LARRY CORYELL — Fairyland (review)

LARRY CORYELL — Fairyland album cover Live album · 1972 · Fusion Buy this album from MMA partners
3/5 ·
Sean Trane
Although this album was released on the unusual (for Larry Coryell) label Zodiac in 76, the album was recorded live at the Montreux festival but it's not specified the year anywhere on the vinyl , but my guess would 70, given the Rainy (bass) and Purdie (drums) line-up (they're not mentioned on the sleeve either) and the music developed being very close of an Hendrix-ey blues-jazz-rock that is also present on the Village Gate album. With a weird electrical fantasy artwork, the sleeve also claims the some previously- released material, but I have yet to encounter it.

Just four tracks spread unevenly (timewise) over the two sides, the second of which is only clocking at 14 minutes. Funnily enough the track names given on the sleeve don't follow the names Larry announces during the concert. Go figure! The opening almost 10 mins Souls Dirge is a brilliant jazz-blues exploration that shows us what Hendrix might have done in his first steps in the jazz direction as he had intended to go before his death. Larry is brilliant at imitating jimmy but fails to better his work, but Larry shows his nice voice. The following Eksdalemuir is more of the same, but here the track is instrumental.

The flipside shows a slightly different facet, where the blues is much less present, Larry doing some amazing soloing stretching the boundaries of dissonance. Both Stone and and Further Explorations are explosive tracks that are not far away from Guru Guru's UFO album minus the space rock sounds and this flipside is definitely more progressive than its flipside. If you love a guitar trio, with few riffs and almost no typical song structure, then this album and the Village Gate one are both right up your alley

Share this review

Review Comments

Post a public comment below | Send private message to the reviewer
Please login to post a shout
No shouts posted yet. Be the first member to do so above!

JMA TOP 5 Jazz ALBUMS

Rating by members, ranked by custom algorithm
Albums with 30 ratings and more
A Love Supreme Post Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners
Kind of Blue Cool Jazz
MILES DAVIS
Buy this album from our partners
The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady Progressive Big Band
CHARLES MINGUS
Buy this album from our partners
Blue Train Hard Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners
My Favorite Things Hard Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners

New Jazz Artists

New Jazz Releases

Green Puma / Tropical Dandy Jazz Related Rock
THE LINK QUARTET
Buy this album from MMA partners
Vinny Golia Quintet : Can You Outrun Them? 21st Century Modern
VINNY GOLIA
Buy this album from MMA partners
Bow Code Fusion
SAMPO HIUKKANEN
Buy this album from MMA partners
Anthem For No Man’s Land Jazz Related Improv/Composition
ANDREAS SCHAERER
Buy this album from MMA partners
Cabaret Eclectic Fusion
MARIUS NESET
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Jazz Online Videos

Paper Plane Pilot
MIKE DE SOUZA
js· 47 minutes ago
Green Puma
THE LINK QUARTET
js· 50 minutes ago
Heavy Cream
SAMPO HIUKKANEN
js· 3 hours ago
Sunday afternoon
FURIO DI CASTRI
snobb· 16 hours ago
Harmônicos
FABIANO DO NASCIMENTO
js· 1 day ago
More videos

New JMA Jazz Forum Topics

More in the forums

New Site interactions

More...

Latest Jazz News

members-submitted

More in the forums

Social Media

Follow us