FunkFreak75 With 1969's Spaces (released, mysteriously, some 19 months after it was recorded), it felt as if guitarist Larry Coryell might have been a little reluctant to jump fully on board the Power Rock infusion of the Jazz-Rock Fusion movement, but then I'm sure he could see the commercial, critical, and financial success his band mates from that album were having: John McLaughlin and Billy Cobham with the Mahavishnu Orchestra, Miroslav Vitous with Weather Report, and Chick Corea with his Return To Forever project. Tapping into some of his more adventurous New York City-based friends this was what he came up with. Released in February of 1974.

1. "Birdfingers" (3:07) Alphonse Mouzon gets us started, showing off a little of his skills before the song's swirling melody lines are launched by Larry Coryell and Randy Brecker and, later, Mike Mandel. Man! These guys are all moving!--especially the afore-mentioned trio. Great opener putting it all out there! (9.75/10)

2. "The Funky Waltz" (5:10) using a "Papa Was a Rolling Stone"-like bass and cymbal foundation the synth, trumpet and electric guitar lines established over the top are nice though the weird "fireworks"-like synth flares are pretty annoying. Larry's mute/wah-affected solos in the second and third minutes have the sound that is similar to that of the pedal steel that I hear from Steely Dan guitarist Jeff "Skunk" Baxter on Can't Buy a Thrill or the horns from the Pretzel Logic album. (8.66667/10)

3. "Low-Lee-Tah" (4:17) opening with a reverbed guitar arpeggio display similar to something we all heard on the Mahavishnu albums. The rest of the band slowly joins in, not yet shifting the tempo into anything above first gear but maintaining a great atmosphere of potential energy. Randy Brecker takes the first solo. I wish they had mixed him better: more a part of the song instead of feeling outside of the others. Larry takes the next solo using lots of bending of notes on the fretboards like John McLaughlin does with his special scooped frets for his Indian music. Pretty cool but not perfect. (9/10)

4. "Adam Smasher" (4:30) A bit of a Steely Dan sound to this one with the funk bass and drums and clavinet. Mike Mandel's Fender Rhodes takes the first solo sounding like the next Bob James generation of the Herbie/Chick sound. Randy's solo is interesting for his virtuosic use of the muting device. Larry's solo is next: he's using a wah-pedal/device that gives another shape and sound to his dextrous guitar play. (It almost sounds like the talkbox tube made famous by Peter Frampton.) (8.875/10)

5. "Joy Ride" (6:08) more laid back music that allows more space for the musicians to be heard and appreciated. During the first two minutes as the band establishes the foundations and framework of the song, Larry's guitar playing sounds almost like he's playing an acoustic: so smooth and fluid. Later he gets more aggressive and fiery in his particular way. The keys are particularly noticeable throughout, feeling something between Herbie Hancock and Bob James. I like the picking up of the pace in the fifth minute for the duelling between Larry and the wah-effected ARP and trumpet. Overall, another song that is perhaps a little too simple in its basic construct: like having white bread when you want wheat or rye. (8.75/10)

6. "Yin" (6:03) more power jazz-rock fusion that seems to be trying to sound like Billy-Cobham led Mahavishnu music. I like Larry's abrasive rhythm guitar while supporting Randy Brecker's great first solo. His solo in the third minute over the high-speed rhythm track below is awesome--as is the hard-driving work of bassist Danny Trifan and drummer Mouzon. Perhaps the best song on the album. Randy, Alphonse, and Danny are extraordinary. (9.75/10)

7. "Theme for a Dream" (3:26) slow and dreamy with a bit of a feel of an interlude song from a Broadway musical. The kind of musical landscape that spawned the Easy Listening and Smooth Jazz genres of music. Larry's muted and effected guitar sounds a lot like the virtuosic background guitar play of Steely Dan's great guitarists like Larry Carlton, Jay Graydon, Dean Parks, Hugh McCracken, and Lee Ritenour. It's pretty! (8.875/10)

8. "Gratitude 'A So Low'" (3:21) a solo electric guitar song from Larry. Not very melodic nor even super impressive! (8.666667/10)

