Great Jazz Guitar Players: Larry Carlton

Larry Carlton

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    Larry Carlton

    Larry Carlton

    Larry Carlton began taking guitar lessons when he was six. His first professional gig was at a supper club in 1962. After hearing Joe Pass on the radio, he was inspired to play jazz and blues. Wes Montgomery and Barney Kessel became important influences soon after he discovered the jazz guitar stylings of Pass. B.B. King and other blues guitarists had an impact on Carlton's style as well. He honed his guitar-playing skills in the clubs and studios of greater Los Angeles. He attended a local junior college and Long Beach State College for a year until the Vietnam War ended. Carlton toured with the Fifth Dimension in 1968 and began doing studio sessions in 1970. His early session work included studio dates with pop musicians like Vicki Carr, Andy Williams and the Partridge Family. In 1971, he was asked to join the Crusaders shortly after they'd decided to drop the word "Jazz'' from their name, and he remained with the group until 1976. In between tours with the Crusaders, he also did studio session work for hundreds of recordings in every genre. But it was while he with the Crusaders that he developed the highly rhythmic, often bluesy style he has now. His credits include performing on more than 100 gold albums. His theme music credits for TV and films include Against All Odds, Who's the Boss, and the theme for Hill Street Blues. The latter won a Grammy award in 1981 for Best Pop Instrumental Performance.

    Carlton delivered his self-titled debut for Warner Bros. in 1978, shortly after he was recognized for his ground-breaking guitar playing on Steely Dan's Royal Scam album. (Carlton contributed the memorable guitar solo on "Kid Charlemagne.'') He released four more albums for Warner Bros., Strikes Twice (1980), Sleepwalk (1981), Eight Times Up (1982), and the Grammy-nominated Friends (1983), before being dropped from the label.

    He continued studio session work and touring in between, emerging again in 1986 on MCA Records with an all-acoustic album, Discovery, which contained an instrumental remake of Michael McDonald's hit, "Minute by Minute." The single won a Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance in 1987. Carlton's live album, Last Nite, released in 1987, got him a Grammy nomination for Best Jazz Instrumental Performance.

    While working on his next album for MCA, On Solid Ground, Carlton was the victim of random gun violence, and was shot in the throat by gun-wielding juveniles outside Room 335, his private studio near Burbank, California. The bullet shattered his vocal cord and caused significant nerve trauma, but through intensive therapy and a positive frame of mind, Carlton completed work on On Solid Ground in 1989. Carlton formed Helping Innnocent People (HIP), a non-profit group to aid victims of random gun violence.

    Carlton's most recent albums include two releases in 1996 for GRP Records, Gift and With a Little Help from My Friends. His other recordings include 1990's Collection and 1992's Kid Gloves for the same label, Playing/Singing (1995, Edsel), and Renegade Gentleman, a 1993 release for GRP.

    Visit the official Larry Carlton website here


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    Larry Carlton: Collection
    Never did I think I could tolerate a fully instrumental CD more than once or twice, but I was proven wrong. Of course, being a Michael McDonald fan, I'm a little biased in saying that "Minute by Minute" is the most well done track on the CD. Others I'd give honorable mention to are "Nite Crawler" which you can definitely enjoy while cruising, and also the remake of "Tequila" which Larry excellently made his own. This collection showed to me that Larry Carlton is absolutely quality jazz entertainment. - Music fan from new Jersey Order here from Amazon.com

    "Play What You Hear" author Chris Standring has a brand new album out on Ultimate Vibe Recordings entitled "Love & Paragraphs". Standring puts aside his trusty longtime jazz axe, the archtop Benedetto, and digs into more earthy blues-rock territory on five tracks with two Fender Strats. Standring plays the Benedetto on the balance of the tracks on Love & Paragraphs, which includes the vocal and horn-enhanced, mid-tempo retro funk title track, the dreamy, ambient chill meditation “Liquid Soul”; the hypnotic and jazzy, trip-chill blues jazz pop jam “Ooh Bop” (highlighted by Standring’s own irresistible poppy vocals); the bright, rolling jazzy samba “That’s What I Thought You Said” and the lush and romantic, synth orchestra-enhanced “Reflection,” which closes the set in a cool and dramatic film score-like way. - Jonathan Widran

    Preview the album online here | order online for just $12.99 here

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    Original album track recording in mp3 format * Play along album track (without solo guitar) in mp3 format * Midi file of solo guitar part (.mid file) * Lead guitar part music notation in pdf format * Lead guitar part TAB & music notation in pdf format * Master rhythm band chart in pdf format

    More info and order here

     
     
    Joe PassDjango ReinhardtLarry CarltonCharlie ChristianRon EscheteChris StandringDennis Budimir George BensonGrant GreenJim HallKenny BurrellWes Montgomery
      Great Jazz Guitar Players: Larry Carlton