LARRY CORYELL

The first of Larry Coryell's solo material, Lady Coryell hit the shelves a year after the sole release by Jazz Rock foundations The Free Spirits (Out of Sight and Sound, 1967), and it features throughout that group's drummer, Bob Moses. On two of the tracks, though, is veteran Jazz drummer Elvin Jones, probably best known for his direct association with John Coltrane, who had unfortunately passed away in '67. This was my second listen to Lady Coryell. Certainly no regrets there.

When "Herman Wright" begins, it's certainly plenty familiar, and yet is stylistically mysterious to me. The guitar has a strange, synthetic buzz. Vocally and, in part, compositionally, it weirdly reminds me most immediately of Procol Harum [I feel the best descriptor I could give it was 'soulful']. I know I've heard Larry's voice before, but on Lady Coryell it's all him. We then enter plenty familiar territory on "Sunday Telephone", a groovin' Blues Rock. Larry is a killer guitarist, as many on the site can verify, and his solo carries on that buzzing, fuzzing Wah throughout. Up next is one that I recall enjoying before, "Two Minute Classical", a flow of chords over a light, straightforward beat. Certainly in the context of a late-60s Rock ensemble, the title tells it all. Killer solo here at the end.

"Love Child is Coming Home" takes all semblance of what you'll think this album is about and just about throws that out the window. This is a drunk-lilt Country song, end of the day. Not the greatest exploration of this kind that I've heard in the world of Jazz; I mean, have you heard Gary Burton's Tennessee Firebird?! The track here's not terrible, I do suppose, but I'm not itchin' to hear this number ever again. Happily we turn to our title track, "Lady Coryell", at first a mix of American folk tradition and Avant-garde classical. Larry is on the guitar and the bass on this one (bass is actually only ever covered by someone else, Jimmy Garrison, on one track). I quite like this one. It has a sort of driving, rolling quality to it. There are sonic moments that feel way ahead of their time; especially with some of the dissonance experienced in the start, I honestly was thinking of Polvo(!). The obvious context here is actually moreso Psychedelia at large, but I feel the drone starting in minute 3 is straight-up Raga. As we approach the end, the mix of constant arpeggiated guitar and solo guitar meet in a swirling vortex. Seriously, with the Polvo thought, this could totally be perceived as proto-Math Rock, through and through.

We then get Bluesy meditative on the aptly titled "The Dream Thing", another which has a 'sonic signature' that feels so ahead of its time! Absolutely amazing sound. Check it! On the other side of The Blues, so to speak, is "Treats Style", a familiar guitar-led Post-Bop perhaps? Hard for me to say... As much as the Blues style at large does little to please little ol' me, the sound of this'n is pretty nice. And time and again, Larry proves himself to be one of the greats. Happily even so, we turn to melancholy on "You Don't Know What Love Is". Sweet and warm electric soloing cleanly slides across perfectly understated acoustic guitar. Truly delicious stuff.

As we approach the end, we next have "Stiff Neck", similarly sparse as the rest. I feel stylistically, Larry Coryell sounds a bit like Pat Martino here; truly Bop-inspired, despite its minimal mix. Around minute 2, he flips the switch and we get some dirty distortion, although nothing else, in composition or performance, really changed. Kind of struck me odd, I guess. We fill out the headphones finally once more on our last track, "Cleo's Mood", a song approaching something rather dramatic and, if I may say so, sexy. Ooooh, is that a backtracked guitar solo?! Always a treat to hear something like this, regardless of when and where, amirite? Thank you, George Harrison, perhaps? [I think George goes for a backtracked-solo hattrick on Revolver 2 years prior...] Another track with little compositional substance, but the soloing throughout had its moments (like around 2:15 to 3:15).

All in all, a pretty solid solo debut. But it felt a little too 'solo' to me, if you know what I mean. Cool ideas, but I wish they were fleshed out a tad more at times.

True Rate: 3.25/5.00

Larry Coryell Leads Us into 'The Next Big Thing' With this Jazzy, Soulful Rock Group!

I hadn't realized until today, while getting ready to listen through and review another by the great Larry Coryell, that The Free Spirits was neatly tucked away as part of his discography: I accept! It really can't be understated the sheer monumental necessity of early albums such as this one, Out of Sight and Sound, this short-lived group's sole release. [See my note below for some of my usual recommendations in the pantheon of early Jazz Rock/Fusion. This will be a review of the 2006 remaster edition with one bonus track.]

In the most rambunctious, high-energy way possible, Out of Sight starts off with "Don't Look Now", with rapid drumming and a mix that is filled out from headphone to headphone. The horns are awesome. There's something about the vocal melodies that speak more to whiteness, sounding a bit like Roots Rock (or a bit like the Rolling Stones, really). As I feel is true for much of this album, given its time and place, it's hard to say how much this will appeal to the Fusion fandom as 'pure' Jazz Fusion. Up next is a favorite of mine. "I'm Gonna Be Free", with Coryell playing, according to liner notes, an actual sitar, is naturally a psychedelic Raga-inspired piece! Drums are minimal and cymbal-based as the bass, sitar and guitar drone beneath, playing some two or three chords. The solo instrument heard throughout, even during verses, is flute performed by Jim Pepper. Good melodies.

