Home » Jazz Articles » Live Review » The Best of Larry Carlton At Middle C Jazz

The Best of Larry Carlton At Middle C Jazz

View Slideshow

Courtesy Daniel Coston

By Mark Sullivan
August 20, 2024
View read count

Larry Carlton
Middle C Jazz
The Best of Larry Carlton
Charlotte, NC
August 15, 2024

Legendary session guitarist

Larry Carlton

guitar
b.1948

" data-original-title="" title="">Larry Carlton has a deep catalog of memorable tracks that featured his playing. He announced that he was going to follow

Frank Sinatra

vocals
1915 - 1998

" data-original-title="" title="">Frank Sinatra's dictum to always start a show with two songs the audience knows, then launched into "Minute By Minute," the

The Doobie Brothers

band / ensemble / orchestra

" data-original-title="" title="">The Doobie Brothers tune that he covered on his album Discovery (MCA Records, 1987). A sly introduction began the

" data-original-title="" title="">Steely Dan track "Black Friday" from Katy Lied (ABC Records, 1975). The vocal line was played by the tenor saxophonist until Carlton took it over on guitar: it was easy to hear the song, even without the vocals. Carlton jokingly announced that "tonight's all about me." The next piece would be one he wrote in 1986 (and still on the radio): "Smiles and Smiles to Go" from his album Alone / But Never Alone (MCA Records, 1986). A friend had told him that he wrote it to have a playground to run wild in, and he seemed to really enjoy going there again.

Carlton made his first recording with The

Crusaders

band / ensemble / orchestra
b.1960

" data-original-title="" title="">Crusaders at age 23, after playing a session with keyboardist

Joe Sample

piano
1939 - 2014

" data-original-title="" title="">Joe Sample (who was one of Carlton's heroes), and went on to appear on a total of 13 albums. "Put It Where You Want It" from Crusaders I (Blue Thumb Records, 1972) was their first hit. It still packs a potent groove, inspiring especially hot tenor saxophone and electric piano solos. He introduced the band: trombonist

Barry Green

piano

" data-original-title="" title="">Barry Green, tenor saxophonist

Paulie Cerra

" data-original-title="" title="">Paulie Cerra , bassist

Travis Carlton

bass

" data-original-title="" title="">Travis Carlton, keyboardist

Ruslan Sirota

piano
b.1980

" data-original-title="" title="">Ruslan Sirota and drummer

Joel Taylor

drums
b.1959

" data-original-title="" title="">Joel Taylor.

Next up was a beautiful ballad, a guitar feature without horns. Carlton said that saxophonist Paulie Cerra was a sub—but he is also a gifted blues vocalist—so a blues vocal feature was a special treat. Cerra sang "I'm Gonna Move to the Outskirts of Town," a Piedmont blues that has been covered by many people, including The

Allman Brothers Band

band / ensemble / orchestra

" data-original-title="" title="">Allman Brothers Band and (probably most famously)

Ray Charles

piano and vocals
1930 - 2004

" data-original-title="" title="">Ray Charles. Cerra followed his vocal with a powerful saxophone solo, and then the leader contributed an excellent, restrained guitar solo. His blues playing was just as musical as everything he does: technically gifted but with no extraneous flash. Before starting the next tune, he bet the audience that they could guess it from two notes. Sure enough, it was easy to hear Steely Dan's "Black Cow" from Aja (ABC Records, 1977) by just hearing the guitar introduction.

About now Carlton asked for a show of hands by any audience members below the age of 40. There were about ten, making this a comparatively young show! The early set only had four. Carlton asked the audience if we had ever had a good day at work where everything went right. He had such a day recording with Steely Dan—the Note Fairy was especially generous. When he was recently asked to join a tour, he accepted, then realized it had been 35 years since he played that music. So he had to re-learn his iconic "Kid Charlemagne" solo from The Royal Scam (ABC Records, 1976). He played it perfectly everywhere but Los Angeles, where he was singled out in a newspaper review of the concert. So he told all of the guitarists in the audience who had it memorized that if he played anything different, he meant to do that. No need: he nailed it. The guitarist was a member of the group

Fourplay

band / ensemble / orchestra

" data-original-title="" title="">Fourplay (with keyboardist

Bob James

piano
b.1939

" data-original-title="" title="">Bob James) for 12 years, so he closed the show with one of their most famous tunes. A good time was had by all.

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Meet Doug Wilde
< Previous

Remembering Toumani Diabat��: MALIco...
Next >

Larry Carlton Concerts

Sep 20 Sat

Larry Carlton

Iridium
New York, NY

Sep 20 Sat

Larry Carlton

Iridium
New York, NY

Oct 18 Sat

Larry Carlton: Greatest Hits & Steely Dan

New Orleans Jazz Market
New Orleans, LA

Oct 18 Sat

Larry Carlton: Greatest Hits & Steely Dan

New Orleans Jazz Market
New Orleans, LA

Support All About Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.