Larry Young (also known as Khalid Yasin ''Abdul Aziz October 7, 1940 – March 30, 1978) was an American jazz organist and occasional pianist. Young's early work was strongly influenced by the

soul jazz Soul jazz or funky jazz is a subgenre of jazz that incorporates strong influences from hard bop, blues, soul, gospel and rhythm and blues. Soul jazz is often characterized by organ trios featuring the Hammond organ and small combos including ten ...

of Jimmy Smith, but he later pioneered a more experimental, modal approach to the

Hammond B-3 The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond and John M. Hanert and first manufactured in 1935. Multiple models have been produced, most of which use sliding drawbars to vary sounds. Until 1975, Hammond organs generated ...

Biography

Born and raised in

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County and the second largest city within the New York metropolitan area.Newark Arts High School Newark Arts High School is a four-year magnet public high school, serving students in Ninth through twelfth grades in Newark, in Essex County, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Newark Public Schools. The school is located in ...

, where he began performing with a vocal group and a jazz band. Young played with various R&B bands in the 1950s, before gaining jazz experience with

Jimmy Forrest James, Jim or Jimmy Forrest may refer to: Sports * James Forrest (rugby union) (born 1907), Scotland international rugby union player * James Forrest (baseball) (1897–1977), American baseball player * James Forrest (basketball) (born 1972), Ame ...

Lou Donaldson Lou Donaldson (born November 1, 1926) is an American retired jazz Alto saxophone, alto saxophonist. He is best known for his soulful, bluesy approach to playing the alto saxophone, although in his formative years he was, as many were of the bebop ...

Kenny Dorham McKinley Howard "Kenny" Dorham (August 30, 1924 – December 5, 1972) was an American jazz trumpeter, singer, and composer. Dorham's talent is frequently lauded by critics and other musicians, but he never received the kind of attention or public ...

Hank Mobley Henry "Hank" Mobley (July 7, 1930 – May 30, 1986) was an American hard bop and soul jazz tenor saxophonist and composer. Mobley was described by Leonard Feather as the "middleweight champion of the tenor saxophone", a metaphor used to descr ...

and

Tommy Turrentine Thomas Walter Turrentine, Jr. (April 22, 1928 – May 13, 1997) was a swing and hard bop trumpeter and composer who was active between the 1940s and the 1960s. He rarely worked as a bandleader, and was known for his work as a sideman with drum ...

. Recording as a leader for

Prestige Prestige refers to a good reputation or high esteem; in earlier usage, ''prestige'' meant "showiness". (19th c.) Prestige may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Films * ''Prestige'' (film), a 1932 American film directed by Tay Garnet ...

from 1960, Young made a number of soul jazz discs, '' Testifying'', ''

Young Blues ''Young Blues'' is the second album led by jazz organist Larry Young (musician), Larry Young which was recorded in 1960 and released on the Prestige Records, New Jazz label.Groove Street''. When Young signed with

Blue Note In jazz and blues, a blue note is a note that—for expressive purposes—is sung or played at a slightly different pitch from standard. Typically the alteration is between a quartertone and a semitone, but this varies depending on the musical c ...

around 1964, his music began to show the marked influence of

John Coltrane John William Coltrane (September 23, 1926 – July 17, 1967) was an American jazz saxophonist The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of br ...

. In this period, he produced his most enduring work. He recorded several times as part of a trio with guitarist

Grant Green Grant Green (June 6, 1935 – January 31, 1979) was an American jazz guitarist and composer. Recording prolifically for Blue Note Records as both leader and sideman, Green performed in the hard bop, soul jazz, bebop, and Latin-tinged idioms ...

and drummer

Elvin Jones Elvin Ray Jones (September 9, 1927 – May 18, 2004) was an American jazz drummer of the post-bop era. Most famously a member of John Coltrane's quartet, with whom he recorded from late 1960 to late 1965, Jones appeared on such widely celebrate ...

, who were occasionally augmented by additional players. Most of these albums were released under Green's name, though '' Into Somethin''' (with Sam Rivers on saxophone) became Young's Blue Note debut. ''

Unity Unity may refer to: Buildings * Unity Building, Oregon, Illinois, US; a historic building * Unity Building (Chicago), Illinois, US; a skyscraper * Unity Buildings, Liverpool, UK; two buildings in England * Unity Chapel, Wyoming, Wisconsin, US; a h ...

'', recorded in 1965, remains his best-known album; it features a front line of

Joe Henderson Joe Henderson (April 24, 1937 – June 30, 2001) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. In a career spanning more than four decades, Henderson played with many of the leading American players of his day and recorded for several prominent l ...

and the young

Woody Shaw Woody Herman Shaw Jr. (December 24, 1944 – May 10, 1989) was an American jazz trumpeter, flugelhornist, cornetist, composer, arranger, band leader, and educator. Shaw is widely known as one of the most important and influential jazz trumpet ...