9. "Ism - Ejercicio" (3:59) trying to be heavy and ominous, it's just not working: neither the chord progression, low end, or pacing. The bass-and-drum race of the second minute is an odd and not altogether engaging motif, nor is the next heavy, plodding Mahavishnu-like blues-rock motif over which Randy's muting play solo ensues. Then there is the YES-like motif in the final minute in which Alphonse's drumming sounds out of sync with the others. (8.6666667/10)

10. "Right On Y'All" (4:21) a fairly together fast-driving song with more sounds and stylings that remind me of Steely Dan as well as some annoying cowbell, guitar play, and synth noises. (8.75/10)

Total Time 44:22

All of Larry's bandmates are quite competent with drummer Alphonse Mouzon receiving a lot of attention for his dynamic work, but, for me, it is trumpeter Randy Brecker who keeps stealing my attention away from the others--even from Larry himself. I agree with other reviewers that the songwriting on this album seemed to take a back seat to A) fitting into the genre and B) showing off the skills of the individual musicians.

For as talented and skilled as Larry Coryell was, he must have had a stubborn streak running deep inside cuz the dude never quite fit in--never became as famous, always stuck to a very eccentric agenda and style of music--even his guitar sound remained "stuck" inside some kind of dirty, raunchy, macho that sounded as if he had to make more noise than everyone else. Maybe he had some kind of inferiority complex that he was compensating for. Maybe it's because he had to wear glasses. Or because he was from Seattle. But he had cool hair! My point is: the dude never really moved to the front of the class and I think this had a lot to do with his stubbornly eccentric choices: he wanted to be different and he was; it was just not the kind of 'different' that propels one to the top of the charts or in front of sold-out arena-size audiences.

B+/4.5 stars; there are some great, top tier J-R Fuse tunes and performances here--some real highs--but there are also a few duds, making this album as a whole the kind of middle of the road.

FunkFreak75 An album with a most impressive list of collaborators!

Line-up / Musicians: - Larry Coryell / guitar, all instruments (4) With: - Mike Lawrence / trumpet (1,3) - Mike Mandel / electric piano & synth (1,3) - Danny Trifan / bass (1,3) - Alphonse Mouzon / percussion (1,3) - John McLaughlin / guitar solo (2,5) - Chick Corea / electric piano (2) - Miroslav Vitous / double bass (2,5) - Billy Cobham / drums (2,5)

1. "Cover Girl" (5:38) Larry and company with new and more electronic effects. (8.75/10)

2. "Tyrone" (11:38) impressive performances from a lineup of Jazz-Rock Fusion's All-Time Greats (John McLaughlin, Chick Corea, Billy Cobham, Miroslav Vitous, and of course, the Godfather of Fusion himself) on a song that never really invites the listener in. Eleven-and-a-half minutes is a long time to be sitting on the outside looking in, listening and waiting, hoping to get the magic ticket into the inneren Sanktum. But, for me, at least, it never comes. (17.5/20)

3. "Rocks" (4:48) the most melodic and yet most traditionally-jazz start to any song on the album, but then it takes off and speeds down the autobahn at breakneck speeds with all the abandon of a top-notch jazz-rock band that is intent on impressing. Nice funk coming from Mike Mandel's Fender Rhodes and some awesome semi-muted trumpet from Mike Lawrence. I really like this Randy Brecker composition. (So, where was Randy when his song was being recorded?) (9/10)

4. "The Eyes of Love" (3:21) an acoustic guitar piece that includes multiple tracks all performed by Larry. Nice even if it is a little more on the Hendrix & Bayou bluesy side for my likes. (8.875/10)

5. "Planet End" (8:45) back to the same combo of all-stars from the album's second song, "Tyrone," including Billy Cobham, Miroslav Vitous, and John McLaughlin. Since Larry and Miroslav get the initial leads we get to hear the wonderfully-creative chord-play of the Mahavishnu in the role of accompanist. As always, I find myself far more intrigued by John's "rhythm" guitar work than anyone else trying to solo or drive the song from the rhythm section. As a matter fact, there is a frame in the fourth minute where it feels as if drummer Billy Cobham actually loses his connection with the rest of the players! (Maybe he dropped a stick, cuz right after he gets back up to speed and really shows some amazing chops!) (17.5/20)

