Larry Young (musician)
American jazz organist (1940–1978)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Larry Young (also known as Khalid Yasin [Abdul Aziz]; October 7, 1940 – March 30, 1978)[1] 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.[2]
Larry Young | |
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| Background information | |
| Also known as | Khalid Yasin |
| Born | October 7, 1940 Newark, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Died | March 30, 1978 (aged 37) New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupations | Musician, songwriter |
| Instrument | Organ |
| Label | Blue Note |
Biography
Born and raised in Newark, New Jersey, United States, Young attended Newark Arts High School, where he began performing with a vocal group and a jazz band.[3] He was also the cousin of the drummer Jimmie Smith.[4]
Young played with various R&B bands in the 1950s, before gaining jazz experience with Jimmy Forrest, Lou Donaldson, Kenny Dorham, Hank Mobley and Tommy Turrentine.[1] Recording as a leader for Prestige from 1960, Young made a number of soul jazz discs, Testifying, Young Blues and Groove Street.[1] When Young signed with Blue Note around 1964, his music began to show the marked influence of John Coltrane.[1] In this period, he produced his most enduring work. He recorded several times as part of a trio with guitarist Grant Green and drummer Elvin Jones,[1] 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.[1] Unity, recorded in 1965, remains his best-known album; it features a front line of Joe Henderson and the young Woody Shaw.[1] 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 groups: first on Emergency! with the Tony Williams Lifetime (with Tony Williams and John McLaughlin) and also on Miles Davis's Bitches Brew.[1] 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, which was released after Hendrix's death on the album, Nine to the Universe.
In March 1978, he checked into a hospital for stomach pains.[5] He died there on March 30, 1978, while being treated for what is said to have been pneumonia.[6] However, the actual cause of his death is unclear.[2][7]
Discography
As leader
| Recording date | Title | Label | Year released | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960–08 | Testifying | New Jazz | 1960 | |
| 1960–09 | Young Blues | New Jazz | 1960 | |
| 1962–02 | Groove Street | Prestige | 1962 | |
| 1964–11 | Into Somethin' | Blue Note | 1965 | |
| 1964–12, 1965–01, 1965–02 |
Larry Young in Paris: The ORTF Sessions | Resonance | 2016 | rec. for French radio |
| 1965–11 | Unity | Blue Note | 1966 | |
| 1966–07 | Of Love and Peace | Blue Note | 1967 | |
| 1967–09 | Contrasts | Blue Note | 1968 | |
| 1968–02 | Heaven on Earth | Blue Note | 1969 | |
| 1969–02 | Mother Ship | Blue Note | 1980 | LT series |
| 1973 | Lawrence of Newark | Perception | 1975 | |
| 1975 | Fuel | Arista | 1975 | |
| 1976 | Spaceball | Arista | 1976 | |
| 1977 | The Magician | Acanta/Bellaphon | 1977 | [8] |
As sideman
|
With Miles Davis
With Grant Green
With Gildo Mahones
With John McLaughlin
With The Tony Williams Lifetime
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With others
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