Larry Coryell

Larry Coryell - Fairyland - 1971 - Philips

Fairyland has long been a favorite among fans of Larry Coryell's jazz-rock days. The stripped-down trio format allows Coryell plenty of solo space. He actually sings quite effectively on the first two tracks, but more effective are the torrents of 18th notes, mutated blues licks, and avant-garde sound textures that emanate from his guitar. "Further Explorations for Albert Stinson" is a later incarnation of "The Jam With Albert," which is a staple of Coryell jazz-rock compilations. A rewarding listen. © Wilson McCloy © 2011 Rovi Corporation. All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/album/fairyland-r137093

"Fairyland" was recorded live on June 18th 1971 at the Montreux Jazz Festival, Switzerland. The albums contains four tracks of rock and blues influenced jazz rock/fusion and space jazz fusion by three of the world's greatest musicians, guitarist Larry Coryell, bassist Chuck Rainey, and drummer Bernard "Pretty" Purdie. The brilliant jazz fusion guitarist, Al Di Meola called Larry Coryell "the godfather of fusion". That statement is a great subject for a debate, but there is no doubt that Larry is up there with artists like Miles Davis, John McLaughlin, Chick Corea, and Herbie Hancock. The 1985 Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide said of Larry Coryell, "Though Larry Coryell is one of the most creative and accomplished modern electric guitarists, he has never been as popular as many less capable but better promoted musicians." Over 25 years later the same comment could apply to many talented artists out there who get little if any media attention. It would be totally impractical to write about the achievements and musical credits of Larry, Chuck, and Bernard, but they have all recorded some wonderful solo albums, and as session musicians have contributed to many classic albums in every genre. Listen to Larry Coryell's "Spaces Revisited" album, "Bernard Purdie's "Shaft" album, and Grant Green's "Visions" album which features some great electric bass from Chuck Rainey.

TRACKS / COMPOSERS

SIDE A

Souls Dirge - Larry Coryell 9:39
Eskdalemuir - Larry Coryell 8:38

SIDE B

Stones - Davis 7:08
Further Explorations for Albert Stinson - Larry Coryell 6:47

MUSICIANS

Larry Coryell - Guitar [Vocals on Side A]
Chuck Rainey - Bass
Bernard "Pretty" Purdie - Drums

ABOUT LARRY CORYELL

As one of the pioneers of jazz-rock -- perhaps the pioneer in the ears of some -- Larry Coryell deserves a special place in the history books. He brought what amounted to a nearly alien sensibility to jazz electric guitar playing in the 1960s, a hard-edged, cutting tone, phrasing and note-bending that owed as much to blues, rock and even country as it did to earlier, smoother bop influences. Yet as a true eclectic, armed with a brilliant technique, he is comfortable in almost every style, covering almost every base from the most decibel-heavy, distortion-laden electric work to the most delicate, soothing, intricate lines on acoustic guitar. Unfortunately, a lot of his most crucial electric work from the '60s and '70s is missing on CD, tied up by the erratic reissue schemes of Vanguard, RCA and other labels, and by jazz-rock's myopically low level of status in the CD era (although that mindset is slowly changing). According to Coryell, his interest in jazz took hold at the age of four, and after his family moved from Galveston to the state of Washington three years later, he began to learn the guitar, studying records by Tal Farlow, Barney Kessel and Johnny Smith. As a teenager, he played in a band led by pianist Mike Mandel, and by 1965, he gave up his journalism studies at the University of Washington in order to try his luck in New York as a musician. Before the year was out, he attracted much attention jamming in Greenwich Village and replaced Gabor Szabo in Chico Hamilton's band. In 1966, he made a startling recorded debut on Hamilton's The Dealer album, where his blues and rock ideas came to the fore, and that year, he also played with a proto-jazz-rock band, the Free Spirits. Coryell's name spread even further in 1967-68 when he played with Gary Burton's combo, and he was one of the most prominent solo voices on Herbie Mann's popular Memphis Underground album (recorded in 1968). He, Mandel and Steve Marcus formed a group called Foreplay in 1969 (no relation to today's Fourplay), and by 1973, this became the core of the jazz-rock band Eleventh House, which after a promising start ran aground with a string of albums of variable quality. In 1975, Coryell pulled the plug, concentrating on acoustic guitar and turning in a prolific series of duo and trio sessions with the likes of Philip Catherine, Emily Remler, John Scofield, Joe Beck, Steve Khan and John McLaughlin. In the mid-'80s, Coryell toured with McLaughlin and Paco DeLucia, and in 1986 participated in a five-way guitar session with his old idol Farlow, Scofield, Larry Carlton and John Abercrombie for the Jazzvisions series. Coryell has also recorded with Stephane Grappelli, Charles Mingus, Sonny Rollins and Kenny Barron, and has taped Brazilian music with Dori Caymmi for CTI, mainstream jazz for Muse, solo guitar for Shanachie and Acoustic Music, and (for Nippon Phonogram in Japan) an album of classical transcriptions of music by Stravinsky and Rimsky-Korsakov. In other words, Coryell will probably remain as eclectic as ever throughout his career, which will no doubt make life difficult for musicologists with a yen for pigeonholing. Coryell's career in the 21st century has been just as active. 2004 saw the release of Tricycles, an excellent trio date with drummer Paul Wertico and bassist Mark Egan. Electric from 2005 found Coryell playing jazz standards and rock anthems with Lenny White on drums and Victor Bailey on electric bass. In 2006, he released the performance album Laid Back & Blues: Live at the Sky Church in Seattle. © Richard S. Ginell © 2011 Rovi Corporation. All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/artist/larry-coryell-p6340/biography