Total Time 34:10

To my ears and brain, this album feels like the dumping ground for a lot of "extras"--songs that failed to make other albums and were here collected, dusted off, merged onto one tape, and published. Nice performances by some very skilled and proficient jazz-rock fusion all stars but, ultimately, lacking any music or melodic in-roads for the Whereas the previous Larry Coryell album that I reviewed was one of my favorite and most enjoyable listening experiences in a long time, this album has set me back once again in my journey to love and enjoy the music and guitar playing of Larry Coryell, this album experience was more akin to those I've had in response to listening to Bitches Brew, Emergency!, or even the first Mwandishi album--too founded in the (still) foreign language that was 1960s Hard Bob jazz.

B/four stars; a solid display of jazz-heavy Jazz-Rock Fusion that sounds as if it comes from the earlier days of the movement rather than a true 1975 album would/should be; an album that is as dense and inaccessible to the ignorant outsider as any Hard Bop 60s album.

FunkFreak75 The Godfather of Jazz-Rock pumps out his fourth album as band leader and principal composer since the failed super nova that was The Free Spirits.

1. "Gypsy Queen" (11:50) melodic soprano sax leads the cohesive band through the jungle while sherpas Mervin Bronson, Larry Coryell, and machete-wielding drummer Roy Haynes and percussionists Larry Killian and Harry Wilkinson negotiate with any intruders or inhibitors to the band's progress on their self-pioneered pathway. In the fifth minute Larry Coryell uses his guitar to fight off a barrage of monkeys or giant mosquitos. Crazy experimental sounds and engineering techniques used throughout this section sounding at times like Godzilla on a rampage--or perhaps some of his radiation-mutated friends. In the ninth minute Larry returns to support while Steve Marcus returns with his sax and the tempo slows down a bit (or at least becomes variable). I am always pleasantly surprised to hear Larry Coryell play the supporting role to the solos of others cuz I'm never sure what he's going to do; here he strums loudly using his wah-wah-monster effect, never backing down on his volume, re-usurping his lead role in the tenth minute for a bit before giving some shine to his drummer and percussionists. There's nothing so shocking or innovative here but it is a damn fine, eminently-listenable song. (22.5/25)

2. "The Great Escape" (8:39) the bass, guitar, and even rhythm section here is mired in some blues-rock with Larry himself playing something akin to Louisiana swamp guitar. The percussionists keep it real, though--keep the music anchored in urban life--and then saxophone player Steve Marcus tries to solidify the jazz roots of the song with some nice Charlie Parker-like playing--with Larry standing on the sidelines in silence. Much better. When Larry returns near the seven-minute mark it is with some nice rock/R&B effects and some very-precisely-nuanced playing--almost like one of the genius virtuosi from the Motown stable. I like the second half of this very much, not so much the first. (17.75/20)

3. "Call to Higher Consciousness " (20:00) a very pacifying four-chord motif for minutes (with Michael Mandel on piano) over which Steve Marcus' tenor saxophone solos beautifully, emotionally, over the first five minutes. Then Larry takes his turn, throwing his darts rapid-fire for the next two and a half minutes before giving up the spotlight for the next two minutes to Mandel's ivory tickling. Mervin Bronson and the percussionists below remain quite committed to their sedating beat until 9:40 when everybody clears out for a Roy Haynes solo. I'm sorry but I've just got to say it: this solo is just incongruous--it just doesn't seem to fit the mellow, relaxing, meditative mood the title and previous ten minutes would suggest. At 13:30 it's over and the rest of the band charges onto the scene with a series of forceful blues-rock bursts that seem like they're signaling the end but no! Bassist Mervin Bronson and Michael Mandel's piano set up another motif to groove into--this one a little more jazz-rock like something by Brian Auger with a now-bass four chord progression and competing soloing going on by not only Marcus and Coryell but Roy Haynes as well. In the 18th minute Larry switches to full-on rock 'n' roll: heavily distorted power chords, but then he backs off and plays some extraordinary delicate lead machine gun riffs and runs as the rest of the band supports as gently as they did in the first nine minutes. Awesome slow, unravelling finish. As with all multi-part suites, this one is a tough one to assign a single number rating to. Aside from the disruption of the drum solo, this is really an excellent song with wonderful performances of a fairly simple yet-effective composition. (36.75/40)