. Subsequent albums for Blue Note (''Contrasts'', ''Of Love and Peace'', ''Heaven On Earth'', ''Mother Ship'') also drew on elements of the 1960s avant-garde and utilised local musicians from Young's hometown of Newark. Young then became a part of some of the earliest

fusion Fusion, or synthesis, is the process of combining two or more distinct entities into a new whole. Fusion may also refer to: Science and technology Physics *Nuclear fusion, multiple atomic nuclei combining to form one or more different atomic nucl ...

groups: first on ''Emergency!'' with

the Tony Williams Lifetime The Tony Williams Lifetime was a jazz fusion group led by jazz drummer Tony Williams. Original line-up The Tony Williams Lifetime was founded in 1969 as a power trio with John McLaughlin on electric guitar, and Larry Young on organ. The band ...

(with Tony Williams and

John McLaughlin John or Jon McLaughlin may refer to: Arts and entertainment * John McLaughlin (musician) (born 1942), English jazz fusion guitarist, member of Mahavishnu Orchestra * Jon McLaughlin (musician) (born 1982), American singer-songwriter * John McLaug ...

) and also on

Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Davis adopted a variety of music ...

's '' Bitches Brew''. His sound with Lifetime was made distinctive by his often very percussive approach and regular heavy use of guitar and synthesizer-like effects. He is also known for a jam he recorded with rock guitarist

Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most ...

, which was released after Hendrix's death on the album, '' Nine to the Universe''. In March 1978, he checked into the hospital for stomach pains. He died there on March 30, 1978, while being treated for what is said to be pneumonia. However, the actual cause of his death is unclear.

Discography

As leader

* '' Testifying'' ( New Jazz, 1960) * ''

, 1962) * '' Into Somethin''' (

, 1965) – recorded in 1964 * ''

'' (Blue Note, 1966) – recorded in 1965 * ''

Of Love and Peace ''Of Love and Peace'' is an album by organist Larry Young. It was recorded in 1966 and was released by Blue Note Records in 1967. Recording and music The album was recorded at Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, on July 28, 1966. " ...

'' (Blue Note, 1967) – recorded in 1966 * '' Contrasts'' (Blue Note, 1968) – recorded in 1967 * '' Heaven on Earth'' (Blue Note, 1969) – recorded in 1968 * ''

Lawrence of Newark ''Lawrence of Newark'' is a jazz album by organist/keyboardist Larry Young, released on the Perception Records label. The album is Young's debut for Perception Records which has since been reissued on CD by Castle Records. Perception Records we ...

'' (

Perception Perception () is the organization, identification, and interpretation of sensory information in order to represent and understand the presented information or environment. All perception involves signals that go through the nervous system ...

, 1975) – recorded in 1973 * ''

Fuel A fuel is any material that can be made to react with other substances so that it releases energy as thermal energy or to be used for work. The concept was originally applied solely to those materials capable of releasing chemical energy but ...

'' ( Arista, 1975) * ''

Spaceball Spaceball(s) or ''variation'', may refer to: TV and film * "Spaceball" (''Battlestar Galactica''), an episode of the short lived science fiction series ''Galactica 1980 ''Galactica 1980'' is an American science fiction television series and a ...

'' (Arista, 1976) * ''The Magician'' (Acanta/ Bellaphon, 1977) * ''

Mother Ship A mother ship, mothership or mother-ship is a large vehicle that leads, serves, or carries other smaller vehicles. A mother ship may be a maritime ship, aircraft, or spacecraft. Examples include bombers converted to carry experimental airc ...

'' (Blue Note, 1980) – recorded in 1969 * ''Larry Young in Paris: The ORTF Sessions'' (

Resonance Resonance describes the phenomenon of increased amplitude that occurs when the frequency of an applied periodic force (or a Fourier component of it) is equal or close to a natural frequency of the system on which it acts. When an oscillatin ...

, 2016) - recorded for French radio in 1964 and 1965

As sideman

With

Joe Chambers Joe or JOE may refer to: Arts Film and television * ''Joe'' (1970 film), starring Peter Boyle * ''Joe'' (2013 film), starring Nicolas Cage * ''Joe'' (TV series), a British TV series airing from 1966 to 1971 * ''Joe'', a 2002 Canadian animated ...

* ''

Double Exposure In photography and cinematography, a multiple exposure is the superimposition of two or more exposures to create a single image, and double exposure has a corresponding meaning in respect of two images. The exposure values may or may not be ide ...

'' (

Muse In ancient Greek religion and mythology, the Muses ( grc, Μοῦσαι, Moûsai, el, Μούσες, Múses) are the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the ...

, 1978) – recorded in 1977 With

* '' Bitches Brew'' ( Columbia, 1970) – recorded in 1969 * '' Big Fun'' (Columbia, 1974) – 1969 sessions only With

* '' Forrest Fire'' (New Jazz, 1960) With

* ''

Talkin' About! ''Talkin' About!'' is an American jazz guitarist Grant Green album featuring performances recorded in 1964 and released on the Blue Note label.

'' (Blue Note, 1965) – recorded in 1964 * '' His Majesty King Funk'' (

Verve Verve may refer to: Music * The Verve, an English rock band * ''The Verve E.P.'', a 1992 EP by The Verve * ''Verve'' (R. Stevie Moore album) * Verve Records, an American jazz record label Businesses * Verve Coffee Roasters, an American coffee ho ...

