Thursday, July 24, 2008

Coryell/Ravel/Bolero/Live


I played guitar and bass for many years. I was never technically very good, but quite enthusiastic. When I was first learning how to play a guitar, my favorite guitarist around 1970 was this man, Larry Coryell. He was and is a consummate artist. I have posted some pieces by him before, but tonight, I found this live solo accoustic performance of his arrangement of Ravel's Bolero. Pretty cool!
Larry is still playing and as good as ever if not better. He has two sons who are both performing guitarists and will be the subjuct of an upcoming documentary of his career.
This man can do it all, classical, rock, jazz and in a totally original way.
I have a Jazz Composers Orchestra set by Michael Mantler from perhaps 1969 in which Mr. Coryell plays pure manipulated feed back using a fat hollow body Gibson L-5 guitar as part of an orchestral score. Today, no one would do such a thing. If you wanted to make such a noise, you might program synthesizers. Michael Mantler wrote it all out for a big jazz band and a crazy quitarist who had to dance around his amp to physically get the different sustained tones to blast out.

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