ABOUT CHUCK RAINEY

Another instrumentalist more widely associated with soul, pop, funk, and R&B, yet highly respected by jazz musicians, Chuck Rainey's been a star electric bassist since the '60s. While Jaco Pastorius and Stanley Clarke featured flashy, blistering playing and approached electric bass as if they were improvising on a guitar, Rainey's forte has been a heavy, steady pulse and vigorous support, fitting into a rhythm section and locking onto a groove with a vengeance. Rainey studied violin, piano, and trumpet in his youth, then moved from Youngstown to Cleveland at 21. He played electric guitar and bass in various R&B bands, then joined King Curtis' group in New York during 1964. Rainey's done hundreds of recording sessions since then, but has also done a fair number of jazz dates. He played with Jerome Richardson, Grady Tate, Mose Allison, Gato Barbieri, and Gene Ammons in the late '60s and early '70s, as well as with Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson at the 1971 Montreux Festival. Rainey toured and played that same year with Aretha Franklin. He moved to Los Angeles in 1972, and worked there with the Crusaders and Hampton Hawes, and recorded with Donald Byrd, Sonny Rollins, and John Handy in the mid-'70s. Rainey recorded in Japan with Hiroshi Fukumura in 1978. He's made two rare dates as a leader for Cobblestone in 1971 and for Hammer n' Nails in 1981. Neither is around today, but Rainey can be heard on many discs by Franklin, Curtis, Rollins, and others. © Ron Wynn © 2011 Rovi Corporation. All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/artist/chuck-rainey-p9479/biography

ABOUT BERNARD PURDIE

Bernard Lee "Pretty" Purdie (born June 11, 1939) is an American session drummer and is considered an influential and innovative exponent of funk. He is known for his strict musical time keeping and "The Purdie Shuffle". Purdie recorded Soul Drums (1968) as a band leader and although he went on to record Alexander's Ragtime Band, the album remained unreleased until Soul Drums was reissued on CD in 2009 with the Alexander's Ragtime Band sessions. Other solo albums include Purdie Good (1971), Soul Is...Pretty Purdie (1972) and the soundtrack for the Blaxploitation film Lialeh (1973). Purdie was credited on the sound track album for Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1978) and more recently he was the drummer for the 2009 Broadway revival of Hair and appeared on the associated Broadway cast recording. At an early age Purdie began hitting cans with sticks and learned the elements of drumming techniques from overhearing lessons being given by Leonard Heywood. He later took lessons from Heywood and played in Heywood's big band. Purdie's other influences at that time were Papa Jo Jones, Buddy Rich, Gene Krupa, Joe Marshall and Art Blakey. In 1961 he moved from his home town of Elkton Maryland, to New York and played session with Mickey and Sylvia and regularly visited the Turf Club on 50th and Broadway in New York, where musicians, agents and promoters met and touted for business. It was during this period that he played for the saxophonist Buddy Lucas, who nicknamed him 'Mississippi Bigfoot'. Eventually Barney Richmond contracted him to play session work. In the same year original Beatles drummer Pete Best and guitarist Tony Sheridan recorded tracks in Hamburg with the Beatles. Later Bernard Purdie added drum overdubs to tracks from these sessions, including "Ain't She Sweet", "Take Out Some Insurance on Me Baby" and "Sweet Georgia Brown". The main reason for this was to give them a punchier sound for the US market. These tracks were eventually released on January 31, 1964 by Polydor. Ringo Starr's physical approach to drumming was probably influenced by Purdie's Motown style. Purdie was contracted by arranger Sammy Lowe to play a session with James Brown in 1965 and recording session records also show that Purdie played on "Ain't That A Groove" at the same session. This was one of several sessions he played with Brown and the track "Kansas City" from Brown's album Cold Sweat (1967), displays one of the most sophisticated and driving shuffles recorded for Brown's catalogue. Purdie is also credited on the albums Say It Loud-I'm Black and I'm Proud (1969) and Get on the Good Foot (1972) on which "Ain't That A Groove" appeared. Purdie started working with Aretha Franklin as musical director in 1970 and held that position for five years, as well as drumming for Franklin and her opening act, King Curtis and The King Pins. In 1970 he performed with them at the Fillmore West, recorded as Aretha Live at The Fillmore West (1971) and King Curtis's Live at Fillmore West (1971). His best known track with Franklin was "Rock Steady", on which he played what he termed as "a funky and low down beat". Of his time with Franklin he once commented that, "backing her was like floating in seventh heaven". In 1973 Purdie founded Encounter Records which released only 5 albums. Purdie is known as a groove drummer with immaculate timing and makes use of precision half note, backbeats, and grooves. Purdie's signature sixteenth note hi-hat lick pish-ship, pish-ship, pish-ship is distinct and hard to copy and he is known for his versatility. He often employs a straight eight groove sometimes fusing several influences such as swing, blues and funk. He created a well-known drum pattern known as the Purdie shuffle, Half-Time Purdie Shuffle, or Bernard Purdie half-time feel shuffle that is a blues shuffle variation with the addition of syncopated ghost notes on the snare drum. Variations on this shuffle can be heard on songs such as Led Zeppelin's "Fool in the Rain" and Toto's "Rosanna" (Rosanna shuffle). Purdie's shuffle can be heard on Steely Dan's "Babylon Sisters" and "Home At Last". [from Wikipedia]