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Larry Young: In Paris: The ORTF Recordings

By Mark Corroto
March 2, 2016
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Larry Young: In Paris: The ORTF Recordings

You may know organist

Larry Young

organ, Hammond B3
1940 - 1978

" data-original-title="" title="">Larry Young from his work in The

Tony Williams

drums
1945 - 1997

" data-original-title="" title="">Tony Williams Lifetime band (with

John McLaughlin

guitar
b.1942

" data-original-title="" title="">John McLaughlin) and later with

Jimi Hendrix

guitar, electric
1942 - 1970

" data-original-title="" title="">Jimi Hendrix, and

" data-original-title="" title="">Carlos Santana or you may just be hip to his Blue Note 1960's years. Nonetheless, you would certainly be surprised to learn that he lived to be just 38 years old, passing away in 1978. As the philosopher Lao Tzu said, "The flame that burns twice as bright, burns half as long"

Born Larry John McCoy in Newark, New Jersey in 1940, he later changed his name to Larry Young Jr., (his father's last name) because his grandfather was also an organist. Young began playing in organ trios performing soul jazz and R&B throughout New Jersey. His evolution, though, accelerated quite quickly, paralleling the 1960's music of

John Coltrane

saxophone
1926 - 1967

" data-original-title="" title="">John Coltrane and blasting off into new territories via

Miles Davis

trumpet
1926 - 1991

" data-original-title="" title="">Miles Davis' Bitches Brew (Columbia, 1970) session and the aforementioned jazz-rock fusion.

Resonance Records, which specializes in finding historic often unheard recordings, worked with ORTF (the Office of French Radio and Television) archives to unearth these tapes not heard since their original broadcast fifty years ago. The two-CD (or limited edition LPs) present pristine sound from the ORTF Studios in Paris and at a jazz awards ceremony at La Locomotive, where Young performed as a sideman with saxophonist

Nathan Davis

saxophone
1937 - 2018

" data-original-title="" title="">Nathan Davis, the Jazz aux Champs-?lys��es All-Stars, and his own piano trio.

The significance of this music is informed by the ripening of Young's approach, as these sessions recorded in 1964 and1965 were the precursors to his masterpiece Blue Note session Unity (1965) with

Joe Henderson

saxophone
1937 - 2001

" data-original-title="" title="">Joe Henderson,

Elvin Jones

drums
1927 - 2004

" data-original-title="" title="">Elvin Jones and the teenage trumpeter

Woody Shaw

trumpet
1944 - 1989

" data-original-title="" title="">Woody Shaw, who appears here. The Nathan Davis Quartet performs a twenty-minute live version of Shaw's "Zoltan," a piece made famous from that Unity session. The piece allows the soloists to stretch-out. Davis' tenor ignites Shaw's solo before Young squares off with Billy Brooks' drums. Where organists before Young delivered a bulky soul sound, Young's affection for Coltrane's quartet led him to tailor his organ to

McCoy Tyner

piano
1938 - 2020

" data-original-title="" title="">McCoy Tyner's acoustic approach. These sides also include compositions Young recorded for Blue Note including "Talkin' About J.C.," "Luny Tune," and "Beyond All Limits."

The expanded Jazz aux Champs-?lys��es All-Stars band which adds trumpeter Sonny Grey, saxophonist Jean-Claude Fohrenbach, pianist Jack Di��val, Italian drummer Franco Manzecchi, and conga player Jacky Bamboo account for three pieces here. Their swinging/hipster blues piece "Discoth��que" is a pause in the evolution of Young's flights, but it is evidence that he could accent even as an accompanist. Elsewhere, the All-Stars eat up "Talkin' About J.C." and "La Valse Grise" pushing soul jazz into the 1960's Coltrane revolution.

The second disc ends with "Larry's Blues," a rare piece performed on piano. Young's sound could easily be mistaken here for that of a cross between

Thelonious Monk

piano
1917 - 1982

" data-original-title="" title="">Thelonious Monk and

McCoy Tyner

piano
1938 - 2020

" data-original-title="" title="">McCoy Tyner. Isn't that a perfect summation of modern music?

The sound quality, especially the studio dates, is excellent making this a rare and, oh so precious find.

Learn more about our star rating system

Track Listing

(CD1) Trane Of Thought; Talkin' About J.C.; Mean To Me; La Valse Grise; Discoth��que. (CD2) Luny Tune; Beyond All Limits; Black Nile; Zoltan; Larry's Blues.

Personnel

Larry Young

organ, Hammond B3

Larry Young : organ, piano; Woody Shaw: trumpet; Nathan Davis: tenor saxophone; Billy Brooks: drums; Jack Di��val: piano; Jean-Claude Fohrenbach: tenor saxophone; Jacques B. Hess; bass; Franco Manzecchi: drums; Sonny Grey: trumpet; Jacky Bamboo: percussion.

Album information

Title: In Paris: The ORTF Recordings | Year Released: 2016 | Record Label: Resonance Records

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