"Ibod" is next with a sparse verse over soft acoustic guitar arpeggios and a booming bassline. The use of the horn section as it comes in around minute 1 is just delicious. Ultimately, this is a Blues number. Again, quite like it, but it isn't what we know of as 'Fusion', and at most barely passes for what we know as 'Jazz Rock' [not so uncommon throughout]. Up next, for a positive turn, we have "Sunday Telephone", which has a lot going for it! This has awesome vocal and instrumental melody (Got the hook!), a groovy beat and then... Pepper brings on the tenor sax for an at-first free solo. This is followed by a Beat-inspired (like, maybe Beatles-inspired) guitar solo and riff. Continuing in this admittedly Psychedelic/Jangle Pop-inspired style, we have "Blue Water Mother". For another angle, if "Sunday Telephone" sounded like proto-Gong [as it did to me], this song could be a Soft Machine tune. Great melody, which is itself jumbled up during the verses with... just a weird cacophony of vocals at times. Decent harmonies, though.

Returning to The East, we have "Girl of the Mountain", which sort of shifts into Western folksy. Nice vocal performance from, I assume, Chip Baker. Some more great, memorable melodies, but all over a very light, clean ensemble. Overall, it was fleeting. And then we pick things back up with the guitar-driven "Cosmic Daddy Dancer". Close harmonies rap over a quick, at times wild, beat as Larry solos on top. Then we get a much- welcomed sax solo from Pepper, as he flies across the left-side speaker. I think folks'll like this'n. The next one is likely my favorite from The Free Spirits, "Bad News Cat". This song just has a great melody, with killer close harmonies. Maybe sonically similar to the Mod Soul of early The Who? Or like the Small Faces? Anyway, I love this one. Jazzy Pop Rock, basically.

"Storm" is a sultry number. I love these vocals! Geeze. Pepper returns to soloing on flute, over a sort of Bossa Nova something. Seriously, simply delish. This is followed by "Early Mornin' Fear". Again with the great close harmonies(!), this one has sort of an R&B vibe. And then we get a searing, then blissful sax solo. Super rockin' at the end! Yeeeee!!! Total shift in feeling then on the soft, sweet, melancholic "Angels Can't Be True". Not a fantastic song, in my opinion, but the saxophone, as should now come as no surprise, is just great. Its strongest moments are in what sound like the bridge, approaching minute 2. "Tattoo Man" next is a pretty great White R&B track. Bobby Moses on drums really shines here; he's had his moments, but it's really workin' here. Finally, we have the bonus track "I Feel a Song", which has a very live sound to it. The vocals and guitar are echoey and distant and the result is much muddier and lo-fi. Nice sound. I feel I detect piano? It's hard to say. The ending is quite cool, to say the least.

Despite this album coming down for me to an exact True Rate of 3.5/5.0 track-to-track averaged, I wholeheartedly believe in the significance of this album: Excellent addition, ladies and gentlemen. An excellent addition. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Though preceding most all Fusion, The Free Spirits' Out of Sight and Sound is contemporary to the absolute earliest that Jazz Fusion and Jazz Rock had to offer in the late-60s: Duster and Lofty Fake Anagram (Gary Burton, 1967), Child is Father to the Man and Blood, Sweat & Tears (BS&T, '68), Song of Innocence (David Axelrod, '68, !!!), Those Who are About to Die Salute You and Valentyne Suite (Colosseum, '69), Uncle Meat and Hot Rats (Frank Zappa), Chicago Transit Authority (Chicago, '69), Miles Davis' electric band(s) but I always think specifically Emergency! (Tony Williams, '69, !!!) and Elastic Rock (Nucleus, '70, !!!). Before even this, the only work I can ever think of truly coming before this, which I do broadly recommend--though more R&B than it is Rock--is The Graham Bond Organisation's The Sound of 65 (indeed, from '65) featuring none other than Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker, even before the idea of Cream, I must assume, and saxophonist Dick Heckstall-Smith. This is always worth a mention when talking about the genre's foundations. Let's call that 'Vital Information' ;)

This career move or step is a bit surprising considering Coryell's roots in jazz for last decades. What we get here is neither a post-bop, nor fusion, nor contemporary jazz, this is late 60's psychedelic jazz- rock, which is quite straightforward in compositions but intricate in playing and sometimes intensity. It's nice to hear Coryell soloing, riffing and accompanying and bringing the rough touch. Psychedelic Hammond addition in a few numbers like the title track is excellent. Drumming is solid and reminiscent of late 60's intensity. Two acoustic numbers "Clear skies" and "First day of autumn" do not fit into this style but provide a 180 degree turn. There are even traces of hard rock like riffing on "Stadium Wave".

