LARRY YOUNG - The Larry Young Trio
Fresh Sound Records FSR-CD 871
Larry Young (org) Thornel Schwartz (gtr) Jimmy Smith (drs) with Wendell Marshall (bs) Bill Leslie (tnr) Jimmy Forrest ( tnr) Joe Holiday (tnr) plus conga player (unknown)
This is a double CD release of four albums by the trio and others released between 1960 and 1962 on the New Jazz and Prestige labels. All the recordings were made at the Rudy Van Gelder Studio's in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. The organist was only in his very early twenties at the time and the material here gives a good insight of his raw talent before he developed his ground breaking approach to the instrument during the sixties and seventies. Most people will remember him firstly for his classic 1965 Blue Note release "Unity" with Woody Shaw and Joe Henderson, and his contribution to the never to be forgotten game changer from Miles "Bitches Brew", along with his later work with the Tony Williams Lifetime. He also had one foot firmly in the Rock genre appearing on the posthumously released Jimmy Hendrix album"Nine To The Universe". Sadly Larry Young died in 1978 aged only thirty seven from a mystery illness.
The first album on the compilation "Testifying" features the trio with tenor man Joe Holiday on two tracks. Within a mixture of standards and originals the standout musician is without doubt the little known guitarist Thornel Schwartz. His lyrical style and precise note placement compliments the leader well and his solo passages, particularly on Rogers and Hart's "Falling In Love With Love" are full of compelling twists and turns. There is a fine reading of the evergreen "Flamingo" where an extended solo from the tenor is underpinned by superbly understated organ comping.
The 1960 recording "Young Blues" finds the core trio joined by bassist Wendell Marshall which gives the group a much more full and rounded sound. This is well demonstrated on the title cut, composed by the leader and featuring an excellent contribution from drummer Jimmy Smith along with another fine guitar solo. There is a great reworking of Horace Silver's masterpiece "Nica's Dream" where the organ approach is initially light and airy before changes in tempo make it a tour de force for all members.
Saxophonist Bill Leslie joins the trio on the appropriately named 1962 release "Groove Street", his blues drenched style dominating proceedings on a laid back version of "Sweet Lorraine" with churchy organ from the leader. The music of John Coltrane was having a heavy influence on Larry Young at the time and there are serious overtones from both organ and tenor on his self penned album highlight "Talkin' about JC". The final five tracks from the compilation are taken from "Forrest Fire", a recording under the leadership of the St Louis born tenor man Jimmy Forrest who topped the Billboard R & B Chart in fifty two with his recording of "Night Train" before becoming an integral part of the Basie reed section during the seventies. He brings an extra quality to things with a superbly developed and exciting improvisation on Irving Berlin's "Remember" and gels well with the leaders organ on the mighty Milt Jackson composition "Bags Groove".
In summary this is a very worthwhile look back at the early days of one of the most forward thinking and important organists in jazz history.
Reviewed by Jim Burlong
Fresh Sound Records FSR-CD 871
Larry Young (org) Thornel Schwartz (gtr) Jimmy Smith (drs) with Wendell Marshall (bs) Bill Leslie (tnr) Jimmy Forrest ( tnr) Joe Holiday (tnr) plus conga player (unknown)
This is a double CD release of four albums by the trio and others released between 1960 and 1962 on the New Jazz and Prestige labels. All the recordings were made at the Rudy Van Gelder Studio's in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. The organist was only in his very early twenties at the time and the material here gives a good insight of his raw talent before he developed his ground breaking approach to the instrument during the sixties and seventies. Most people will remember him firstly for his classic 1965 Blue Note release "Unity" with Woody Shaw and Joe Henderson, and his contribution to the never to be forgotten game changer from Miles "Bitches Brew", along with his later work with the Tony Williams Lifetime. He also had one foot firmly in the Rock genre appearing on the posthumously released Jimmy Hendrix album"Nine To The Universe". Sadly Larry Young died in 1978 aged only thirty seven from a mystery illness.
The first album on the compilation "Testifying" features the trio with tenor man Joe Holiday on two tracks. Within a mixture of standards and originals the standout musician is without doubt the little known guitarist Thornel Schwartz. His lyrical style and precise note placement compliments the leader well and his solo passages, particularly on Rogers and Hart's "Falling In Love With Love" are full of compelling twists and turns. There is a fine reading of the evergreen "Flamingo" where an extended solo from the tenor is underpinned by superbly understated organ comping.
The 1960 recording "Young Blues" finds the core trio joined by bassist Wendell Marshall which gives the group a much more full and rounded sound. This is well demonstrated on the title cut, composed by the leader and featuring an excellent contribution from drummer Jimmy Smith along with another fine guitar solo. There is a great reworking of Horace Silver's masterpiece "Nica's Dream" where the organ approach is initially light and airy before changes in tempo make it a tour de force for all members.
Saxophonist Bill Leslie joins the trio on the appropriately named 1962 release "Groove Street", his blues drenched style dominating proceedings on a laid back version of "Sweet Lorraine" with churchy organ from the leader. The music of John Coltrane was having a heavy influence on Larry Young at the time and there are serious overtones from both organ and tenor on his self penned album highlight "Talkin' about JC". The final five tracks from the compilation are taken from "Forrest Fire", a recording under the leadership of the St Louis born tenor man Jimmy Forrest who topped the Billboard R & B Chart in fifty two with his recording of "Night Train" before becoming an integral part of the Basie reed section during the seventies. He brings an extra quality to things with a superbly developed and exciting improvisation on Irving Berlin's "Remember" and gels well with the leaders organ on the mighty Milt Jackson composition "Bags Groove".
In summary this is a very worthwhile look back at the early days of one of the most forward thinking and important organists in jazz history.
Reviewed by Jim Burlong
