Search - Larry Carlton :: Very Best of

What is he - jazz, rock, blues? Whatever - he's one of the

D. M. Paine | Alexandria, Virginia USA | 03/16/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Larry Carlton is all these things. In my mind he is sort of king of the B-list jazz guitarists, consistently good but not a groundbreaker like Metheny, McLaughlin, or Benson. This album illustrates what is great about him - his tremendous versatility.



Larry first came to my attention listening to Steely Dan back in the 80's, with his wonderfully constructed, biting solos on songs like Third World Man (Gaucho). This was rock guitar elevated to the state of art, bittersweet, just bluesy enough you can relate to it. (Too bad that song is not on this collection.) In this album, you hear some of that same, wonderful texture in his version of the Beatles' Things We Said Today. As the liner notes point out, Larry demonstrates his solid jazz chops in several other places. He shines best in the opener Remembering J.P. (he must mean Jaco P.), and the closer, Terry T., the last one bluesier than the first. If it's solid blues you want, then you can hear it in the B.P. Blues, which also includes a nice, muted trumpet solo by Jerry Hay. Larry also has his easy-jazz side, demonstrated nicely on Smiles and Smiles to Go, one of the most cheerful songs you could want to hear, and the very gentle Hello Tomorrow. And of course he has a fusion side, in the rollicking Anthem, a well-named song with its strong theme and variations; he reminds me of the Dixie Dregs here. The most unusual song here is The Waffer, sort of a funky blues with a guitar texture described perfectly by the title.



Above all, Larry Carlton is one of the best guitar soloists, not just for his technical skills but for his ability to plan ahead and resolve a story line built into each of his solos. They don't meander. Let me add that Larry is an excellent composer, he wrote most of these tunes and they never let you down. He has resisted categorization, and has apparently been happy to be this multi-faceted player, excellent at so many things but not a leader in much of anything. If it makes him happy, then great! This is an excellent album, obviously giving you something for whatever mood you're in."