Lady Coryell

Lady Coryell
Studio album by Larry Coryell
Released	1969
Recorded	1968
Genre	Jazz, Jazz fusion
Length	39:29
Label	Vanguard Records
Producer	Larry Coryell, Danny Weiss
Larry Coryell chronology
Lady Coryell (1969) Coryell (1969)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide	[2]

Lady Coryell is Larry Coryell's first album as a leader. The album was recorded in 1968 when Coryell was 25. It was produced by Coryell himself and Danny Weiss and engineered by Randy Rand, with assistance of Peter Atchley. Lady Coryell features Coryell as a singer, guitar player and bass player, and also drummer Bob Moses, who accompanies Coryell on all tracks except on track 8.

Before this release, Coryell had already recorded two albums with vibraphonist Gary Burton, and was leader of a group called the Free Spirits, who had recorded their first and only album Out of Sight and Sound in 1967. Bob Moses was the drummer of the Free Spirits. For his first album as a leader a year later, he had Bob Moses to accompany him on drums, but no bass player. Coryell plays the bass himself on most of the tracks, with (sometimes) multiple guitar parts and vocals on top. For example, on "Sunday Telephone", a bass line, a guitar riff, two guitar melodies and a voice can be heard, all played by Larry Coryell.

Guest appearances on the album include Jimmy Garrison (on track 7) and Elvin Jones (on tracks 7 and 9), both former members of the John Coltrane Quartet. They play together on a rendition of Garrison's "Treats Style", and Elvin Jones plays on another track, called "Stiff Neck", which is an energetic guitar-drum duet.

Lady Coryell is an early example of jazz–rock. The album starts off with two short rock songs, "Herman Wright" and "Sunday Telephone", both showing the raw and unschooled singing quality of Coryell on top of some heavy fuzzed and phased wah-wah guitars. He had already recorded another version of "Sunday Telephone" with his group The Free Spirits on their album Out of Sight and Sound, but this version is much heavier. "Two Minutes Classical" is a short instrumental rock piece, and Coryell even experiments with some Country music on "Love Child Is Coming Home". From track 5 on, Coryell starts tending to more jazz-oriented music, with only instrumental pieces and a lot of improvising. "The Dream Thing" is another short piece, which has a very serene mood. On Garrison's blues "Treats Style", in trio with Jimmy Garrison and Elvin Jones, Coryell takes his first actual solo. "Stiff Neck" is probably the freest track on the album. Just like Coltrane sometimes used to play saxophone in duet with Elvin Jones, Coryell does the same thing with his electric guitar, and the result is a jazz–rock masterpiece. It's a startling and energizing duet between Coryell and Elvin Jones, where Coryell can fully show his guitar abilities and melodic creativity, and Jones interacting with him and filling the space with amazing drum rhythms. On "You Don't Know What Love Is", a jazz standard, Coryell plays two guitar parts, one for accompaniment and one for the melody. The final track is "Cleo's Mood", another blues, but in comparison with "Treats Style", played with multiple guitars and a lot of effects.

Track listing

All pieces were written by Larry Coryell, except where noted.

1. "Herman Wright" - 3:21
2. "Sunday Telephone" - 2:27
3. "Two Minute Classical" - 2:08
4. "Love Child is Coming Home" - 2:31
5. "Lady Coryell" - 6:31
6. "The Dream Thing" - 2:23
7. "Treats Style" (Jim Garrison) - 5:42
8. "You Don't Know What Love Is" (Gene de Paul, Don Raye) - 2:35
9. "Stiff Neck" - 7:12
10. "Cleo's Mood" (Junior Walker) - 4:20

Personnel

• Larry Coryell - Guitars, bass and vocals
• Bob Moses - Drums
• Elvin Jones - Drums (on 7 and 9)
• Jimmy Garrison - Bass (on 7)

References

1. Todd, Jim (2011). "Lady Coryell - Larry Coryell | AllMusic". allmusic.com. Retrieved 13 August 2011.
2. Swenson, J. (Editor) (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide. USA: Random House/Rolling Stone. p. 51. ISBN 0-394-72643-X.