Larry Willis
Once identified with on-the-edge free music, keyboardist Larry Willis had a profitable flirtation with fusion in the '70s, then moved to hard bop in the '80s and '90s. Willis' playing has been frenetic, ambitious, and interesting, but during his jazz-rock and fusion days it was funky but greatly restrained and simplistic. A devotee of Herbie Hancock, Willis has found a good balance, with expertly constructed modal solos and also lyrical, relaxed statements. Willis graduated from the Manhattan School of Music in the early '60s, then played with Jackie McLean and Hugh Masekela. He recorded with Lee Morgan and McLean in the mid-'60s, and worked with Kai Winding and Stan Getz, as well as recording with Robin Kenyatta in 1969. Willis turned to synthesizer and electric piano in the '70s, doing sessions with Cannonball Adderley, Earl May, Joe Henderson, Richard "Groove" Holmes, and Masekela again. He joined Blood, Sweat & Tears in 1972, recorded with Alphonse Mouzon in both 1972 and 1973, and did dates as a leader and freelance session musician. Willis also recorded with Ryo Kawasaki and Sonny Fortune in the late '70s, and with David "Fathead" Newman and Carla Bley in the '80s. Willis toured and recorded with Nat Adderley in the '80s and joined Woody Shaw's quintet in 1986. He's done sessions as a leader for Groove Merchant, Steeplechase, Audioquest, Brunswick, and Mapleshade, among others, including Blue Fable and Offering on Highnote in 2007 and 2008, respectively.
© Ron Wynn and Michael G. Nastos /TiVo
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Discography
14 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
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I Fall in Love Too Easily (The Final Session at Rudy Van Gelder's)
Bebop - Released by HighNote Records on May 29, 2020
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
This Time the Dream's on Me
Bebop - Released by HighNote Records on May 22, 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Inner Crisis
Jazz - Released by LRC Ltd. - Groove Merchant Records on Jan 1, 1973
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Offering
Bebop - Released by HighNote Records on Jan 25, 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Love Light
Sathima Bea Benjamin, Billy Higgins, Buster Williams, Larry Willis, Ricky Ford
Jazz - Released by ENJA RECORDS Matthias Winckelmann on Jan 1, 1994
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Best of the Funky Blues from The Groove Merchant Vault
Lonnie Smith, Ramon Morris, Larry Willis
Blues - Released by LRC Ltd. - Groove Merchant Records on Jul 2, 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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A Tribute to Someone (feat. Curtis Fuller, John Stubblefield, Tom Williams, David Williams, Ben Riley)
Jazz - Released by Sledgehammer Blues on Jan 1, 1993
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo