Larry Coryell - Spaces 1970 ~ software for linux

Never consistently identified with any specific style of jazz or music in general, the improvisational guitar technique of Larry Coryell has lent its voice to a myriad of styles and moods of the musical spectrum. Jazz-rock fusion, blues, folk, contemporary classical, post bop, East Indian modal as well as forays into rhythmic Brazilian ethnic music make up some of the styles he has mastered over the course of 40 years of recording and performing. The configurations in which he performed were as equally as diverse and he has appeared in super bands, guitar duos, trios as well as a brooding unaccompanied soloist.Born in Galveston, Texas on April 2, 1943 Coryell grew up in the Seattle, Washington area where his mother introduced him to the piano at the tender age of 4. He switched to guitar and played rock music while in his teens. By 1965 he had relocated to New York City and began taking classical guitar lessons which would figure prominently in later stages of his career. Although citing Chet Atkins and Chuck Berry as early influences he also took cues from jazzmen such as John Coltrane and Wes Montgomery. He was also inspired by the popular music of the day by the Beatles, The Byrds and Bob Dylan and worked diligently to meld both rock and jazz stylings into his technique. In late 1969 he recorded "Spaces", the album for which he is most noted. It was a guitar blow-out which also included John McLaughlin who was also sitting on the fence between rock and jazz at the time and the cogitative result formed what many aficionados consider to be the embryo from which the fusion jazz movement of the 1970s emerged. It contained insane tempos and fiery guitar exchanges which were often beyond category not to mention some innovating acoustic bass work by Miroslav Vitous and power drumming by Billy Cobham both of whom were to make contributions to Jazz rock throughout the `70s.Coryell was not content to sit back and rest on the laurels of "Spaces" and continued to rearrange the molecular configuration of modern music throughout the `70s. His albums had an improvisational jazz mentality with ubiquitous rock affections. By 1972 he had played the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland and cut another acclaimed jazz rock album entitled "Barefoot Boy", recorded a Electric Lady Studios which drew Hendrix comparisons. The groundwork for the band he would lead from 1973 to 1975 The Eleventh House was laid down on the 1972 recording "Offering" which also included high school friend Mike Mandel. It was a hard rocking jazz -rock album with wah-wahed out guitar and keyboard improvisations, which would become a staple on the First Eleventh House album in `73 "Introducing Larry Coryell & The Eleventh House". Towards the mid `70s Coryell began to wander off into undiscovered territory, which concentrated more on acoustic playing. He seeked out other musicians' ideas and made an "ethno-jazz" album in 1975 with Ralph Towner from the folk-jazz band Oregon. It featured East Indian and Classical interpretations as well as his own compositions, which blended in beautifully with these atmospheres. He also began to perform in guitar duos with Steve Khan, another jazz-rock guitarist, as well as with the Gypsy influenced Belgian guitarist Philip Catherine. Catherine served as a catalyst in developing Coryell`s style giving it more depth and experimentation. The two acoustic albums they recorded together, "Twin House" and "Splendid" were technically brilliant and bright sounding and entered into guitar folklore alongside his previous "Spaces" recording with John McLaughlin. Influenced by the time he spent in Europe Coryell recorded a reflective solo acoustic album entitled " Impressions of Europe" as well as another album " The Lion and the Ram" which contained even further eclectic explorations. A brief return to the electric guitar yielded two albums, "Difference" and "Back Together Again", the latter, which reunited members of the last line-up of The Eleventh House as well as Philip Catherine on electric guitar, becoming one of the most exciting fusion albums of the `70s. He also guested on albums by jazz masters Stephane Grappelli and Charles Mingus during this period and by 1979 was touring Europe with a guitar super trio with old buddy John McLaughlin and flamenco guitar virtuoso Paco DeLucia. Personal matters cut short his participation in this project and in early 1980 he took a brief sabbatical from music.Throughout the `80s Coryell became a musicologist's nightmare as they struggled to categorize his music. A perpetual student of musical styles, Coryell never stopped exploring and investigating. In 1992 he recorded some of the smoothest laid back playing of his career on a live album recorded in South America with Brazilian Singer/songwriter/guitarist Dori Caymani on which he explored Brazilian rhythmic music. Coryell has remained active in the 21st century and has returned to electric work and has become a more of a straight line on the musical graph occasionally swinging, occasionally rocking it out and even playing the blues. In addition to his prolific recording and performing career Larry Coryell has been active in music education, broadcasting and journalism, and he has even designed his own line of guitars for Cort Guitars.

Line-up / Musicians

Larry Coryell/guitars
John McLaughlin/guitars
Chick Corea/piano
Miroslav Vitous/bass
Billy Cobham/drums

Discography(Album)

Spaces 1970