from the crates is a series where i delve into records from my ever-growing collection.

released: march, 1970

genre: fusion jazz

from: galvestone, texas, usa

label: vanguard

a few thoughts: larry coryell was a legendary jazz guitarist who pioneered the fusion jazz genre alongside  john mclaughlin on guitar, chick corea on electric piano, miroslav vitouš on bass, and billy cobham on drums. spaces was that album. a sprawling 37-minute project that combined larry’s virtuosic guitar compositions, with an intense energy that is both dynamic and overwhelming. “spaces (infinite)” opens the album out with an explosive 9-minute piece centred around larry’s incredible guitar-led melodies, capturing an intensity and fluidity that feels utterly effortless. “rene’s theme” and “gloria’s step” are two of the shorter tracks on the album, but with a similar intensity to that incredible opener, with more of an emphasis on the guitar compositions between larry and joe, than the drumming. the restless “wrong is right” is an energetic cut, with an incredible bassline that drives the disorienting “chris” is another phenomenal cut that is more moody and introspective in tone and energy, but with a similarly virtuosic, almost disorienting guitar composition. larry has previously said that the sessions were a bit of a challenge originally as joe and chick had come from recording sessions with miles davis, and thus their styles and appoaches clashed with what larry was trying to achieve on the album. after a few days, however, things shifted into gear and the results are pretty special.

the album: