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Larry Carlton

arry Carlton’s own musical story began in Southern California. He picked up his first guitar when he was only six years old. He was introduced to jazz in junior high school after hearing The Gerald Wilson Big Band album, Moment of Truth, with guitarist Joe Pass. Larry then became interested in Barney Kessel, Wes Montgornery and the legendary blues guitarist B.B. King. Saxophonist John Coltrane was also a major influence on Carlton, beginning with Coltrane’s 1962 classic Ballads.

In 1968 he recorded his first LP, With A Little Help From My Friends (Uni). The enthusiastic industry response garnered him a place among jingle singers The Going Thing, recording on camera and radio commercials for Ford. Mid-season in his second year, he segued to Musical Director for Mrs. Alphabet, an Emmy-nominated children’s show on the same network. It was here that Carlton showcased his acting skills, performing as the show’s co-star, "Larry Guitar."

Calls began to increase significantly as Carlton gained distinction for the unmistakable and often imitated "sweet" sound he delivered with his Gibson ES-335. He also broke new ground with his new trademark volume pedal technique, eloquently displayed in his featured performance on ­Crusader One with legendary jazz/rock group The Crusaders in 1971. Joni Mitchell’s Court and Spark album, the first record she made with a rhythm section, displays his distinctive Technique – a style Mitchell referred to as "fly fishing."

During his tenure with The Crusaders (through 1976), Carlton performed on 13 of their albums, often contributing material. In 1973, Carlton released his second solo project, SinginglPlaying, on Blue Thumb Records ­ aptly titled, as he not only played guitar, but also performed vocals on eight tracks. Carlton’s demand as a session player was now at its zenith, he was constantly featured with stars from every imaginable genre, ranging from Sammy Davis, Jr., and Herb Alpert to Quincy Jones, Paul Anka, Michael Jackson, John Lennon, Jerry Garcia and Dolly Parton. At the same time, he was still performing more than 50 dates a year with The Crusaders.

Before he transitioned completely to a solo career, Carlton became one of the most in-demand studio musicians of the past three decades. Carlton’s catalog of work includes film soundtracks, television themes and work on more than 100 gold albums.

Ultimately, Carlton began scaling back his session work substantially, while continuing to perform and record with the Crusaders. He shifted his emphasis to the challenges of arranging and producing, and built his own studio-Room 335-in his home. During this period he arranged and produced projects for Barbra Streisand, Joan Baez and Larry Gatlin, as well as producing and co-writing the theme for the hit sitcom Who’s The Boss and co-writing (with Michel Columbier) and arranging the acclaimed movie soundtrack for Against All Odds.

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3
Live Review

Boston Roundup: Larry Carlton, Brit Floyd, and Doyle Bramhall

Read "Boston Roundup: Larry Carlton, Brit Floyd, and Doyle Bramhall" reviewed by Dave Dorkin


Larry Carlton Bull Run Shirley, MA December 2, 2017 Larry Carlton came to play in a rare quintet setting at the Bull Run in the Boston Western suburbs. The band featured Carlton's son Travis on bass and drummer Gene Coye, both frequent collaborators, along with the noteworthy additions of Gregg Karukas on keyboards and Brandon Fields on tenor saxophone, both of whom are rarely on the road as sidemen these days. Carlton opened ...

219
Album Review

Larry Carlton: Plays The Sound of Philadelphia

Read "Plays The Sound of Philadelphia" reviewed by John Kelman


Regardless of context, guitarist Larry Carlton has built a reputation as one of the tastiest guitarists around, whether he's supporting singer/songwriter Joni Mitchell, jazz/pop hybrid Steely Dan or soulful jazz/funksters The Crusaders. His own records, while always accessible--at times, crossing the line into smooth jazz territory--demonstrate a distinctive blend of sweet and gritty tone, bluesy soulfulness, and plenty of jazz chops, often surfacing in the most unexpected places. Live in Tokyo With Special Guest Robben Ford (335 Records, 2009), was ...

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Previews

Larry Carlton Revisits Sounds of Philadelphia

Read "Larry Carlton Revisits Sounds of Philadelphia" reviewed by John Patten


Soulful sounds may have started in Motown or Memphis, but for many, it's the sounds of Philadelphia that captured their hearts. That's certainly the case for Larry Carlton, who released a collection of the biggest hits penned by Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff on his 335 Records label, in February, 2011. Many of the songs were Top 10 hits by groups including The Spinners and The Stylistics, along with hits by other classic vocal groups.

301
Album Review

Larry Carlton: Greatest Hits Recorded Volume One

Read "Greatest Hits Recorded Volume One" reviewed by John Kelman


Since emerging as a ubiquitous session ace--his sweet tone and lyrical bent creating some of the 1970s' most definitive guitar solos for artists including The Crusaders, Steely Dan and Joni Mitchell--Larry Carlton has combined unerring melodic instincts and stunning harmonic knowledge into a discography as accessible as it is deep. For some, he's veered too close to the border of smooth jazz--crossing over, even--but get past the easygoing rhythms and changes, and there's far more than meets the eye. Not ...