The second album with Coryell, White and Bailey has the same concept as the predecessor - the mixture of rock and blues numbers played with a dose of jazz but rooted in rock spirit. Coryell's guitar sounds raw but with the fusion feeling. Bailey gives a busy bass punch with nice solos like on the first track "Judith loves jazz". It's also representative of White's drumming with plenty of changes. "Manic depression" captures the 60's spirit genuinely with Coryell being already experienced. Bailey and White add extra chops so the track feels even busier.

"Door #7" has plenty of felt improvisations by the guitar and bass, similar to "Drums and bass" (this one is without Coryell) and "Electric Jam". On the other hand, Coryell also gives solo on acoustic guitar with "Jake's lullaby" which goes 180 degrees away from the rest of the stuff - it's a beautiful stripped down ballad. Though musicians put more stress on improvisations than on the previous albums, the album is not necessarily more memorable. It will be mostly enjoyed by musicians fans who enjoy instumental candies and groove feeling that the band had.

Having found yet another fusion superstar line-up, I think it's for the first time that Coryell plays together with Victor Bailey and Lenny White. Focus is on rhythmic tracks, not surprisingly. Bailey is an equal partner to Coryell, not afraid to play solos or ornately. White delivers pulsating rhythm, not overly fast but busy enough. Is it fusion or jazz-rock? I would say, a very accessible fusion.

There are some more straightforward almost rocking tracks like Coryell's "BB Blues" that have more groove and heaviness more than jazz elements. Notable covers include "So what" which is more sterile than the original naturally due to only 3 instruments and limited octave playing. "Black dog" by Led Zeppelin is less interesting being playing in a hard-rock style, the most notable difference being variable intensity and mildly interesting guitar solo in the middle part. "Born under a bad sign" is a bluesy cover with subdued jazz elements, the most interesting playing challenge is the bass solo. "Low Blow" is a highlight from a Bailey's solo album with great motive and fusion playing.

One of the heaviest solo efforts by Coryell from his 2000's output but not essential.

Tricycles features unsurprisingly 3 musicians on the record: the drummer and bass player come from the Pat Metheny band. The presence of Mark Egan is quite unexpected since his music direction went into an opposite, more relaxed and atmospheric direction than Coryell's. Egan's playing is quite fast recognized in general and here he is again irresistible on his fretless bass not trying to copy the post-bop style of the covers. The drummer is reliable and inclines towards modern jazz, too, he offers several tasty transitions.

Coryell plays splendidly, with lyricism and tenderness where it's needed like on the Beatles cover. Most of tracks are fast-paced which allows player for some fusion elements to sneak it. The selection of tracks is a mixture of older Coryell's originals but also two compositions by Thelonious Monk which had been played 1000-times somewhere else so I would have expected less known covers.

Anyways, great playing by Coryell in particular.

Coryell teams up with three other jazzmen to form a quartet with piano, bass and drums. On the playlist are mainly jazz covers by jazz masters. Coryell's playing is masterful as always, with lyricism and attention to details. Bass and drums get their space on stage, too.

Piano playing is competent but I feel that Coryell brings more fantasy and finesse. "What's new" has a dreamy landscape especially thanks to the very tasteful guitar. Another highlight is the sole guitar on "Shapes" that defies the post-bop categorization and closes the album on a thoughtful note. Hard to pick a standout track from here, it's more about the impression after listening to it all. Do not expect fusion playing here.

Another Indian music inspired album with enough space for each musician. This time, I have the feeling that music is more melodic than on other Coryell Indian releases, maybe it's also more straightforward. "Kawloog Jag" is a former Eleventh House number, of course more laid back this time and Coryell doesn't explode on his guitar either. "Trem Brazil-India" combines two different music heritages. "Sunrise" has an interesting Oriental tonality. "Song of the swan" has a subdued but catchy and urging rhythm pattern, this track could be closer to fusion than the rest. It's a decent spiritual album of great playing and spiritual atmosphere.

— First review of this album —

Coryell and his young band perform another set of standards. The good thing about the album is that the sound is varied as we can hear stripped down acoustic guitar, trumpet with piano and vibraphone at its full strength, or jazz quartet without bras instruments. The mood is relaxed and playful. "Bags' groove" gives space for each from the band members to shine through so it's really a band effort. On other tracks, it's mainly the lead by guitar and piano. "Old folks" is a nostalgic duet between the trumpet and guitar, while "New High" has traces of fusion or Miles Davis' late 60's era.

The first family effort by Coryells is mainly a laid-back effort save for the first "Sentenza del core" where the three join forces on three acoustic guitars. Besides that we have an interesting male voice, possibly by one of the young Coryells. The vocal makes this album one of the most interesting vocal CDs by Coryell (there weren't many). In fact, it's often more interesting than the lazy atmospheric guitar playing that is not so typical for Coryell albums. Those expecting post-bop, fusion or typical acoustic music by Coryell will be disappointed since this is prevailingly a mixture of easy-going acoustic and sung songs without much substance. The two Eleventh House covers are OK but not something you would want to hear multiple times after you've heard the original. Another problem of this album is its length considering the lower material quality.

Good for Coryell completionists or fans of laid-back acoustic music.