Larry Coryell (born Lorenz Albert Van DeLinder III; April 2, 1943[1] – February 19, 2017)[2] was an American
jazz guitarist.
Early life
Larry Coryell was born in
Galveston, Texas, United States.[1] He never knew his biological father, a musician. He was raised by his stepfather Gene, a chemical engineer, and his mother Cora, who encouraged him to learn piano when he was four years old.[3]
Coryell graduated from
Richland High School, where he played in local bands the Jailers, the Rumblers, the Royals, and the Flames. He also played with the Checkers from
Yakima. He then moved to Seattle to attend the
University of Washington.[2]
In the 1970s, he led the group Foreplay with Mike Mandel, a friend since childhood,[7] although the albums of this period, Barefoot Boy, Offering, and The Real Great Escape, were credited only to Larry Coryell. He formed The Eleventh House in 1973.[1] Several of the group's albums included drummer
Alphonse Mouzon.
He recorded two guitar duet albums with
Philip Catherine. In 1979, he formed The Guitar Trio with
John McLaughlin and
Paco de Lucia.[1] The group toured Europe briefly, releasing a video recorded at Royal Albert Hall in London entitled Meeting of the Spirits. In early 1980, Coryell's drug addiction led to his being replaced by
Al Di Meola.[8] In 1985, he recorded Together with fellow guitarist
Emily Remler, who died in 1990. Starting in 2010, Coryell toured with a trio that included pianist
John Colianni. Since 2008, Coryell toured in a duo with fusion guitarist
Roman Miroshnichenko.[9]
Personal life
Coryell was first married to writer-actress Julie Nathanson (1947–2009), daughter of actress
Carol Bruce.[10] She appeared on the covers of several of his albums (including Lady Coryell, Larry Coryell at the Village Gate and The Lion and the Ram) and later wrote the book Jazz-Rock Fusion, which was based on interviews with many of Coryell's peers, including
Chick Corea and John McLaughlin.[11] She also sang intermittently with Coryell, including one track on the 1984 album Comin' Home. The couple had two sons (
Murali Coryell (b. 1969) and
Julian Coryell (b. 1973), both professional guitarists, before divorcing in 1985.[12] Thereafter, he had a brief romance with fellow jazz guitarist and artistic collaborator Emily Remler.[13]
In 1988, he remarried to Connecticut native Mary Schuler; they divorced in 2005. Two years later, he married his last wife, Tracey Lynn Piergross, in
Orlando, Florida, where he resided until his death in 2017.
In November 2016, Coryell condemned
Donald Trump following his election to the
presidency of the United States. "This is an unacceptable situation", he said to
Bill Milkowski of DownBeat. "We cannot let all the work we've done as jazz musicians to help relationships between people … we can't let all that go to hell. And that's what this election is going to do. It'll take us back to the
Dark Ages and people will think that it’s OK to be prejudiced again. Well, I don't accept it. We have to stand up. … [Trump is] an impostor, a huckster, and he's got to go. And because I'm a Buddhist I'm going to chant about it and try to turn poison into medicine, and just get deeper and deeper into my music."[15]
Shortly after these comments were published, Coryell wrote to Downbeat to apologize and retract: "I am no longer angry about the election; I accept it. I have musician friends who did not vote my way. I have no place implying, as I did in the article, that their votes were insincere or illegitimate... Also—and this is very important—I believe that I have a responsibility to transcend politics, focusing instead on finding ways to touch people’s hearts through music. I never want to forget all the great players who mentored me in the art of demonstrating restraint regarding hot-button issues; these men and women advised me to exercise discretion, and to behave with exemplary humanity. ...My comments did nothing to further the cause of our music. I apologize."[16]
Death
Coryell died of heart failure on Sunday, February 19, 2017, in a New York City hotel room at the age of 73. He had performed at the
Iridium Jazz Club in Manhattan on the preceding two days.[2][17]
Coryell's last opera, based on Leo Tolstoy's novel Anna Karenina, was presented at the 2017 World of Guitar opening, featuring the Moscow Symphony along with
Roman Miroshnichenko, Serbian classical guitarist Nenad Stephanovich, and Slovenian opera soloists. The world premiere was dedicated to Coryell, the "godfather of fusion," who died in New York in February of that year. The opera was completed by Miroshnichenko and Stephanovich after the death of Coryell.[18]