FunkFreak75 An album that demonstrates the early growth and experimentation of innovative "Godfather" of Jazz-Rock Fusion, Larry Coryell. 1. "Sex" (3:51) a very different version than the one that ended up on the Basics album. More like something Larry and his FREE SPIRITS might have done in their live concerts. I appreciate the energy and rudimentary GRAND FUNK RAILROAD rock foundation, the enthusiastic vocals, and the 1960s guitar sound used on the solo. (8.875/10)

2. "Beautiful Woman" (4:32) a nice stream-of-consciousness tune that sounds like something the Canterbury dudes would have done--like in the Uriel/Arzachel or Wilde Flowers eras--or early John Sebastian or Joe Cocker.. The performances are still great. (8.75/10)

3. "The Jam with Albert" (9:20) not the same as the version recorded with the mystery (uncredited) saxophone player that ended up on the 1976 Basics even though it was recorded in 1968 or 69. The single guitar is played in a very aggressive fashion that is more like the style of Buddy Guy (or Stevie Ray Vaughn) than Albert Collins or Albert King. (My theory of who the mysterious "Albert" was included saxophone legend Albert Ayler because A) the original recorded version of this was a duet between Larry's guitar and a saxophone, B) Ayler was a NYC phenom that Larry almost certainly would have come in contact with being the music hound that he was ever since his arrival in that city in 1965, and C) Mr. Ayler died in 1970--which might have made Larry sensitive about publishing it (until he finally did in 1976). It's an okay song; great rhythm section holding down the low end while Larry shreds but nine minutes of Hendrix-like shredding without break or counterpoint is a bit much. (17.5/20)

4. "Elementary Guitar Solo# 5" (6:49) opens sounding like something coming from Chet Atkins, Roy Clark, or Glen Campbell before going turning to the territory of THE BAND or JIMI HENDRIX (or future Stevie Ray Vaughn) at 1:05. This jam goes on til about the sixth minute when Mike Mandel's organ and a second guitar join in to accent Larry's Hendrix-like guitar play. (13.125/15)

5. "No One Really Knows" (5:07) composed and arranged like a classic Sixties pop song. Larry's pleasant voice reminds me a bit of MICHAEL FRANKS. (I really like both!) At 1:18 I am surprised to hear it take a sharp right into funky town with Chuck Rainey and Bernard Purdie laying down some awesome MOTOWN-like chops while a track of Larry's rhythm guitar supports his own HENDRIX-like soloing with the wailing lead guitar up front. Surprisingly melodic in all its parts. I really like both motifs. A top three song for me. (9.25/10)

6. "Morning Sickness" (5:20) I love how much of Larry Coryell's compositions (especially on his solo albums) are inspired by or titled for his wife and family. This one is spacious yet funky, feeling like something that SLY & THE FAMILY STONE, BLUE CHEER, 13TH FLOOR ELEVATORS, War, or Azteca might do. It's not bad, just dated. (8.75/10)

7. "Ah Wuv Ooh" (4:22) a quintessential 1960s flower-power rock song with flute, gentle and melodic guitar chord progression. Ron Carter and Bernard Purdie feel a little out of sync with each other. I kept expecting singing/lyrics but instead get multiple lead electric guitar tracks. (8.75/10)

Total Time 39:21

B/four stars; an excellent view into the early development of one of Jazz-Rock Fusion's most blues-rockinest guitar virtuosi. Fun listen. Plus, I really do love Larry's singing voice!

FunkFreak75 Though not released until 1976, the songs collected and packaged here were recorded in sessions that happened in 1968 and 1969. The music here is predominantly blues and blues-rock with very little Jazz-Rock Fusion 1. "Call to the Higher Consciousness" (5:17) a very basic blues rock song constructed from a very basic blues chord progression. Larry, an oddly uncredited saxophone soloist, and congas take turns playing over the basic blues rhythm track as provided by front-mixed bass, drums, Ray Mantilla's percussion play, and Mike Mandel's distant organ. Sounds like a garage practice session for a new high school "band" of 16-year olds (albeit, gifted 16-year olds). No disrespect to Larry, but Ray is the only one here on this recording that sounds like he's on a professional level. (8.66667/10)

