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For the past three decades, Larry Carlton has been one of the nation's most sought-after jazz guitarists, dividing his recording time between solo recordings and session appearances with more popular bands. Over his career Carlton has won three Grammys for his performances and compositions, including the theme song for the hit television series The Hillstreet Blues. It is perhaps Carlton's creative and musical blend of jazz and rock elements that make him such a unique and talented artist.
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Appreciated by smooth jazz fans for his subtle, velvety style, and also by jazz and blues guitarists for his tight phrasing and impressive technique, Carlton learned to play guitar when he was six years old. Taking an interest in jazz in high school, his playing style became most influenced by guitarists Joe Pass, Wes Montgomery, Barney Kessel, and B.B. King. Saxophonist John Coltrane has also made a notable impression on Carlton, and Carlton's live albums have featured cuts from Miles Davis's hallmark Kind of Blue.
During the 1970s, Carlton was a busy session musician in Los Angeles, appearing on up to 500 recordings a year, including albums by Steely Dan, Joni Mitchell and Quincy Jones. His loopy, dazzling guitar work on Steely Dan's "Kid Charlemagne" from their 1978 LP The Royal Scam has been listed as the third best guitar solo on record by Rolling Stone Magazine. From 1971 to 1976 he played with the jazz-rock group The Crusaders. In 1977 he signed with Warner Brothers Records for a solo career. Although still relatively unknown outside his fan-base, Carlton produced six albums from 1978 to 1984, during which his adaptation of Santo Farina's "Sleepwalk" climbed the pop and adult contemporary charts and his 1983 LP Friends garnered a Grammy nomination.
His solo career took a twist in 1985 when he signed with MCA Master Series for an acoustic jazz album. The result was Alone, But Never Alone, which featured warm but sparse and emotive arrangements, including a rendition of "The Lord's Prayer". From 1985 to 1990 Carlton did various solo projects, winning another Grammy for his cover of Michael McDonald's "Minute By Minute" from the successful LP Discovery.
While working on his 1989 electric guitar LP On Solid Ground, Carlton was the victim of random gun violence, shot in the throat outside Room 335, his private studio in Southern California. The bullet shattered his vocal cord and caused significant nerve trauma. Amazingly, Carlton managed to recover quickly and completed On Solid Ground by the end of the year. He continued his work with the electric guitar in 1991 when he started to record a blues album, but decided to delay the project to meet demand for a more commerically-oriented jazz offering, which resulted in Kid Gloves. The rawer, southern-blues infused Renegade Gentleman was finally released in 1993, featuring Nashville harmonica legend Terry McMillan on several tracks.
From 1994 to 1997 Carlton participated in various tours and released an album with similar Los Angeles-based guitarist Lee Ritenour, which featured "Remembering J.P.", a nod to the recently deceased Joe Pass. Shortly thereafter, in 1997, he took Ritenour's place in the successful smooth jazz quartet Fourplay, even adopting a softer, Wes Montgomery-flavored style similar to Ritenour's work.
In 2000, Carlton furthered his solo career with the polished Fingerprints, which at its strongest points demonstrated his continued growth as a composer and also downplayed his blues-roots in favor of jazz-chordal playing and octaves. His career received another considerable boost the following year when his live performance with former Toto lead guitarist Steve Lukather, No Substitutions: Live At Osaka, garnered his third Grammy.
Carlton's most recent work includes the guest-appearance laden Deep Into It, the aggressive jazz-blues cut Sapphire Blue, and Firewire, his hardest album yet. While Carlton may not go down as a guitar "legend", his success as a session guitarist is remarkable. His influence on the younger generations of jazz and rock guitarists is very signifcant. Furthermore, it is clear that his versatile playing style transcends "smooth jazz" and cannot be limited to any particular genre, which makes him an intriguing listen for any guitarist. |
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LARRY CARLTON PICTURES |
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MOST POPULAR
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