Larry Carlton-Sleepwalk (1981)

Larry Carlton is one of the most versatile jazz guitarists, with a career that reaches thirty albums, in addition to composing music for film and TV, which earned him the Grammy Award with the main theme for the series "Hill Street Blues".
Throughout his professional life Larry Carlton has also been a highly sought-after studio musician who has participated in thousands of recordings, some of such important people as Steely Dan, Al Jarreau, John Klemmer, Michael Franks, Spyro Gyra, Randy Crawford or Barbra Streisand by quote a few.
In 1968 he recorded his first solo work called "With a little Help From My Friends" and which was enthusiastically received by the public and critics. Shortly after he would sign for The Crusaders with whom he would record up to 13 works until 1976, even contributing with his own compositions and above all, with that soft sound he got with his Gibson ES-335 guitar. That guitar would give Carlton a nickname, known since then as "Mr. 335", he even created his own recording studio which he would call "Room 335".
At the end of his relationship with The Crusaders, Carlton signed with Warner Bros Records for whom he would record a series of great albums between 1977 and 1984 such as "Larry Carlton" (1978), the direct "Mr. 335: Live in Japan" (1979), "Sleepwalk" (1981), "Strikes Twice" (1981), "Eight Times Up" (1983) and "Friends" (1983).
In all of them, Carlton, in addition to his subtle guitar touch, provides sensational arrangements and exquisite productions, full of nuances and full of different styles, from jazz to rock through funk, soul and blues.
In 1985 with his album "Alone but never Alone" he achieved number one on Billboard Jazz, and even got another Grammy for "Minute by Minute" and received a nomination in the category of "Best Jazz Fusion Performance" for his live "Last Nite " With a successful halo on his back, Carlton prepares to record his next work. It will be a more electric album than the previous ones and it will be called "On Solid Ground". But one day leaving the recording studio Larry Carlton is brutally shot by a stranger and is about to lose his life. This dramatic event marked a major turning point as it led to a long period of hospitalization followed by endless and painful recovery sessions. But the guitarist knew how to redirect his career again and although his live appearances began to dramatically decrease from that moment on, he soon continued with his participation as a studio musician, now totaling more than three thousand.
In recent years the guitarist has been essential in the consolidation of the "Fourplay" project, a band initially formed by keyboardist Bob James, bassist Nathan East, drummer Harvey Mason and guitarist Lee Ritenour, who was replaced by Carlton from his fourth work "4" released in 1998. Fourplay currently has 10 albums on the market, the last one "Energy" from 2008.

Larry Carlton-Alone But Never Alone (1985)

Larry Carlton is one of the great jazz guitarists. His versatile style and immense talent have been demonstrated throughout a fruitful career spanning more than 50 years, leaving behind over thirty solo albums that have explored jazz fusion, jazz rock, blues, and rock. In addition to his solo albums, he has been a prolific session musician, collaborating on hundreds of recordings for other artists, including Steely Dan, Al Jarreau, Michael Franks, Spyro Gyra, and Randy Crawford, among many others. He has even composed various soundtracks for television and film series, such as the famous "Hill Street Blues", for which he won a Grammy Award in 1981. His first album, "With a Little Help from My Friends", released in 1968, was met with great acclaim from both audiences and critics worldwide. In the early 1970s, he joined the jazz-rock band The Crusaders, with whom he recorded eleven albums, beginning with "Crusaders 1" (1972) and ending with "Those Southern Knights" (1976). However, on the latter, he appeared as a guest musician, and he continued to participate in subsequent albums with the group, contributing his own compositions and melodic style with his famous Gibson ES-335 guitar. Carlton himself nicknamed this guitar "Mr. 335", even creating his own recording studio, which he called "Room 335". After leaving The Crusaders, Larry Carlton signed with Warner Bros. and released a string of great albums focused on jazz fusion. Among these albums, highlights include the debut “Larry Carlton” (1978), the live album “Mr. 335: Live in Japan” (1979), and the brilliant “Sleepwalk” (1981), “Strikes Twice” (1981), “Eight Times Up” (1983), and “Friends” (1983). All of them feature exquisite production, brimming with rich nuances and a wide variety of styles, encompassing jazz, rock, funk, soul, and blues. In 1985, with his ninth album, “Alone But Never Alone”, he reached number one on the Billboard Jazz charts, and even won another Grammy Award for the track “Minute by Minute”. He also received a nomination in the “Best Jazz Fusion Performance” category for his live album “Last Nite” (1986). In the late 1980s, he released his most rock-oriented album to date, "On Solid Ground", but before its release, an event occurred that would mark Larry Carlton's life. One night, outside the recording studio, an unknown assailant shot him several times, nearly killing him. This dramatic event led to a long hospitalization followed by endless and painful recovery sessions. Some time later, the guitarist began to rebuild his personal and professional life, drastically reducing his live appearances, although he gradually resumed his career as a session musician, reaching an astonishing number of nearly three thousand collaborations by the mid-1990s. At the end of the 20th century, he participated in the Fourplay project, a jazz supergroup formed by Bob James, Nathan East, and Harvey Mason, with whom he recorded a total of ten albums. 

Larry Carlton-Plays The Sound Of Philadelphia (2010)

In 2010, legendary jazz and blues guitarist Larry Carlton left his commitments with the fusion band Fourplay, resuming his solo career and releasing his twenty-eighth album. This time, Carlton ventures into a style less explored in his long career: soul. He covers songs by one of the most famous songwriting duos in history, Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff. This duo earned over 100 Gold and Platinum records over the years, in addition to more than 70 number-one hits worldwide. Carlton, with his distinctive blend of jazz, blues, and rock, has played on hundreds of recordings, from pop stars like Barbra Streisand, Kim Carnes, Albert Hammond, and Leo Sayer, to rock bands and artists such as Steely Dan, Peter Gabriel, Peter Frampton, and Christopher Cross, as well as blues and jazz greats like T-Bone Walker, Al Jarreau, James Ingram, Eumir Deodato, and Herb Alpert. In this tribute, Larry Carlton is accompanied by the velvety voice of Bill LaBounty, organist Paul Shaffer, pianist Tony DeSare, bassist Christopher LiNard Jackson, saxophonist Max Douthit, and drummer Andrea Valentini. Adapting many of the iconic songs to his characteristic style, highlights include “Could It Be I'm Falling in Love”, “You Make Me Feel Brand New”, and “I'll Be Around”, all with a fusion twist, while in “Back Stabbers”, the guitarist transforms it into a great blues number. Even more brilliant is “If You Don't Know Me By Now”, which retains the fluidity of the popular original but incorporates Carlton at his best, with a rockier sound.