For You Lot Larry Coryell - 1972 Barefoot Boy

Produced past times Bob Thiele together with recorded at Electric Lady studios amongst engineer Eddie Kramer, Barefoot Boy is ane of Larry Coryell's finest recordings equally a leader. "Gypsy Queen" was recorded prior to bassist Mervin Bronson's arrival at the studio, together with features the percussion department locking into a groove over which Coryell lays downward a riff together with Steve Marcus cuts loose amongst a fiery soprano sax solo. When it's his plow to solo on this opening number, Coryell turns upward the heat, sounding similar a cross betwixt Jimi Hendrix together with Sonny Sharrock. (Coryell played amongst Sharrock on Herbie Mann's Memphis Underground.) "The Great Escape" finds Coryell cooking over a bass together with percussion groove, amongst Marcus on tenor sax. "Call to the Higher Consciousness" is a side-long 20-minute jam inward which all the players ask keep a ride, amongst Marcus in ane lawsuit once to a greater extent than cooking on the soprano sax. Roy Haynes is superb throughout, working inward tandem amongst the percussionists to travel along the music moving. This recording is a noteworthy illustration of the possibilities inherent inward the early on days of fusion, blending the electrifying unloose energy of stone amongst the improvisational excitement of jazz.

Probably Larry Coryell's most of import album exterior the Eleventh House efforts, Barefoot Boy is the commence really jazz-rock album of his. Although LC took the Village Gate line-up of Bronson together with Wilkinson, he hereafter regular collabs Steve Markus (sax) together with his one-time schoolhouse friend Mike Mandel (KB) to brand a sensational line-up that volition brand the side past times side few albums' basis. With ane of the poorer artwork of his early on discography, BB is merely iii tracks but produce they e'er smoke, breathing inward some cool rapid conga-fuelled stone together with swallowing a wild sax together with spewing out a torrid incandescent lava menstruation that volition ready give the sack to your speakers if listened to loud, permit solitary your encephalon cells.

Indeed the 12-mins Gypsy Queen is a long steady rapid-fire stone beat, but it serves equally a base of operations for Markus' absolutely wild sax solo, spell Coryell either supports Markus or outdoes him inward astounding Hendrix-like solos. The next 8-mins+ Great Escape is a much funkier (but inward a rattling stone way) driven on Bronson's bass, where in ane lawsuit to a greater extent than LC is pouring his see into his solo. Somehow the 2nd Traffic line-up (Kwaaku Reebop) is non far away. The flipside is a sidelong extrapolation of The Higher Consciousness, where Markus together with Coryell straight ask keep the rails into pure Nucleus-like fusion amongst Mandel pulling the rails subsequently inward a Coltrane mode, although he won't gibe Tyner's brilliance, but even then care a proficient rendition. Too bad the rails is plagued amongst an most four minutes drum solo (Haynes is no Elvin Jones), but in ane lawsuit the rails resumes, consummate madness has taken over the musos

Although LC had made some terrific albums upward to this one, they were, shall nosotros tell a flake inward the Hendrix mode, something that dramatically changes amongst BB. Well LC had industrial plant life a stable grouping together with it would travel the same line-up to seem on side past times side year's merely equally superb Offering together with the much poorer Real Great Escape, earlier LC volition ask keep Mandel to industrial plant life The Eleventh House. Possibly LC's crowning achievement, this album is an slow 5 star. 

I was privileged to come across Larry Coryell several times inward New York during the years that they recorded "Barefoot Boy." This studio album comes equally roughly a alive performance equally whatsoever I ask keep e'er heard. "Barefoot Boy" is, hands down, THE BEST Coryell you'll e'er hear. He has evolved through many phases, together with is even then quite active today, but the tardily 60's--early 70's Coryell remains his finest. This music is called "jazz-rock fusion," but it is much to a greater extent than jazz than rock. For sheer wailing power, you lot can't compaction it. If you lot solely purchase ane CD this year, travel inward this one.

H5N1 lesser-known but essential fusion record. Few ask keep touched the unloose energy of jazz-rock cosmic explorations to a greater extent than than Larry Coryell during his alcohol fueled mid-70s heyday. In the spirit of Mahavishnu Orchestra's "Inner Mounting Flame" or Return To Forever's "Light equally a Feather", "Barefoot Boy " thrusts the listener into a organic ebb together with tide of electrical explosion together with jazz introspection. Backed past times the corporation together with funky beat department of drummer Roy Haynes, bassist Mervin Bronson, Coryell together with soprano sax purpose musician Steve Marcus merchandise scorching sequences of notes.
The album's commence track, "Gypsy Queen", is a cosmic spin-off of Gabor Szabo's composition. "The Great Escape" is rooted inward deep funk together with an unorthodox beat pattern. Timed at merely long that xx minutes, "Call to Higher Consciouness" exposes the band's dynamism. The melodic tedious burning rails lives upward it's name. Barefoot Boy is essential for whatsoever consummate jazz fusion or guitar hero collection. 

Tracks Listing

1. Gypsy Queen ( 11:50 )
2. The Great Escape ( 8:39 )
3. Call To Higher Consciousness ( 20:00 )

Total fourth dimension : 40:29

Recorded at Ladyland Studios 1971

Line-up / Musicians

- Larry Coryell / guitar
- Steve Marcus / soprano saxophone, side 1 tracks 1,2
tenor sax, side 2
- Mervin Bronson / bass, side 1, rails 2, side 2
- Mike Mandel / pianoforte side 2
- Roy Haynes / drums
- Lawrence Kilian / congas
- Harry Wilkinson / percussion