js “Barefoot Boy” is one of Larry Coryell’s earliest albums and features the rugged fusion style that was popular in the early 70s. The early days of fusion were somewhat exciting with musicians combining the freedom of Coltrane with the sonic effects of Hendrix into a new style of music that paid the bills a little better than post bop. Larry was one of the major leaders in this new style and you can certainly hear his influence on John McLaughlin, Pat Martino, Bill Connor and a host of others. Like a lot of fusion from this time period, “Barefoot Boy” is really just a jam session. There is very little structure at work here, but the immense talent of the musicians involved make it a worthwhile listen for the fusion fan.

The album opens with Gabor Szabo’s “Gypsy Queen”, which most people know from the Santana “Abraxas” album. The Coryell version is barely recognizable as the musicians waste no time getting straight into the solos. Saxophonist Steve Marcus channels Coltrane’s soprano sax style with a million notes sheets of sound. Larry follows with Sonny Sharrock styled noise onslaughts followed by a very Hendrix inspired rock solo. Hendrix’s sound mixer, Eddie Kramer, is on hand and he gives Larry’s solo all the wild panning effects that Eddie used on “Electric Ladyland”. Side two closes out with the funky RnB of “The Great Escape” which has Steve Marcus doing a much more soulful solo on tenor saxophone. The driving guitar riff on this one is one of the more focused points on this record.

Side two is given entirely to “Call to the Higher Consciousness”, which starts off as a Coltrane style modal post bop jam, but the riffing soon morphs into a somewhat tired sounding Grateful Dead cliché. This track lacks rhythmic excitement as there is little to back up the increasingly indulgent solos. Marcus does his Coltrane soprano thing again and ace drummer Roy Haynes takes a ride as well. Since this is the great Haynes, this is a very musical solo and not just your typical rock n roll display of thunder and power. Pianist Michael Mandel tries to interject a little jazz into this one, but overall this number just sort of drags along.

For the jazz fan looking for some challenging in depth listening, “Barefoot Boy” isn’t exactly “Out to Lunch”, or “Giant Steps”, but for those who enjoy the kitsch sounds of early 70s psychedelic fusion, Coryell and his cohorts deliver the goods.

Sean Trane Probably Larry Coryell's most important album outside the Eleventh House efforts, Barefoot Boy is the first truly jazz-rock album of his. Although LC took the Village Gate line-up of Bronson and Wilkinson, he future regular collabs Steve Markus (sax) and his old school friend Mike Mandel (KB) to make a sensational line-up that will make the next few albums' basis. With one of the poorer artwork of his early discography, BB is just three tracks but do they ever smoke, breathing in some cool rapid conga-fuelled rock and swallowing a wild sax and spewing out a torrid incandescent lava flow that will set fire to your speakers if listened to loud, let alone your brain cells. Indeed the 12-mins Gypsy Queen is a long steady rapid-fire rock beat, but it serves as a base for Markus' absolutely wild sax solo, while Coryell either supports Markus or outdoes him in astounding Hendrix-like solos. The following 8-mins+ Great Escape is a much funkier (but in a very rock way) driven on Bronson's bass, where again LC is pouring his heart into his solo. Somehow the second Traffic line-up (Kwaaku Reebop) is not far away. The flipside is a sidelong extrapolation of The Higher Consciousness, where Markus and Coryell directly take the track into pure Nucleus-like fusion with Mandel pulling the track later in a Coltrane mode, although he won't match Tyner's brilliance, but still manage a good rendition. Too bad the track is plagued with an almost 4 minutes drum solo (Haynes is no Elvin Jones), but once the track resumes, complete madness has taken over the musos

Although LC had made some terrific albums up to this one, they were, shall we say a bit in the Hendrix mode, something that dramatically changes with BB. Well LC had found a stable group and it would be the same line-up to appear on next year's just as superb Offering and the much poorer Real Great Escape, before LC will take Mandel to found The Eleventh House. Possibly LC's crowning achievement, this album is an easy five star