, 1965) * ''

I Want to Hold Your Hand "I Want to Hold Your Hand" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles. Written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, and recorded on 17 October 1963, it was the first Beatles record to be made using four-track equipment. With advance orders ...

'' (Blue Note, 1966) – recorded in 1965 * '' Street of Dreams'' (Blue Note, 1967) – recorded in 1964 With

Etta Jones Etta Jones (November 25, 1928 – October 16, 2001) was an American jazz singer. Her best-known recordings are "Don't Go to Strangers" and "Save Your Love for Me". She worked with Buddy Johnson, Oliver Nelson, Earl Hines, Barney Bigard, Gene A ...

* ''

Love Shout ''Love Shout'' is an album by jazz vocalist Etta Jones which was recorded in late 1962 and early 1963 and released on the Prestige label.

'' (Prestige, 1963) – recorded in 1962-63 With

Gildo Mahones Hermenengildo "Gildo" Mahones (June 2, 1929, New York City – April 27, 2018) was an American jazz pianist. Biography Mahones was born to Puerto Rican parents in East Harlem in New York City. Early in his career, he played with Joe Morris (1948 ...

* ''

I'm Shooting High ''I'm Shooting High'' is an album by jazz pianist Gildo Mahones recorded for the Prestige label in 1963.

'' (Prestige, 1964) – recorded in 1963 * '' The Great Gildo'' (Prestige, 1965) – recorded in 1963-64 With

* ''

Devotion Devotion or Devotions may refer to: Religion * Faith, confidence or trust in a person, thing, or concept * Anglican devotions, private prayers and practices used by Anglican Christians * Buddhist devotion, commitment to religious observance * Cat ...

'' (Douglas, 1970) * ''

Love Devotion Surrender ''Love Devotion Surrender'' is an album released in 1973 by guitarists Carlos Santana and John McLaughlin (musician), John McLaughlin, with the backing of their respective bands, Santana (band), Santana and The Mahavishnu Orchestra. The album was ...

'' with

Carlos Santana Carlos Humberto Santana Barragán (; born July 20, 1947) is an American guitarist who rose to fame in the late 1960s and early 1970s with his band Santana, which pioneered a fusion of Rock and roll and Latin American jazz. Its sound featured ...

(Columbia, 1972) With

Pony Poindexter Norwood "Pony" Poindexter (February 8, 1926, New Orleans, Louisiana – April 14, 1988, Oakland, California) was an American jazz saxophonist. Poindexter began on clarinet and switched to playing alto and tenor sax. In 1940 he studied unde ...

and Booker Ervin * ''

Gumbo! ''Gumbo!'' is an album by saxophonists Pony Poindexter and Booker Ervin which was released on the Prestige label in 1963. The 1999 CD reissue added eight unreleased selections from earlier sessions, three led by Poindexter and five by Ervin. Re ...

'' (Prestige, 1963) - with bonus tracks on CD With

* '' In the Beginning'' (Muse, 1983) - recorded in 1965. also released as ''Cassandranite''. With

Thornel Schwartz Thornel Schwartz Jr., or Thornal Schwartz Jr. (May 29, 1927 in Philadelphia – December 30, 1977 in Philadelphia) was an American jazz guitarist. He played electric guitar on the recordings of many Philadelphia jazz musicians, especially electro ...

and Bill Leslie * '' Soul Cookin''' ( Argo, 1962) - Young listed as "Lawrence Olds" With

Buddy Terry Edlin "Buddy" Terry (January 30, 1941 - November 29, 2019) was an American jazz musician and alto/tenor sax player. He was born in Newark, New Jersey. In the 1960s and 1970s Terry made albums for Prestige Records and Mainstream Records. He played w ...

* '' Natural Soul'' (Prestige, 1968) – recorded in 1967 With

The Tony Williams Lifetime The Tony Williams Lifetime was a jazz fusion group led by jazz drummer Tony Williams. Original line-up The Tony Williams Lifetime was founded in 1969 as a power trio with John McLaughlin on electric guitar, and Larry Young on organ. The band ...

* ''

Emergency An emergency is an urgent, unexpected, and usually dangerous situation that poses an immediate risk to health, life, property, or environment and requires immediate action. Most emergencies require urgent intervention to prevent a worsening ...

'' (

Polydor Polydor Records Ltd. is a German-British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in the United States. ...

, 1969) * '' Turn It Over'' (Polydor, 1970) * '' Ego'' (Polydor, 1971) With Love Cry Want (Nicholas/Gallivan/Young) * ''Love Cry Want'' (Newjazz.com, 1997) - recorded in 1972

References

External links

*

at Point of Departure {{DEFAULTSORT:Young, Larry 1940 births 1978 deaths African-American jazz musicians American jazz organists American male organists Hard bop organists Jazz-funk organists Modal jazz organists Musicians from Newark, New Jersey Post-bop organists Soul-jazz organists Blue Note Records artists Prestige Records artists Arista Records artists Avant-garde jazz organists 20th-century American keyboardists The Tony Williams Lifetime members 20th-century organists 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians Newark Arts High School alumni

Biography

Discography

As leader

As sideman

References

Further reading

External links