My Father's Place, New York 1978

My Father's Place, New York 1978

JAZZ GUITARIST AT THE BEGINNING OF HIS SOLO CAREER LIVE BROADCAST FROM NYC 1978 Los Angeles studio musician, guitarist and composer Larry Carlton was, along with others of a similar persuasion, faced with a dilemma in the mid to late 1970s; whether to go solo and develop a name for himself, or to continue the less risky, more lucrative existence of remaining as a session guitarist and making good money working with high profile acts. Bravely, Carlton chose the former, and has recorded under his own name since 1978. Having worked throughout the 1970s alongside Steely Dan, Joni Mitchell, Quincy Jones, Linda Ronstadt, and on Michael Jackson s Off The Wall album, among numerous other international recording artists and performers, Larry s work on the Steely Dan studio albums (as well as Donald Fagin s solo debut The Nightfly) and some of Joni Mitchell s finest works marked him out as a first class musician and a hugely creative force in the LA studio community. Although he had recorded a number of LPs under his own name as early as 1968's With a Little Help from My Friends (Uni) and 1973's Playing/Singing (Blue Thumb), he didn't land a major-label contract until 1978, when he signed with Warner Bros and delivered his self-titled debut for the label, shortly after he was recognised for his groundbreaking guitar playing on Steely Dan's Royal Scam album. His solo on the track Kid Charlemagne has been voted the third best guitar solo of all time by Rolling Stone magazine! On September 26th 1978, Carlton performed a show at the famous Long Island music venue My Father s Place (in the greater New York vicinity), in support of his new record, and the entire performance was broadcast across the area by local FM radio, giving this marvelous musician a much needed boost at the dawn of what was being touted a hugely promising solo career. This CD features the live broadcast in its entirety, released here for the first time almost 40 years after the event. Featuring a number of the album s cuts alongside a couple of new tracks which would not be included on record until the release of his Live In Japan album the following year, and with a superb arrangement of the irresistibly funky Crusaders number Put It Where You Want It (a group Carlton was a member of between 1971 and 1978), this early live outing in the solo career of a true guitar hero will remain a pivotal recording in Larry Carlton s back catalogue.