In Memoriam: Larry Coryell

Another hero has passed away.  We fondly remember, the man who pretty much founded the idea and the genre of "jazz fusion".  The one, and the only, Larry Coryell.  Miles Davis may have really pioneered what the genre could and would become, along with other luminary individuals and groups like Return To Forever, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Weather Report, Herbie Hancock's Headhunters and a myriad of others.  But, Larry Coryell was the one to pioneer the idea first, of blending jazz and rock and roll. 

https://jazztimes.com/news/larry-coryell-dies-73/

To honor his legacy, here are some videos of what would turn out to be his last performance, at the Iridium Jazz Club in New York City posted, by the drummer in his trio, Steve Johns.  One is "Black Orpheus" by Luis Bonfa.

...And, from the same performance, here is Coryell's composition, "Dragon's Gate", the last song he would play before being called home to jazz heaven.  

Another noteworthy performance in Coryell's career, was this one with Miles Davis on the sessions for "Miss Last Summer" at Columbia Records Studio B in New York, New York, on March 2nd, 1978.  For this session, Miles Davis played organ, not trumpet.  The band lineup is:

Miles Davis: organ
Larry Coryell: guitar
Masabumi Kikuchi: keyboards
George Pavlis: keyboards
T.M. Stevens: bass
Al Foster: drums