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 After three fantastic albums such as LaVG, BB & Offering, would LC manage to get one more under his belt? Unchanged line-up, still the usual Danny Weiss on the production stool, the main ingredients changing here would seem to be the return of wife Julie and the return of frequent singing from both spouses. Oh yeah, we get to see the ARP synth's first appearance, toyed by both LC and Mandel. Taking its name on a track from Barefoot Boy, and sporting an appropriate artwork, the album fails to pay homage to the BB track.

Indeed, TRGE is a sub-par album that ranges from almost country rock with brass/horns arrangements ala BS&T as in the closing PF Sloan or semi Savoy Brown boogie of the title track, the only long song that allows a bit of an escape from basic song structures. Wife Julie signs two tracks, while hubby Larry signs four, the rest being covers, two of them from Jim Webb. The Scotland II track might just be the album's only "highlight" (if we can call it that), with the presence of the afore-mentioned ARP synth, but one can't say it is used that wisely, but at least it allows the track to blow over the tight structures of the songs present on this album, and give LC a bit of space to expand. But the break is not big enough to allow the escape.

Don't get me wrong, not everything is bad on this album, there are moments of brilliance, the thing being that they are much fewer and farther apart. But overall this album is best fleed away from, partly because of the frequent vocals, but also from under-average songwriting. TRGE is really not recommended unless you're a die-hard fan

Sean Trane LC's second album (released on his usual Vanguard label) is obviously dedicated to the missus, who was apparently pregnant a second time (see the album's fourth track title) and is a bit of a pot-pourrit, just like Larry's early albums were, and is noteworthy for the appearance of two Coltrane cohorts, Jones & Garrison. The album ranges from straight jazz to purposely poorly recorded country tracks (the Dylan- sounding Two Minutes Classical and the opening Grateful Dead-like Herman Right), to the Cream-esque Sunday Telephone and the purely Hendrix-ian title track (much reminiscent of Jimi's 1983/Tides) with its 6- mins+ of searing guitars.

The album's much jazzier flipside starts on the dreamy Thing, soon followed by Garrison's Treats Style and the cover of What Love Is, both in a very traditional jazz. Stiff Neck is one of this side's highlights with its jammy guitars with Elvin Jones' excellent drumming. Note that LC ^lays all bass on this album, but on this particular track, he chose guits & drums. The excellent Cleo's Moods closes the album in a fantastic guitar feast.

Lady Coryell is certainly not LC"s best early album, but it remains very much a good career-consolidating album, that deserves to be included in the progheads' second or third batch of LC album acquisition. Still recommended enough, but it is rather uneven.

Sean Trane Whether this is the debut album or not is debatable, but its his first one under his own name and what a debut this album makes. It's actually virtually impossible to tell that the guitarist on this album will be the jazz and jazz-rock giant he became. Behind this very hippy-ish artwork hides a pure blistering piece of hard rocking guitar. The line-up consists of permanent sidemen such as school friend Mike Mandel (KB), drummer Purdie, with the bass slot still not decided between Rainey and Stinson. Guesting are old collab Amerindian Jim Pepper, Miles collab Ron Carter, while wife Julie signs the liner notes (and gets two track credits as well) and in-house producer Danny Weiss at the production helm, this debut album is certainly no accident and the very base of LC's early career.

Quite a varied album we get here, as the tracks range from the good rocking sung track like the opening Sex track (sounding like Lenny Kravitz circa Let Love Rule, with more instrumental space) and Morning Sickness (guitar as medication), to incandescent lengthy instrumental extrapolations Jam With Albert (Stinson the bassist), from the softer psych-blues Beautiful Woman (again early Kravitz comes to mind) to the slow-starting boogie Elementary Guitar Solo #5 (an excuse for a hot searing and soaring solo) turning into a wild mid-section tempo. The two Julie-penned tracks are both quality piece that do not detract from the rest of the album, especially the wild No One Really Knows, starting out nicely, until Larry hoofs it into the stratosphere with his guitar and the closing Ah-Wuv-Oh, where Pepper's flute plays an interesting contrast with Larry's guitar.

Certainly one of LC's best moments in his career that will feature many, I would like to point out that if LC would progress musically greatly, he was starting from a solid base like this album. Indeed this album can't be called jazz, jazz-rock t all, it is a pure R'nR album, and one that's highly recommended, too

Sean Trane This album is yet another acoustic guitar album that LC has gotten us used to in the late 70's, and here half the record is a recording of his third appearance at the Montreux festival in the summer of 78. The first time around (71), he had come with a rock group, the second time around (74), he was with his Eleventh House group, and this time around, he came as a solo acoustic guitarist, again reflecting well what he was up to at the time. With an alpine artwork and a long-haired Larry hunched over his Ovation guitar on the back cover, this album is an unaccompanied straight acoustic guitar album, the typical stuff LC was into in the late 70's. Better investigate Lion & Ram album, to see if you could be into this one.

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.