Total Time 40:29

I really like Larry's exposition of distinctly different styles on this album but more I love (and greatly respect) his restraint--especially in second and third songs but also on the supporting role he plays for over half of the opening song. Several of his solos are more concise and controlled--less rambling than he can sometimes do--and yet there are those frenzied ramblers as well (especially when he's experimenting).

A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of various and some experimental styles of early jazz-rock and fringe jazz-rock fusion. There is some really nice music here with some very enjoyable solos. Even Larry's experimentation with sound and style are interesting and often astonishing. I can see why this album is a favorite with many other listeners/reviewers.

FunkFreak75 Recorded in March of 1969, guest artists John McLaughlin, Billy Cobham, and Chick Corea were coming straight out of the February 18 recording sessions with Miles Davis for would become the album In a Silent Way. Larry is quoted as saying that it took a whole day of recording for his guests to 'come back down to earth' in order to play his compositions as he set forth. Consequently, none of the music recorded from Day One ended up being used on the published album.

1. "Spaces (Infinite)" (9:16) Miroslav Vitous' bowed double bass is a nice presence during the opening 90-seconds but then he falls into fast picking as the song congeals and takes off at full speed at the end of the second minute. Larry takes the first extended solo of this composition credited to Julie Coryell (Larry's wife). John's unique support work on rhythm guitar is an example of one of the things that, for me, sets him apart from all other guitarists, and Billy and Miroslav are definitely on the same high-powered wavelength despite the more traditional jazz form Larry is wanting. Still, John and Larry seem to be having fun playing around and off of each other. (No wonder the first incarnation of the famous Guitar Trio with John and Paco De Lucia would include Larry before Al Di Meola was ever considered). There are definitely many beautiful melody ideas presented here as well as some very exciting dynamic play during the middle or second of the three very nicely composed motifs Julie and Larry have crafted together. (18.75/20)

2. "Rene's Theme" (4:06) an acoustic guitar duet between Larry and Belgian guitarist and Django Reinhardt devotee, René Thomas. You'd almost swear that it was, in fact, Django there in the room with Larry! (8.875/10)

3. "Gloria's Step" (4:29) double bass player Miroslav Vitous' bowed and unbowed playing are the highlights of this cover of a Scot LaFaro song made famous by Bill Evans's original Trio with his Live and the Village Vanguard sessions back in 1959 and 1960 (a song that is familiar to the listener because it has since become an ageless jazz standard). I also love Billy Cobham's exquisite work on the cymbals. (8.875/10)

4. "Wrong Is Right" (9:00) Larry, John, and Miroslav trade solos on this Django-paced jazz piece. Billy and John's more dynamically-varied playing definitely seem as they are coming from a different universe than that of Larry's. There are, however, some really nice melodies central to Larry's song that the band carries very faithfully. Also, I just love the pristine sound clarity of this one--not to mention the astonishing skill and spontaneity coming from all four of the band collaborators. (18.75/20)

5. "Chris" (9:31) like the opening song, this is a composition coming from Larry's wife, Julie. The addition of Chick Corea's electric piano is a wonderful effect to Larry's music, definitely smoothing and broadening the sound palette, taking a bit of the edge off of Larry's sometimes-abrasive jazz guitar sound and style. You might even say it offers the music (rightfully so, since it is listed as a composition of Larry's wife, Julie) a softer, more-feminine side. The subdued and rather laid-back restraint of the other three band members' performances while Larry is in the lead is not only noticeable but admirable--even remarkable. When Miroslav and John do get their turns at the front, they are still surprisingly soft and jazzy. (John almost lets himself go full Mahavishnu for a brief second in the final minute--with Billy quickly jumping on board with him--but then quickly pulls himself back in to conformity with Larry's expectations. (18/20)

6. "New Year's Day in LA, 1968" (0:20) an excerpt of electric guitar and bass taken from a concert from the year before. I'm not sure why.

