Today's CD review was not actually released today; I somehow missed it when it did come out earlier this year...but I did stumble upon it this afternoon, and I am so glad I did.
Mr. Larry Carlton, primo and fabulous guitarist, has released Sapphire Blue, a blues-oriented CD. From the first stellar track, Friday Night Shuffle, it is readily apparent that Mr. Carlton rules the fretboard. He is an incredible player. All but one track on this CD are fantastic, and the sole track that I don't care for is simply a statement of my personal taste and not the playing...I just don't like the tempo of the track, a little too frenetic and funky for me. But Track #3, Night Sweats...whoo. Aptly named. It's steamy, and a perfect soundtrack for whatever makes you sweat...like laying before a fire with a glass of nice red wine and...
Anyway, listening to this CD put me in such a good mood, and rekindled my respect for Larry. I had the opportunity to see Larry in an extraordinary concert at the Front Row on June 29,1989(his first performance following his traumatic accident -he was shot in the neck, doing great damage to his vocal cords and substantial nerve damage, impairing his ability to play) - his opening act was the amazing Stanley Jordan, who did a shattering performance of Stairway to Heaven, playing two guitars simultaneously.
A little history - Larry began his professional career in 1968 touring with the Fifth Dimension, and quickly became THE most requested studio guitarist of the 70s, playing for The Partridge Family, Vicki Carr, Andy Williams and Barbra Streisand. Then he joined the supergroup, The Crusaders. Larry is probably best known for his guitar work with Steely Dan, playing the stellar solo on their song, Kid Charlemagne.He has performed on over 100 gold albums. His has also worked for TV and films including Against All Odds, Who's the Boss, and Hill Street Blues which won a Grammy award in 1981 for Best Pop Instrumental Performance. A cover of Michael McDonald's Minute by Minute on his 1986 acoustic album, Discovery, won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance in 1987.
Sapphire Blue is now my favorite Larry Carlton CD, and if you aren't familiar with his work, it is a great introduction. (And the Japanese "Jazz Life Magazine" has selected it as album of the year as well.) However, that does not mean that my (now) second favorite CD is any less great. I would also recommend 1986's Alone/But Never Alone, Larry's phenomenal acoustic guitar CD. Although the opening track, Smiles and Smiles to Go, is a wee bit on the smooth jazz side, a genre I typically loathe, I am a sucker for the hook. Great tune. And Larry's playing on The Lord's Prayer is simply beautiful. Plus he is super cute and oh-so-young on the back cover.
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