LARRY CORYELL — Barefoot Boy (1971-2000) WV (image+.cue), lossless

Produced by Bob Thiele and recorded at Electric Lady studios with engineer Eddie Kramer, Barefoot Boy is one of Larry Coryell's finest recordings as a leader. "Gypsy Queen" was recorded prior to bassist Mervin Bronson's arrival at the studio, and features the percussion section locking into a groove over which Coryell lays down a riff and Steve Marcus cuts loose with a fiery soprano sax solo. When it's his turn to solo on this opening number, Coryell turns up the heat, sounding like a cross between Jimi Hendrix and Sonny Sharrock. (Coryell played with Sharrock on Herbie Mann's Memphis Underground.) "The Great Escape" finds Coryell cooking over a bass and percussion groove, with Marcus on tenor sax. "Call to the Higher Consciousness" is a side-long 20-minute jam in which all the players take a ride, with Marcus once again cooking on the soprano sax. Roy Haynes is superb throughout, working in tandem with the percussionists to keep the music moving. This recording is a noteworthy example of the possibilities inherent in the early days of fusion, blending the electrifying energy of rock with the improvisational excitement of jazz.  Jim Newsom
Tracklist :
1    Gypsy Queen 11:50
Congas – Lawrence Killian
Drums – Roy Haynes
Guitar – Larry Coryell
Percussion – Harry Wilkinson
Soprano Saxophone – Steve Marcus
Written-By – Gabor Szabo
2    The Great Escape 8:39
Bass – Mervin Bronson
Congas – Lawrence Killian
Drums – Roy Haynes
Guitar – Larry Coryell
Percussion – Harry Wilkinson
Soprano Saxophone – Steve Marcus
Written-By – Coryell
3    Call To The Higher Consciousness 20:00
Bass – Mervin Bronson
Congas – Lawrence Killian
Drums – Roy Haynes
Guitar – Larry Coryell
Percussion – Harry Wilkinson
Piano – Mike Mandel
Tenor Saxophone – Steve Marcus
Written-By – Coryell

LARRY CORYELL — Offering (1972-2001) APE (image+.cue), lossless

Recorded in 1972, guitarist Larry Coryell's Offering has often been overlooked because it was the album that was released just before the debut of his legendary fusion band the Eleventh House. It's too bad, too, since Coryell's playing here is so inspired and free of the intellectual trappings of some of his later work. The band on Offering is a crack jazz-rock outfit made up of drummer Harry Wilkinson, bassist Melvyn Bronson, soprano saxophonist Steve Marcus, and electric pianist Mike Mandel (also a founding member of the Eleventh House). The vibe on this set is akin to the rugged jazz-rock forging of Soft Machine beginning on Fourth. And while it's tempting to lump this set in with the rest of the fused-out fare of the time, Offering is a distinctly -- and consciously -- more melodic record than those issued by Coryell's contemporaries at the time. Compositions such as "Foreplay," with its loping soprano and keyboard lines, stand apart from most of the Miles Davis-inspired crowd (Hancock, Corea, et. al), and "Ruminations" with its knotty, striated bop lines, comes on strong from the middle of three entwining harmonic figures to reach out and create a melodic framer from the pathos; Coryell's solo, which is equal parts Jimi Hendrix and Sonny Sharrock, is a wonderfully scorching and elusive sprite. Beginning with "Scotland I," which closes out side one, the jams get a bit more abstract and a bit more involved with the primacy of improvisation without losing their lyrical sensibilities. Offering is, in its own way, every bit as strong as the Eleventh House's debut and deserves to be considered hand in hand with it.
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Tracklist
1. Foreplay (8:10)
2. Ruminations (4:17)
3. Scotland I (6:41)
4. Offering (6:46)
5. The Meditation Of November 8th (5:12)
6. Beggar`s Chant (8:03)
Total time 39:09
Credits
Larry Coryell - Guitar
Mike Mandel - Electric Piano with Fuzz-Wah
Steve Marcus - Soprano Saxophone
Mervin Bronson - Bass
Harry Wilkinson - Drums