# Larry Coryell – As one of the pioneers of jazz-rock – perhaps the pioneer in the ears of some: Video

- Link: https://jazzblues.eu/2018/04/02/larry-coryell-as-one-of-the-pioneers-of-jazz-rock-perhaps-the-pioneer-in-the-ears-of-some-video/
- Published: 2018-04-02T00:04:45+01:00
- Author: https://JazzBlues.EU

**02.04. – Happy Birthday !!! As one of the pioneers of jazz-rock – perhaps _the_
pioneer in the ears of some – Larry Coryell deserves a special place in the history
books. He brought what amounted to a nearly alien sensibility to jazz electric guitar
playing in the 1960s, a hard-edged, cutting tone, phrasing and note-bending that
owed as much to blues, rock and even country as it did to earlier, smoother bop 
influences. **

Yet as a true eclectic, armed with a brilliant technique, he is comfortable in almost
every style, covering almost every base from the most decibel-heavy, distortion-
laden electric work to the most delicate, soothing, intricate lines on acoustic 
guitar. Unfortunately, a lot of his most crucial electric work from the ’60s and’
70s is missing on CD, tied up by the erratic reissue schemes of Vanguard, RCA and
other labels, and by jazz-rock’s myopically low level of status in the CD era (although
that mindset is slowly changing).

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. He didn’t consider himself good
enough to pursue a music career and studied journalism at The University of Washington
while simultaneously taking private guitar lessons. 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.
This was reflected on his debut recording performance on drummer Chico Hamilton’s
album ” The Dealer” where he sounded like chuck Berry at times with his almost distorted“
fat” tone. Also in 1966 he formed a psychedelic band called The Free Spirits on 
which he also sang vocals, played the sitar and did most of the composing. Although
conceptually the band’s music conformed to the psychedelic formula with titles like“
Bad News Cat” and” I’m Gonna Be Free” it foreshadowed jazz rock with more complex
soloing by Coryell and Sax/flute player Jim Pepper. However, it wasn’t until three
years later after apprenticing on albums by Vibraphonist Gary Burton and flutist
Herbie Mann and gigging with the likes of Jack Bruce and others that Coryell established
his multifarious musical voice, releasing two solo albums which mixed jazz, classical
and rock ingredients. 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.

His career, however, began in era of guitar rock, where he was able to rise for 
a time with legends such as Jimi Hendrix, Carlos Santana, and Eric Clapton. As this
era came to a close, his musical expression took him on a diverse journey, and though
he did not receive the level of commercial fame the aformentioned musicians had,
he was still able to make his mark in music by way of the jazz & fusion world. His
music continues to influence musicians and fans internationally and will continue
to do so for a very long time.

![Картинки по запросу Larry Coryell](https://i0.wp.com/cdn2.jazztimes.
com/2017/02/Coryell-Najar_0102_KF.jpg?w=640&ssl=1)

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