Larry Coryell - Electric Retrospective II June 23, 2012

Although not quite the household name of his contemporaries, Larry Coryell is still referred to as one of the greatest and most influential guitarists of all time. Taking place at four shows Yoshi's in Oakland on June 23rd and 24th, the audience is invited to participate in the live taping of a documentary on this guitar master. This is being billed as an Electric Retrospective because as Coryell got older, he moved away from playing plugged music and instead played acoustic and light jazz. This concert is unique in that we are venturing back to the early 70's, dusting off distortion pedals and loud electric guitars to play the blues and rock that defined who he was.

Since Larry Coryell does not do retrospective shows, this is a once in a lifetime event. Along with the likes of Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, Santana, etc., Coryell is one of our golden greats, and will play his music that defined a generation only for this last time. The only other time he did a show like this was 7 years ago, for the same production company. Coryell will be joined by original bandmate and drummer Harry Wilkinson, bassist Gary Brown, and critically acclaimed blues artist and son Murali Coryell on guitar.

Saturday, June 23: 8pm $25 & 10pm $20
Sunday, June 24: 6pm $25 & 8pm $20
Tickets & Info at: 510.238.9200 or http://yoshis.inticketing.com
Yoshi’s Oakland, 510 Embarcadero West
Jack London Square, Oakland, CA 94607
http://www.yoshis.com/oakland/jazzclub/artist/show/2738

About Larry Coryell
Born in 1943, and raised in the Seattle area, Larry Coryell began playing guitar at an early age, joining various local rock n' roll groups in the area. Soon he would realize his love for jazz music, and early on, mentor Gabor Szabo would begin teaching the young Coryell about the inner workings of jazz music and the search for individuality as a guitarist. Moving to New York City in 1965, Coryell's impact was felt almost immediately as he fused amplified and distorted rock ideas into a jazz framework, and at the same time, showcase the fast fleeted fretwork jazz artists displayed.

The rock world took notice. Eric Clapton wanted his songs, Jimi Hendrix had asked him to play on the Voodoo Child sessions, and by 1969, Coryell was already being touted as "the most important thing to happen to rock or jazz." The 70's saw Coryell release numerous solo albums, which included releases by his critically acclaimed Eleventh House band. His guitar playing rocked, it beckoned the blues, and was entrenched in jazz, but the fusing of different ideas challenged the casual music listener, in turn, alienating his radio exposure. As the 80's & 90's approached, his music quieted into acoustic, classical, and straight ahead jazz. Fact is, Larry Coryell is a guitar icon, and it is without question that he deserves his prominent place in the history of music. Today, Coryell revisits his electronic roots with this series of shows at Yoshi’s in June.
http://www.larrycoryell.net
Check out the video at:

Official Website: http://www.yoshis.com/oakland/jazzclub/artist/show/2738