Total Time 36:42

Not the jazz-rock fusion masterpiece I was expecting, the "Godfather of Fusion" seems very much grounded still in the forms, sounds, and traditions of hard-bop and gypsy jazz more than the rock-infused idiom that he had helped to launch a few years before. But the collaboration with four other musicians who were each very much caught up in the movement to inject the explosive volume and abandon of Led Zeppelin-like Power Rock into their music is just enough to sway the music of three of the album's song (the three long compositions) over into the realms of forward-moving Jazz-Rock Fusion. Who knows the effect these recording sessions had on John McLaughlin, Billy Cobham, Miroslav Vitous, or Chick Corea, but their next projects would include Tony Williams' Lifetime, I do not know the reason for the extraordinary delay in time between the March 1969 recording sessions of this album and its November 1970 release, but both dates fall into the still-early days of the Jazz-Rock Fusion explosion--and settle well before the first releases of The Mahavishnu Orchestra (Aug. 14, 1971 and released Nevember 3, 1971), Weather Report (Recorded Feb. 16 & March 17 and released on May 12, 1971) or Chick Corea's Return to Forever (February 2 & 3, 1972, released in September).

A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of early Jazz-Rock Fusion.

P.S. The two album covers are both legitimate covers from early 1970s. The brown cover with Larry's profile coincides with Vanguard Records' original 1970 release whereas the cool space-art cover is from the label's 1974 re-release of the same album.

FunkFreak75 Guitar god and "Godfather of Jazz-Rock Fusion" Larry Coryell's second foray into the studio with the same four musicians, including keyboard player Mike Mandel--the only member of this quintet that will be invited to become a part of the Eleventh House supergroup.

1. "Foreplay" (8:10) on this Coryell composition, Fender Rhodes player Mike Mandel provides a BRIAN AUGER-like support to Larry's musical machinations. Drummer Harry Wilkinson is quite adept at adding his own flourishes and nuances while bass player Mervin Bronson, like Mandel, sticks pretty close to the script. Saxophonist Steve Marcus is nowhere to be heard. Very nice play from all of the instrumentalists but the five chord rising progression gets a little exhausting after a while--(kind of like foreplay), but Man! can Larry Coryell move at some blistering speeds! (13.5/15)

2. "Ruminations" (4:17) Sax, guitar, and keys lead the way with rather complex arpeggio melody play of a four chord sequence on this Mike Mandel composition until the one minute mark when everything switches direction: moving down a smoother, more harmonically-horizontal chord sequence (at a rather breakneck pace) that sounds more oriented traditional jazz despite the active Herbie HANCOCK-like Fender Rhodes piano. Steve Marcus' soprano saxophone definitely does his best to match/keep up with Larry's incendiary electric guitar keys, usually going back and forth but often overlapping each other as if racing toward an end--and end that coincidentally arrives at 3:45 when the band switch back into a more modal style like the opening (though not quite the opening). The song then is given the engineer's fade to bring it to a close despite the musicians' continued play. This is definitely a song that helps illustrate why Larry Coryell is given so much credit for launching and test-driving the fusion of rock into jazz music. (9/10)

3. "Scotland I" (6:41) another ascending theme, this time from bass player Mervin Bronson, repeating the same six note climb over and over while saxophone, guitar, and drums go crazy all at the same time. The fifth minute is my favorite part when all of the melody instruments team up to spit out a supersonic melody line between each of Mervin's ascents. Despite the fullness of this soundscape, Larry and Steve continue firing impressive solo flourishes and runs over the cacophonous weave going on around them (obviously using second tracks for their additional sound contributions). All in all, this is a very mathematically-committed song that I'm not sure I really like--this despite the very impressive technical skills on display. Chris Squire's "Hold Out Your Hand" is quite reminiscent of this. (8.875/10)