2. "Slow Blues" (4:22) pure blues. Some top notch blues guitar play from the bandleader--and I've seen/heard a lot of the greats! And pretty well recorded (as opposed to song #1). A solid blues song with some praise-worthy lead guitar work. (9/10)

3. "Friday Night" (2:22) more blues rock, this time with a little more Swamp fell and a lot more Buddy Guy-like rock orientation to it. I can hear quite a bit of Stevie Ray Vaughn in this one. Great bass and drum play from Chuck and Bernard. (I'm assuming.) (4.75/5)

4. "Half a Heart" (3:30) a SANTANA-like song that has a melody to hook onto as well as some mature structure with multifarious chord sophisticated progressions and more stunning lead guitar work (though much more rock-oriented on this one) and vocals! In the second half of the second minute. (He's got a really good voice!) Is this the song that spawned Becker and Fagen's "Do It Again"? Sure sounds like it! (9.33333/10)

5. "Sex" (4:32) a rock-sided blues rock tune with a looseness that reminds me of a Stevie Winwood song. Great percussion and bass work while Larry wows us yet again with his ROGER McGUINN/Byrds-like/inspired 12-string lead guitar work. (9.25/10)

6. "Tyrone" (3:00) Larry covering a Larry Young composition with the same lineup and sound palette as the previous song. There is a little "Walk on the Wild Side" feel coming from the bass players lines. Nice solid team of drums and congas behind Larry's impressive guitar phrasing and skills. (8.875/10)

7. "Jam with Albert" (2:55) could the uncredited saxophone player on songs 1 & 7 be none-other than ground-breaking musician Albert Ayler--a man who would be dead within two years of these recording sessions (at the ripe young age of 34)? Given Larry's ubiquitous and fearless full immersion into the New York City music scene since his arrival in 1965 my hypothesis would not be a far stretch--and with the way the musical performances unfold on this song, I would not put it past the two, either. Nice rock song that feels and sounds like something that could've come off of a Jeff Beck album of the same time (Larry is really cooking on that rock guitar--and the rhythm trio [bass, drums, and congas] are incredibly tight!) (8.875/10)

8. "Organ Blues" (5:19) the only song on the album in which an organ plays a significant role, the interplay between Larry and Mike Mandel feels very loose and comfortable: both very mutually respectful and supportive. (This song represents the birth of a long and very industrious collaborative relationship for the two.) Otherwise a very standard- sounding blues song--one that sounds as common as an I-IV-V or I-VI-IV-V progression is in rock music. (8.875/10)

Total Time 31:17

I don't know if the music on this album is ordered in chronological order according to when they were first recorded , but they almost play out like that: simplest first, most sophisticated/mature toward the end. Most all of my individual song ratings are higher than my musical tastes would have predicted. This is due to the fact of nice sound recording, great instrumental performances--especially from the often-jaw-dropping play of one Lorenz Albert Van DeLinder III (aka Larry Coryell).

a minor masterpiece of Blues Rock that might very well also be considered an example of proto-jazz-rock fusion--certainly an astonishing display of guitar pyrotechnics: each song a master class unto itself. HIGHLY recommended to any fan of the evolution of the electric guitar and for any fan of the highest caliber guitarists who ever wielded an axe.

FunkFreak75 The first release of Larry's material as a solo artist/bandleader. The album puts on display not only his roots, but some of his dreams for where he'd like to try to take music. It also lets people know that here we have a very talented musician/guitarist.

1. Herman Wright (3:21) blues rock built around a "House of the Rising Sun"-like style but with more Terry Kath-like vocals and a track (L) devoted entirely to Larry's fuzzed-up guitar and another (R) that appears in the last minute without the fuzz effect. Not a great song but interesting from an historical perspective. (8.6667/10)

2. "Sunday Telephone" (2:28) a Hendrix-like sound palette with lots of wah-wah lead guitar over which Larry sings with a Gregg Allman-like "Midnight Rider" voice. Not bad! (8.875/10)

3. "Two Minute Classical" (2:08) a full-band instrumental that sounds like a kind of a blend of The Who and The Beatles worked off a mathematical arrangement. Nice guitar performances on multiple tracks. (4.625/5)

