age of the musician who participated in the recording, some music character might have looked like directionality. Making the electronic sound comes to expand the frame of Jazz/Fusion from the tohubohu at the same time as symbolizing the age.

Hard..complete..tune..this..age..suitable..mellow..impression..give..movie..drama..theme..beco me..anacatesthesia..drift.｢Ah Wuv Ooh｣

Album Art might be a photograph of the family of Coryell. The theme and the age of this album might be symbolized. The work in the age of Vanguard is one of the symbols of Coryell that takes various elements and challenges to these albums.

This album continues in the vein of the previous one with traces of psychedelia, rock, blues and jazz. "Sex" is a particularly wild explosive track with excellent guitar soloing. "Beautiful Woman" is a beautiful mellow lo-fi track with jazz-rock guitar, a typical Coryell feeling of time. The guitar sounds as it can't decide if it should sound jazzy or rocky, in particular when guitar run are done. "The jam with Albert" is clearer - hard rock with clear rhythm and a jam feeling. "Elementary guitar solo #5" has splendid mellow solo guitar. "No one really knows" could be well used 30 years later in 90's acid jazz chord structure be it not for its raw sound. Cool song structure! "Ah wuv ohh" has a terrible name but shining guitar licks, both chords and soloing. Not much jazz here but promising.

Late-Decade Larry Returns With Infectious, Fiery Groove

Coryell (1969) is the sophomore release by one of Fusion's foundational participants/minds, Larry Coryell, released during the great explosion of Jazz-Rock and Fusion in the late-1960s. The album's drummer is the all-important Bernard Purdie. Fellow Free Spirit Jim Pepper provides reeds, and the responsibility of bass falls on three performers: on acoustic double bass[???], the incredible Ron Carter and the lesser known Albert Stinson, and on electric, for the majority, Chuck Rainey. [The credits here simply don't match up exactly with what's on Wikipedia; someone with the real liner notes should help haha.] I'm unsurprised, but I'm only getting more and more warmed up to this man's work. Hope you enjoy likewise.

"Sex" launches the festivities (quite the opposite to how most affairs begin haha), and with the use of Mike Mandel's organ, I was launched into the stratosphere. Larry's more solid Rock vocals are backed by a steady beat, further fortified by Chuck Rainey's forward driving performance. The spacy effect is only built up with Larry's crunchy, Wah-laden guitar solo. Naturally sexy still, "Beautiful Woman" is next, a bluesy number with soft accompaniment, which opens and speeds up a minute in. Really delightful, and then yet another, much spicier solo from Larry. Sheesh... Give it a try; it's pretty daring and just damn cool.

Back into a solid Blues Rock, though heavier than most from said idiom, "The Jam with Albert" is next, and the longest at over 9 minutes. Coryell's knowledge of the guitar is astounding, and the band is understandably hot fire. Purdie is so badass, and it needs to be said, but I don't think Stinson is even possibly playing an upright here; it's too free-flowing and beefy. These thoughts only arose because he's killing it just much as Pretty Purdie. I'm often hard-pressed to be im-pressed by such an open jam like this, though really that's the context that would be most appropriate to show what you've got as a group (of individuals haha).

The funnily titled "Elementary Guitar Solo No. 5" follows and... I'm just not buying that, Lar [Come on, you're incredible]. After an exact minute of clean soloing, the band enters in for a well-performed Rootsy number as Mandel switches to acoustic piano. Agnostics everywhere, rejoice! "No One Really Knows"! Haha! This number keeps it low and slow, feeling and emotive. After one more 1-minute intro section, Purdie brings us back into a sweet groove. There's plenty to latch onto here (I had to work hard to unfurrow my brow). Some of his guitar solo here is just searing emotion. I'm certainly rejoicing.

"Morning Sickness", despite the name, brings us back into the light. Groovy. This track just moves! Rhythm section with Rainey at the helm is quick and feisty. The mood shifts slightly approaching minute 4 as Larry delivers some angularity and familiar dissonance. Finally, Jim Pepper joins us with sweet, sweet flute on the closer, "Ah Wuv Ooh". The guitar effect used here reminds me of... something from The Beatles. A softer tune, its composition is certainly ear-catching. The crescendo around minute 2 is something mighty powerful. Crazy amount of tension here. With "Sex", this is the best the album had to offer, for sure.

An album that demonstrates the early growth and experimentation of innovative "Godfather" of Jazz-Rock Fusion, Larry Coryell.

1. "Sex" (3:51) a very different version than the one that ended up on the Basics album. More like something Larry and his FREE SPIRITS might have done in their live concerts. I appreciate the energy and rudimentary GRAND FUNK RAILROAD rock foundation, the enthusiastic vocals, and the 1960s guitar sound used on the solo. (8.875/10)

2. "Beautiful Woman" (4:32) a nice stream-of-consciousness tune that sounds like something the Canterbury dudes would have done--like in the Uriel/Arzachel or Wilde Flowers eras--or early John Sebastian or Joe Cocker.. The performances are still great. (8.75/10)

3. "The Jam with Albert" (9:20) not the same as the version recorded with the mystery (uncredited) saxophone player that ended up on the 1976 Basics even though it was recorded in 1968 or 69. The single guitar is played in a very aggressive fashion that is more like the style of Buddy Guy (or Stevie Ray Vaughn) than Albert Collins or Albert King. (My theory of who the mysterious "Albert" was included saxophone legend Albert Ayler because A) the original recorded version of this was a duet between Larry's guitar and a saxophone, B) Ayler was a NYC phenom that Larry almost certainly would have come in contact with being the music hound that he was ever since his arrival in that city in 1965, and C) Mr. Ayler died in 1970--which might have made Larry sensitive about publishing it (until he finally did in 1976). It's an okay song; great rhythm section holding down the low end while Larry shreds but nine minutes of Hendrix-like shredding without break or counterpoint is a bit much. (17.5/20)

4. "Elementary Guitar Solo# 5" (6:49) opens sounding like something coming from Chet Atkins, Roy Clark, or Glen Campbell before going turning to the territory of THE BAND or JIMI HENDRIX (or future Stevie Ray Vaughn) at 1:05. This jam goes on til about the sixth minute when Mike Mandel's organ and a second guitar join in to accent Larry's Hendrix-like guitar play. (13.125/15)

5. "No One Really Knows" (5:07) composed and arranged like a classic Sixties pop song. Larry's pleasant voice reminds me a bit of MICHAEL FRANKS. (I really like both!) At 1:18 I am surprised to hear it take a sharp right into funky town with Chuck Rainey and Bernard Purdie laying down some awesome MOTOWN-like chops while a track of Larry's rhythm guitar supports his own HENDRIX-like soloing with the wailing lead guitar up front. Surprisingly melodic in all its parts. I really like both motifs. A top three song for me. (9.25/10)

6. "Morning Sickness" (5:20) I love how much of Larry Coryell's compositions (especially on his solo albums) are inspired by or titled for his wife and family. This one is spacious yet funky, feeling like something that SLY & THE FAMILY STONE, BLUE CHEER, 13TH FLOOR ELEVATORS, War, or Azteca might do. It's not bad, just dated. (8.75/10)

7. "Ah Wuv Ooh" (4:22) a quintessential 1960s flower-power rock song with flute, gentle and melodic guitar chord progression. Ron Carter and Bernard Purdie feel a little out of sync with each other. I kept expecting singing/lyrics but instead get multiple lead electric guitar tracks. (8.75/10)

Total Time 39:21

B/four stars; an excellent view into the early development of one of Jazz-Rock Fusion's most blues-rockinest guitar virtuosi. Fun listen. Plus, I really do love Larry's singing voice!