433
Album Review

Larry Carlton With Special Guest Robben Ford: Live in Tokyo

Read "Live in Tokyo" reviewed by John Kelman


With blues/jazz guitarist Robben Ford's Soul on Ten (Concord, 2009) receiving widespread attention, it's a good time to look at Live in Tokyo, a somewhat overlooked but unmistakably smokin' 2007 release from another West Coast guitar god, Larry Carlton. Carlton invited Ford to join his band for some dates in Tokyo in the fall of 2006, and it would be hard to find two more compatible yet distinctive guitarists for a set that ranges from down-and-dirty blues to burning samba ...

354
Album Review

Larry Carlton: Fire Wire

Read "Fire Wire" reviewed by John Kelman


If veteran session guitarist Larry Carlton's Sapphire Blue (Bluebird, 2004) was a first shot at the bow of those who'd written him off as too smooth, Fire Wire is a veritable volley. Sapphire Blue found Carlton in a more energetic, blues-based context, but his trademark singing tone still spoke the language of jazz. Leaving all such references behind, Fire Wire is more rock instrumental than jazz fusion--and the rawest album he's made in his forty-year career.

The laid-back minor blues ...

166
Album Review

Larry Carlton: Fire Wire

Read "Fire Wire" reviewed by Sarah Moore


Steely Dan session musician and former Crusaders member Larry Carlton brings another dose of fusion with his latest release, Fire Wire. The followup to his 2004 album Sapphire Blue includes a horn section named after that CD. The disc begins with an upbeat, hard edge that takes you worlds away from the smooth, complacent jazz guitar sound you might have expected from earlier recordings. With a style evoking Stevie Ray Vaughan's blues in “Double Cross, Carlton breaks free from the ...

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2

Event

Pittsburgh Jazz Days of Summer Pittsburgh’s Inaugural Jazz Week Commences With Great Success August 10-19, 2018

Pittsburgh Jazz Days of Summer Pittsburgh’s Inaugural Jazz Week Commences With Great Success August 10-19, 2018

Source: All About Jazz

An initiative came together in the Pittsburgh Jazz community to create a ten-day series of events for the city. The program called Pittsburgh Jazz Days of Summer was developed by the committee that grew out of the JazzHubs America project. jny: Pittsburgh was selected along with jny:Phoenix, AZ; jny:Portland, OR; and Washington, DC to hold a series of summits for their regional Jazz ecosystems. The JazzHubs America project concluded at the end of 2017; however, the Pittsburgh Jazz community formed ...

1

Recording

Larry Carlton & Robben Ford "Unplugged"

Larry Carlton & Robben Ford "Unplugged"

Source: Chris M. Slawecki

The New Morning club in Paris presents the incredible - and long awaited - pairing of two guitar giants for their first Unplugged show. Imagine: Larry Carlton and Special Guest Robben Ford, two legendary guitarists... one stage unplugged... a guitar lover’s dream! This unique pairing of two all-time great guitar legends delivers an unforgettable evening of dueling guitar solos and an uncompromising evening of The Blues performed the way it was meant to be. Nineteen-time Grammy Nominee, four-time Grammy winner ...

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Interview

Larry Carlton on smooth jazz: "I think it's run its course."

Larry Carlton on smooth jazz: "I think it's run its course."

Source: Sterling Whitaker

Legendary guitarist Larry Carlton will perform a special hometown show at Nashville's Schermerhorn Symphony Center on Friday, September 30. In an interview with Sterling Whitaker of Examiner.com the four-time Grammy winner talked about the upcoming show, his past career as a session man, his ongoing passion for the guitar, and his pride at his son following in his footsteps. Carlton also talked about the changes in marketing and radio, particularly smooth jazz. “Obviously because I'm an instrumentalist, I was very ...

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Performance / Tour

MCG Jazz Announces Its 24th Concert Season (Pittsburgh)

MCG Jazz Announces Its 24th Concert Season (Pittsburgh)

Source: MCG Jazz

MCG Jazz's 24th season celebrates the progression of jazz with over 20 headliners spanning four generations! Beginning in September 2010 and running through May 2011, the concert season is seeded with masters such as Hubert Laws and Monty Alexander as well as emerging artists Vijay Iyer and Julian Lage. Marty Ashby, Executive Producer for MCG Jazz states, “We are so excited to be able to share this line up of well known artists while continuing to expose new talent to ...

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Video / DVD

Inakustik's “Paris Concert” Series Released on Blu-Ray: Jose Feliciano Band, Stanley Jordan, Larry Carlton / Robben Ford / Autour Du Blues, Mike Stern, and the Yellowjackets

Inakustik's “Paris Concert” Series Released on Blu-Ray: Jose Feliciano Band, Stanley Jordan, Larry Carlton / Robben Ford / Autour Du Blues, Mike Stern, and the Yellowjackets

Source: All About Jazz

Inakustik and MVD Visual are pleased to announce the release of “The Paris Concert” Series on Blu-ray disc for worldwide distribution on July 14, 2009. As one of the largest independents in Germany, Inakustik is at the forefront of filming music content for DVD and now Blu-ray. Their endless praises have been sung by the press and the consumer alike. This set of Blu-ray releases come as little surprise given their affinity for detail and quality. “Inakustik’s standards for image ...

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Photos

Concerts

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

The Gift

GRP Records
2017

buy

Unplugged

HighNote
2013

buy

Live in Tokyo

335 Records
2009

buy

Greatest Hits...

335 Records
2009

buy

Incontournables

HighNote
2008

buy

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