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larry young

Larry Young

b. Khalid Yasin Abdul Aziz, 7th October 1940, Newark, New Jersey, U.S.A.

d. 30th March 1978, New York, New York State, U.S.A.

Whilst working with UK guitarist John McLaughlin in 1969, Larry Young met Jimi Hendrix with whom he played organ on a few sessions.

He also played with John Coltrane (although these sessions were never recorded).

Larry was one of the great innovators of the mid to late '60's.

Initially, Young was very much a Smith admirer himself.

After playing with various R & B bands in the 1950's, and being featured as a sideman with tenor saxman Jimmy Forrest in 1960, Young debuted as a leader that year with 'Testifying', which, like his subsequent soul-jazz efforts for Prestige, 'Young Blues' (1960), and 'Groove Street', (1962), left no doubt that Smith was his primary inspiration.

But when Young went to Blue Note in 1964, he was well on his way to becoming a major innovator.

John Coltrane's post-bop influence asserted itself more and more in Young's playing and composing, and his work grew much more cerebral and exploratory.

'Unity', recorded in 1965, remains his best-known album.

Quick to embrace fusion, Young played with Miles Davis in 1969, John McLaughlin in 1970, and Tony Williams' groundbreaking 'Lifetime' in the early '70's.

From here he recorded two solo albums for Arista, 'Larry Young's Fuel' (1975), including 'Turn Off The Lights', and 'Spaceball' (1976), both highly collectable 'rare grooves' among UK funk, soul and jazz fans.

Young was only 38 when, in 1978, he checked into hospital suffering from stomach pains, and died from untreated pneumonia.

The Hammond hero's work for Blue Note (as both a leader and a sideman) was united for Mosaic's limited-edition six-CD box set The Complete Blue Note Recordings.

Real Player

Albums:

Testifying (New Jazz / OJC Records 1960)

Young Blues (New Jazz / OJC Records 1960)

Groove Street (Prestige / OJC Records 1962)

Into Somethin' (Blue Note Records 1964)

The Art of Larry Young (Blue Note Records 1964)

Unity (Blue Note Records 1965)

Of Love and Peace (Blue Note Records 1966)

Contrasts (Blue Note Records 1967)

Heaven on Earth (Blue Note Records 1968)

Mother Ship (Blue Note Records 1969)

Lawrence of Newark (Perception Records 1973)

Larry Young's Fuel (Arista Records 1975)

Spaceball (Arista Records 1976)

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