Larry Carlton

[John A.]

Larry C. is tough to categorize. He absolutely can play straightahead jazz very well. His live sets usually include at least some standards and a lot of his recordings are well within the definition of fusion, but his overall vibe is probably more jazzy/bluesy instrumental pop. So far as I know he has never made a "real" jazz record (i.e., classic jazz group line-up, mainly swing time, standards), but there are examples of him doing it out there, such as:

Pedant alert: Begging the question is an informal logical fallacy in which you assume the truth of the thing you're trying to prove in the premise of a question; it's a form of circular argument. Trying to categorize Larry C. may lead one to wondering what it actually means to say someone is a jazz musician or what jazz actually is, but that's not fallacious reasoning; it's just a normal consequence of questions arising from information. OTOH "Larry C's music is jazz because he is a jazz musician" could be seen as an example of begging the question (could also be seen as a tautology).

Now you know, and you won't do it again.

[jameslovestal]

Larry with Steely Dan was like 50 years ago,if you haven't listened to him since then it seems like it would be hard to criticize his playing.I love Wes playing Bumpin,if jazz artists tried to be more accessible at times, maybe jazz would sell more than one percent of sales in today's market.

I didn't criticize Carlton playing. As for Bumpin; Yea, that type of music is more accessible to a wider general audience, but just not me.

[Litterick]

Trying to prove Carlton is a jazz guitarist by finding instances where he played "real" jazz seems futile, since they do not represent the body of his work. Perhaps it would be better to compare him with those guitarists who do not play "classic jazz group line-up, mainly swing time, standards", yet still are considered to be jazz musicians.

[Christian Miller]

It’s always easier to identify the centre of jazz than the edges

[Doctor Jeff]

Larry C. is tough to categorize. He absolutely can play straightahead jazz very well. His live sets usually include at least some standards and a lot of his recordings are well within the definition of fusion, but his overall vibe is probably more jazzy/bluesy instrumental pop. So far as I know he has never made a "real" jazz record (i.e., classic jazz group line-up, mainly swing time, standards), but there are examples of him doing it out there, such as:

That guitar is so beautiful it hurts. I feel like a voyeur watching that.