Larry Coryell? Go See Him

I went to the Detroit Jazz Festival last night and saw Larry Coryell (among others) and he and his 3 piece band were terrific! They started out with an eclectic set of songs that had me a little bored, not my cup of tea-which is kind of what I expected but, the last 4 songs were amazing which included a Wes Mongomery song Bumpin the Sunset which lit the stage on fire. I was thinking of the interplay between LC and the others and how it reminded me of (and sometimes eclipsed) Pat Metheny and no wonder, I found out today both other members of his trio played in Metheny's band before. Larry also did a solo acoustic from the Beatles song: She's Leaving Home that was beautiful.

This is what AMG says about their album from a live concert last year:

Larry Coryell has ventured down many musical paths, but his soul belongs to jazz. These freewheeling excerpts from three live sets at the Jazz Showcase in Chicago find the guitarist at the top of his game, accompanied by an intuitive rhythm section, bassist Larry Gray and drummer Paul Wertico. The opener is a startling "Autumn Leaves," an adventurous wide-ranging performance that begins in a post-bop setting and almost (but not quite) transforms into avant-garde. Coryell's sensuous treatment of "Black Orpheus" and his masterful acoustic solo of "Love Is Here to Stay" also prove to be captivating. "Star Eyes" alternates between a soothing samba and a cooking bop vehicle. He especially brings out the lyrical qualities within George Harrison's "Something" with a soft, spacious solo interpretation. His one original is the funky "Good Citizen Swallow," followed by a brilliant lengthy excursion into Milt Jackson's "Bag's Groove." Live jazz just doesn't get any better than this.

This note is just a FYI on Coryell and his band, if you like this kind of stuff go see them, terrific!

Phil