4." Love Child Is Coming Home" (2:30) here Larry seems to be trying out Bob Dylan. (4.375/5)

5. "Lady Coryell" (6:31) a full band instrumental psychedelic trip into Larry's sex life: a musical expression of a love making episode with his wife. Did Larry help birth "Southern Rock"? Again, lots of tracks devoted to various guitar styles and sounds here--including one that sounds very much like a sitar (!?) (8.875/10)

6. "The Dream Thing" (2:35) this one sounds like an excursion into the history of the electric guitar with Larry using some genius chord progressions in his three tracks of guitar over drums and bass. I like this one very much: you can really feel Larry's genius for guitar jazz. (9.125/10)

7. "Treats Style" (5:42) like being in the bar for a blues-jazz performance--all instrumental, walking bass line, single line of guitar play. Very nice--and nicely recorded and mixed. When he ramps up both his intensity and clarity/precision at the end of the third minute it's almost as if another guitarist has stepped on stage for a solo turn. (The voices in the background throughout make me think of Buddy Guy.) (9/10)

8. "You Don't Know What Love Is" (2:35) acoustic guitar supporting Larry's plaintive lead--sounding here a bit like Chet Atkins (from a mastery of the melody play--excepting the fact that Chet would play both parts on one guitar, in one track, in one take.) Well done. And pretty! (9/10)

9. "Stiff Neck" (7:12) jazzy R&B drums from Elvin Jones with a jazz- and rock-directed electric guitar playing solo over the top. Elvin is so precise--despite being so syncopated--that his playing sounds as if it were digitally looped. Larry's free-form play, relying on his sound effects as much as his playing dexterity, in the sixth and seventh lends itself toward a psychedelic categorization bordering on that which would become called "heavy metal." (13.25/15)

10. "Cleo's Mood" (4:24) a blues rocker with a great blues "hook" and multiple layers of guitars wailing away over the bass and hand drums. Like a room of hungry cats all impatiently decrying the tardiness of their meal. (8.875/10)

Total Time 39:26

B/four stars; an excellent and very solid display of early, or proto-jazz-rock fusion from one of J-R F's earliest and future stars.

FunkFreak75 One of the most prolific bandleaders in the Jazz-Rock idiom is back with his second studio album expression through his Eleventh House medium. Mainstays include keyboard wizard Mike Mandel, drummer Alphonse Mouzon; the newcomers include bassist John Lee and trumpeter Mike Lawrence--both of whom give the performances of their lives--as well as guest musician (and song contributor) Steve Khan.

1. "Level One" (3:21) a Mike Mandel and Steve Khan composition that opens the album with something quite powerful--not unlike the impact of a Mahavishnu Orchestra song. Great hook, great play from all the musicians. Awesome start to the album! (9.5/10)

2. "The Other Side" (4:35) what play from the rhythm section of Alphonse Mouzon and John Lee! Wow! John is really on fire with that bass! I think the playing of this rhythm section that pushes trumpeter Mike Lawrence to such heights. The use of effects like reverb and wah-wah on Mike's trumpet is very cool. Larry is great "sneaking in" among Mike and the rhythmatists until his solo in the fourth minute. Man! Is he hot! One of my favorite Larry Coryell solos ever, to be sure! There is NO flaw with this amazing song! (Thank you, Michael Lawrence!) (10/10)

3. "Diedra" (3:56) toning it down with a saccharine tune that still manages to convey some jazz and funk despite some smooth melodies and easy-going spaciousness. This song is just so well put together: everybody performing like absolute masters of their instruments, the song (composed by Mike Mandel) founded on a simple BOB JAMES-like formula but embellished subtly as only true professionals could do. (9/10)

4. "Some Greasy Stuff" (3:30) an Alphonse Mouzon compostion that sounds like a submission for a either television show theme song or a Disco cover for a Soul Train dance tune. It's good: the performances are all top notch and seem genuinely inspired; it's just that the song is a little . . . basic. (8.75/10)

