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 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 List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat, seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County and the second largest city within the New Yo ...

, United States, Young attended

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), Am ...

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 de ...

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'' and '' 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, bandleader and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Born and raise ...

. 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 Sam Rivers may refer to: * Sam Rivers (jazz musician) Samuel Carthorne Rivers (September 25, 1923 – December 26, 2011) was an American jazz musician and composer. Though most famously a tenor saxophonist, he also performed on soprano saxophone ...

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 ...

'', 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) 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 ''Bitches Brew'' is a studio album by American jazz trumpeter, composer, and bandleader Miles Davis. It was recorded from August 19 to 21, 1969, at Columbia's Studio B in New York City and released on March 30, 1970 by Columbia Records. It mark ...

''. 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 ''Nine to the Universe'' is a posthumous compilation album by American guitarist Jimi Hendrix. It was released in March 1980 in the US and in June 1980 in the UK. It was the third album of Hendrix recordings to be produced by Alan Douglas. The al ...

''. 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) * '' Young Blues'' (New Jazz, 1960) * '' Groove Street'' (

, 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. "O ...

'' (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 w ...

'' (

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 syste ...

, 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 b ...

'' ( Arista, 1975) * '' Spaceball'' (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 oscil ...

, 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 i ...

'' (

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 ...

, 1978) – recorded in 1977 With

* ''

'' (

Columbia Columbia may refer to: * Columbia (personification), the historical female national personification of the United States, and a poetic name for America Places North America Natural features * Columbia Plateau, a geologic and geographic region i ...

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

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

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

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 ''The Great Guildo'' (subtitled ''Soulful Piano'') is a double album by jazz pianist Gildo Mahones recorded for the Prestige label in 1963 and 1964 and released in 1965.John McLaughlin * '' Devotion'' (Douglas, 1970) * ''

Love Devotion Surrender ''Love Devotion Surrender'' is an album released in 1973 by guitarists Carlos Santana and John McLaughlin, with the backing of their respective bands, Santana and The Mahavishnu Orchestra. The album was inspired by the teachings of Sri Chinmoy an ...

'' 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 feature ...

(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 Booker Telleferro Ervin II (October 31, 1930 – August 31, 1970) was an American tenor saxophone player. His tenor playing was characterised by a strong, tough sound and blues/gospel phrasing. He is remembered for his association with bassi ...

* ''

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. Rec ...

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

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

Soul Cookin' ''Soul Cookin' '' is the sole album led by guitarist Thornel Schwartz, with saxophonist Bill Leslie, released in 1962 on Argo Records. Reception Flophouse magazine noted: "A proficient blues player who talks the bop language without really, li ...

'' (

Argo In Greek mythology the ''Argo'' (; in Greek: ) was a ship built with the help of the gods that Jason and the Argonauts sailed from Iolcos to Colchis to retrieve the Golden Fleece. The ship has gone on to be used as a motif in a variety of ...

, 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 ''Natural Soul'' (subtitled ''Natural Woman'') is an album by American saxophonist Buddy Terry recorded in 1967 and released on the Prestige label.

'' (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 State ...

, 1969) * ''

Turn It Over ''Turn It Over'' is the second album by the American jazz fusion group the Tony Williams Lifetime, released in 1970 via Polydor Records. It was rereleased by Verve Records in 1997, as part of ''Spectrum: The Anthology''. Williams is again joined b ...

'' (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