Search - Larry Coryell :: Spaces Revisited

This Baby Cooks

Oliver Towne | Riverside, CA United States | 08/21/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a no-lose proposition for fans of Larry Coryell, Bireli Lagrene, or jazz guitar in general. The mood and sound is actually different from the original "Spaces" album, but equally satisfying. If you are a musician, you will soon be in awe of how good these guys are, as they crank out a set of nearly flawless improvised performances with little-to-no rehearsal and no overdubs. In fact, scratch the word "nearly," because the only flaw I hear on this CD is some audio clipping on the guitars, noticeable primarily in "Morning Of The Carnival." (Miked a tad hot, I'd say.) Great take on the Luiz Bonfa classic, by the way, especially at the end when Coryell repeats the melody using harmonics. Also, on my stereo I have to roll off some bottom end, but that seems to be the case with a lot of pure digital recordings. (I assume this is a DDD disc, but the liner notes don't explicitly say so.)This is a good album to test your ears with if you are not a guitarist. Lagrene and Coryell have a similar sound, but after you listen a bit (and with the aid of the liner notes cheat sheet) you will notice the differences in tone--Coryell's has a more percussive edge--and in their licks and phrasing. There is a hint of Larry's younger rock/jam days in his style, and Bireli reveals a bit of his gypsy-jazz heritage. But these are characteristics you would only recognize if you were already familiar with both players. Anyone hearing them for the first time would think they'd been collaborating for years.But it doesn't end there. Backing up these killer guitars are legendary drummer Billy Cobham and the versatile bassist Richard Bona. Check out the 9/8 section on "Goodbye, Pork Pie Hat." It doesn't get a whole lot better than this, folks.As the capper to a smokin' batch of ensemble performances, we get a beautiful acoustic duet version of Monk's "Ruby, My Dear," an inspired choice both musically and in track placement. Makes it feel like kind of an encore at a live concert and lets us hear the guitar in its unadorned greatness.Too bad the market for jazz is so small these days, because this is one album that should have been promoted a lot."