LARRY CORYELL
Larry Coryell is one of the world’s acknowledged guitar masters. He’s recorded more than 75 albums over the past 40 years as a bandleader, soloist and featured accompanist. Hailed by his legion of fans as one of “the guitar gods” in the late 1970s and as a “truly Renaissance musician who excels at all styles of playing”, he has also been christened as “a true pioneer of rock-jazz fusion” by the New York Times, and dubbed “the Godfather of Fusion” by Dan Ouellette of Down Beat Magazine.
Born in Galveston, Texas, Coryell tried his hand at a number of instruments before settling on the guitar. He credits Chet Atkins, Chuck Berry and Wes Montgomery as his prime influences. He arrived in New York City via Seattle in 1965, and began honing his formidable instrumental skill as the basis for his musical expression. To master every aspect of the guitar, Coryell also studied classical guitar with Leonid Bolotine. After developing the first incarnation of his virtuoso technique, he played his “first big time job” with Killer Joe Piro. National recognition then came during his tenure with the Gary Burton Quartet in 1967.
The late ’60s and early ’70s saw Coryell as one of the most in-demand guitarists in rock, jazz and all musical genres. During that time he was part of rock’s experimental phase, touring with Jack Bruce, and sitting in sessions with Jimmy Webb, the 5th Dimension, Charles Mingus, Billy Cobham, Chick Corea and John McLaughlin. In 1974, Coryell formed The 11th House , the most popular and successful fusion band of its time, which included his friend and colleague Randy Brecker. After The 11th House disbanded, Coryell was signed by Clive Davis for Arista Records, where he made a series of solo albums, followed by a direct-to-disc recording with the Brecker Brothers.
A regular headliner at the Blue Note and Iridium in New York City, Catalina’s in L.A., DC’s Blues Alley and Ronnie Scott’s in London, Coryell is also no stranger to the huge open-air music festivals in the Far East, Europe, Brazil, even sell-out appearances at London’s Barbican.
Catch Larry Coryell Saturday, April 11th from 8:30 to 12:30 at Heidi’s Jazz Club, 7 N. Orlando Avenue in downtown Cocoa Beach. For more information, call 783-4559, or check Heidi’s website: www.heidisjazzclub.com. Visit Coryell’s website — www.larrycoryell.net — for extensive photo galleries and tour information.
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