4. "Offering" (6:46) a song that is credited to drummer Harry Wilkinson (despite my hopes that it would tie into the song of the same title from John Coltrane's final album, Expression, as it is a favorite of mine). The song is set up with a winning and infectious bass line that sounds quite a bit like Chicago's Peter Cetera's play on the band's 1969 debut album, Chicago Transit Authority. The bass is coupled with some very impressive Billy Cobham-like play from drummer Harry Wilkinson. From there the song resembles something like FOCUS' "Answers? Questions! Questions? Answers!" or "Anonymous Two" (from their 1973 release, Focus III) in the way that the guitar, saxophone, and keyboards all seem to launch into their own separate universes for long, continuous (and very impressive) soloing over the busy-yet-hypnotic play of the rhythm section. I don't know if it's the infectious rhythm section or the tasteful weave of multiple soloists all playing rather melodically at the same time, but I love this song. It's my favorite on this album. Definitely an example of a rock song played by rock musicians who are trying out their jazzy chops. From start to finish this song just feels like a treasure trove that is constantly revealing new things with each and every listen. (14.5/15)

5. "The Meditation of November 8th" (5:12) a spacious, contemplative song of reverb-treated soprano saxophone, electric guitar, electric bass, and metallic percussives all played with feeling and thoughtful emotion in a way that previews (or reflects) the works of Terje Rypdal, Jan Garbarek, and Pat Metheny. Very nice and sympathetic--not unlike some of the works of the early electric guitar masters of the 1960s. Perhaps this song is even intended as an homage to one such musician (someone who died on November 8th)? I've seen that some reviewers have called this song "boring" or "slow" and "hard to get into" but I find myself responding quite oppositely: I love the space that the band allows me--space to get inside and look at the sounds and notes and harmonies from multiple perspectives. I like this one very much. My second favorite song on the album. (9.33333/10)

6. "Beggar's Chant" (8:03) a bluesy foundation leads to some very bluesy playing from all of the instrumentalists. Man! These guys are so professional--and so proficient. There is quite a John Tropea/Jay Berliner-like DEODATO "Also Sprach Zarathustra" sound to Larry's guitar playing on this one (my least favorite sound and solo on the long 9-minute album version of the song). Definitely my least favorite song on the album and yet it's still damn good! (13.25/15)

Total Time 39:09

An album whose musicianship has little to no fault, whose intricately constructed and performed songs all rival anything that Herbie, Mahavishnu, or Chick Corea's Return To Forever ever put together, but, somehow, still feels as if could be better. Impressive keyboard player Mike Mandel seems at times to fade into the woodwork or wallpaper while guitarist Larry Coryell and soprano saxophonist Steve Marcus's explosive soloing styles (and sounds) have never been among my favorites, yet here, on Offering, I find myself deeply engaged and excited/willing to re-listen to each and every song multiple times: there's just this feeling that there is so much more to discover within the dense and complex weaves of each song. A big question I have is: Why are drummer Harry Wilkinson and bass player Mervin Bronson never mentioned in the conversations of great Jazz-Rock Fusion musicians?

A-/five stars; not only does this work out analytically as a masterpiece of Jazz-Rock Fusion, it feels like one! HIGHLY recommended--especially to any of you progsters that have never really gotten into Larry Coryell.

Slartibartfast As Larry moves into his 60's, he hasn't lost his touch. I was actually expecting a more comprehensive look back on his music. Considering the amount of music Coryell has created, that's really an impossibility. What you get is a resurrection of his early electric period in the '70's primarily. Turns out that for what I have from that period, I'm getting a lot of stuff I haven't heard. Those who have followed his career know that he went through a long acoustical guitar period and currently plays more straightforward jazz rather than jazz rock/fusion. If he's going to start moving back to that kind of music, you can count me in.

What's nice about this set of music is it really doesn't sound dated. It's rather fresh. Although I must admit I am hearing some of it for the first time.

One complaint though, the musician's credits aren't in the box or booklet except for three of the guests. I know the white haired guy playing guitar is Larry. The bass player was really impressive. And I did get that Larry's son Julian was the primary second guitarist.

Anyway, seeing Larry play live electric on DVD is great. It's been years since I last saw him live and in person, but never on electric, if memory serves. Also a great way to get to know this important musician. You get two DVDs which include rehearsal footage and interviews.