5. "Nyctaphobia" (4:03) Oh! Now we're trying some Billy Cobham-level funk furioso! The horns (which I assume owes some credit to keyboard maestro Mike Mandel) are epic! And then the music and musicians just keep driving the music into faster and more furious heights until finally settling into a race across the desert. This Alphonse Mouzon composition is so much superior to the previous one. It reminds me of some of the dramatic music from the first three Chicago albums. (9.3333/10)

6. "Suite" (5:32) (9.25/10): - a) "Entrance" - the first of Side Two's five Larry Coryell compositions is running on high octane, multiple engines. I am super impressed with the piano-centricity of the song and the massively dense wall of sound of this Latin-sounding tune. - b) "Repose" - the slow down is unexpected, sparsely populated (despite the oceanic fretless bass), taking a bit to set up for the trumpet melody setting with all of the subtle contributions of the other band members. - c) "Exit" - the finale starts out like a Mexican fiesta party before settling into a Latin-jazz-rock motif to finish. I'm not quite sure what Larry was setting out to do with this "suite" but it is definitely of the highest caliber in terms of composition and performance.

7. "Eyes of Love" (2:35) an acoustic guitar solo piece. Larry can play some Americana! (and play it complexly, as is his nature). It's not "The Clap" or "Mood for a Day" but it's good. (9/10)

8. "Struttin' with Sunshine" (3:20) Larry launches the band into a rock song only throwing in a couple nearly-undetectable twists and stumbles (to make it not be in the 4/4 time it feels like it's in?) The music played by the rhythm section is a bit boring (though they manage to spice it up subtly) but the guitar, trumpet, and keys on top manage to keep it interesting/entertaining. Larry is just so talented! He jus t lets his skills work on such a subtle level! (You have to be really listening to really fully appreciate his genius). (8.875/10)

9. "That's the Joint" (4:03) a John Lee composition, unfortunately, has the stiff, one- or two-dimensional restrictiveness of his compositional style. Still the rest of the band do their best to make it interesting. (8.75/10)

Total Time 34:55

This album starts out so fast, so hard, with such complexity, displaying such high levels of individual and whole band skill, that it's hard to get a breath in until Side Two. Even "Dierdre" has amazing things happening in it in almost every second of its four minutes. It's not until the album's last two songs that things begin to wane--as if the well is about to run dry; the candle is reaching the end of its wick. Icarus has gotten too close to the sun. This is yet another Larry Coryell album that I have to admit I came into with fairly low expectations but then get absolutely blown away: on so many levels! John Lee! Mike Lawrence! Mike Mandel! Steve Khan! Alphonse Mouzon (drumming, not necessarily composition). And the band leader's generosity in making sure that everyone feels encouraged to feel the freedom to FULLY express themselves!

A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of high-caliber Jazz-Rock Fusion. If the entire album were as dynamic and impressive as the five best songs this would be one of the best J-R Fuse albums ever made!

FunkFreak75 For some reason the timeline of Larry Coryell album releases (and recording dates) is jumbled due to his prodigious production output (three albums in 1975, three albums in 1976, two in 1977, four in 1978, two in 1979, and two in 1981).

1. "Kowloon Jag" (5:48) opening with some raw, distorted electric guitar chord play Larry is giving the listener notice with this composition of his that this album is going to be a heavy and aggressive collection of songs similar to those presented to the world with CHICAGO's first three albums back in 1969, 1970 and 1971. The song unfolds with a syncopated jazz-rock motif with Eleventh House's usual full soundscape and an almost Al Di Meola machine gun approach to note and melody delivery from Larry. The psychedelic effects used on several of the instruments are disorienting for their scratchy, heavily distorted quality. John Lee is given quite a space to deliver a bass solo in the fullness of the fifth minute before a bass chords ushers the band to spit out a very tightly played motif of chord play to bring the song to its close. (9/10)

2. "Titus" (5:29) an interesting composition coming from rhythm guitarist Danny Toan, whose only work before this was with Larry Young's Fuel. That's a lot of confidence Larry's instilling in this youngster. What we have here is a quickly established motif that sounds as if it comes straight from James Brown's band, the JBs, horns and all. John Lee and Gerry Brown give the song a bit of a Disco feel from the bottom end, the guitarists adding to this effect, while the R&B horns spice it up like an AVERAGE WHITE BAND song. At the same time Larry grabs the lead with his loud, distorted and compressed bluesy guitar, only spelled by a brief solo from Dave Sanborn's alto sax in the fourth minute. The song kind of drags along repetitiously ad nauseum, even as Larry solos. It's just that (8.75/10)

3. "Pyramids" (5:21) some ISLEY BROTHERS/early KOOL AND THE GANG funk smooths out into some near-Disco stuff on this Mike Mandel composition. At 0:52 it then veers down a different road: somewhere in between the two. Lots of funk (even hand claps and slap-and-plucked bass!) and beneath Larry's bluesy guitar soloing. I'm a bit disappointed as I await some of his runs but only get blues scales and deeply bent notes in an almost BB King sound and style. (8.6667/10)

4. "Rodrigo Reflections" (4:39) solo acoustic guitar on this Coryell composition that sounds more like a cross between Al Di Meola, Shakti John McLaughlin, and Gene Autry. Until the fourth minute, I don't hear much that even remotely reminds me of the guitar music of Joachin Rodrigo. The horse-effect percussion spanning the length of the entire song is rather cheesy. (8.875/10) 5. "Yin-Yang" (4:42) a Lee & Brown composition, it has the mathematically rigid (and soulless) formulaic structure that is, unfortunately, often endemic to John & Gerry's songs but it is, thankfully, livened up quite substantially by the horns section, bass and rhythm guitar play, as well as Larry's electric guitar flashes. (8.75/10) 6. "Woman of Truth and Future" (6:06) though this Mike Mandel song starts out as a very pleasant and laid back spacious electric piano-led tune, it becomes a rather hypnotizing-borderline-obnoxiouss song as its second half is built over a whole-band two-bar riff that is repeated, without break, over the course of the song's final three minutes. It barely works without driving the listener crazy because it is such an unusual chord progression and melody line, but, at the same time, it is so mesmerizing that I often find myself totally tuning out the lead instruments on the top as I try to follow and figure out the odd melody path start to finish, over and over--and this is quite a feat due to the incredibly unusual "cat squealing" sounds being played over the top by Mike's synthesizer for part of that time. Unfortunately, Larry's guitar soloing in the final minute just finds itself buried in the carousel music of the rest of the band. At the same time, I rather like this song: as much if not more than any other on this album. (9/10)

7. "Ain't This" (5:02) thick, chunky rolling bass from composer John Lee is sandwiched between multiple funky keys and rhythm guitar tracks before being covered by the horn section and Larry's loud guitar. Of all the sounds Larry's used on the album up to this point, this is my favorite: it's quite raunchy but clear, like something between Jeff Beck, Ernie Isley, Hiram Bullock, and Dickie Betts & Duane Allman. Those "in-between" tracks from clavinet, electric piano, and very active and "talkative" rhythm guitar are quite amusing--make me want to come back to listen again. The horns are sharp and well-arranged, John's bass solid and tethering throughout, and Larry's guitar is some of the most enjoyable (for me) on the album. A very well developed and realized song. (9.25/10)

8. "Aspects" (4:24) back to a kind of early Kool & The Gang R&B (think "Hollywood Swingin'"). At the one minute mark everyone kind of shifts into Drive but then they hit thick highway traffic and have to make accommodations. I like the funk-R&Bness of this syncopated section. But traffic clears and smooths out and the band starts cruisin' down the highway giving Randy Brecker, Larry (using a Jan Akkerman-like guitar voice), and Mike Mandel plenty of excuses to shout out their enthusiasm for the speed and open top convertible. Definitely a top three song. (9.33333/10)

Total Time 41:31

A lot of the music on this album took many listens in order to capture all of the layers of sophistication being conveyed--an occupation that I very much enjoyed (despite the fact that R&B funk is not as much my jam as much as Jazz-funk is). Though this album may not be quite as enjoyable as its predecessor, it may offer a more mature and fully-developed selection of songs to the listener than Level One.

B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of very tight, fully-formed R&B Funky Jazz-Rock Fusion.

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.