David Spinozza - ...and on guitar (1976)

David Spinozza was born on 8 August 1949 in Port Chester, New York, and began his professional recording career as a teenager in the 1960’s, swiftly becoming a sought after New York studio musician and soon signing with A&M Records as a solo artist. He has become known for being a versatile musician, with credits that span every facet of the music and entertainment industries, and as well as adding guitar to numerous recordings over the past 50 years, he's also produced, arranged, orchestrated, conducted, co-written and played guitar for a Who's Who of acclaimed artists such as James Taylor, Carly Simon, Garland Jeffries, Aretha Franklin, Roberta Flack, Bonnie Raitt, Bette Midler, B.B. King, Judy Collins, Jim Croce, George Benson and three out of four Beatles. His guitar is heard on countless classic hits, most notably Don McLean’s 'American Pie', John Lennon’s 'Mind Games', Paul McCartney’s 'Another Day', Paul Simon’s 'Me And Julio Down By The Schoolyard' and his iconic solo on Dr. John’s 'Right Place Wrong Time'. One of his earliest gigs was playing with Paul McCartney during sessions for his 'Ram' album in 1971, and when the chance came to work with Lennon two years later, as Yoko Ono prepared her 'Feeling The Space' album and Lennon his 'Mind Games', Spinozza discovered that Lennon was not aware he had previously worked with McCartney, and was afraid he would be fired if Lennon found out, given their recent feuding in the media, but when Lennon did learn of it his only comment was that McCartney "knows how to pick good people". The relationship with Ono carried on after 'Feeling The Space', where he contributed to her 'A Story' album, recorded during 1974 but not released until 1998, served as her bandleader during a residency at Kenny's Castaways, and rehearsed her band to tour her native Japan, although they parted ways when the tour began. In 1978 he released his first solo album 'Spinozza' on A&M, which was a jazz-oriented album with some vocal tracks, and he has also made contributions to the soundtracks of the movies 'Dead Man Walking', 'Happiness', and 'Just The Ticket'. Spinozza has played on literally hundreds of albums in his career, and so for this post I've only selected tracks from 1970 to 1976 where he was a featured soloist, and to show his versatility in a variety of genres I've split this three disc set into one album of jazz, one of soul and one of pop music.   

Track listing

Some Jazz
01 Ahunk Ahunk  (from 'Consummation' by Thad Jones & Mel Lewis 1970)
02 Man's Hope (from 'Push Push' by Herbie Mann 1971)
03 Lover Man (from 'All The King's Horses' by Grover Washington, Jr. 1972) 
04 Monkey (from 'White Elephant' by White Elephant 1972)
05 Hanky's Panky (from 'Superstition' by Shirley Scott 1973)
06 A Sunday Afternoon Feeling (from 'Journey' by Arif Mardin 1974)
07 Draggin' The Line (from 'Until It's Time For You To Go' by Rusty Bryant 1974)
08 Chile Con Carmen (from 'Joy Of Cookin'' by Joe Thomas 1974)
09 Who Knows What Goes When The Doors Close (from 'Brother Where Are You' by 

                                                                                                             Oscar Brown Jr. 1974) 

Some Pop
01 Come To My Bedside, My Darling (from 'Donal Leace' by Donal Leace 1971)
02 Roller Derby Queen (from 'Life And Times' by Jim Croce 1973)
03 Something So Right (from 'There Goes Rhymin' Simon' by Paul Simon 1973)
04 Get On The Right Thing (from 'Red Rose Speedway' by Paul McCartney & Wings 1973)
05 A Man Can't Always Be (from 'Lifesong' by Cashman & West 1974)
06 Rainy Day Man (from 'Streetlights' by Bonnie Raitt 1974)
07 Genesis (from 'The Second Coming' by Jerry LaCroix 1974)
08 Think I'm Gonna Have A Baby (from 'Hotcakes' by Carly Simon 1974) 
09 Me And My Guitar (from 'Walking Man' by James Taylor 1974)
10 Great Big Man (from 'Homeless Brother' by Don McLean 1974)
11 The Closest Friends (from 'Lucy Simon' by Lucy Simon 1975)
12 Angel Spread Your Wings (from 'Judith' by Judy Collins 1975)
13 Let Me Just Follow Behind (from 'Songs For The New Depression' by Bette Midler 1976)
14 Say The Words (from 'This One's For You' by Barry Manilow 1976)
15 Early Evening Light (from 'Marriott' by Steve Marriott 1976) 

Some Soul
01 Too Many Days (from 'Labelle' by Labelle 1971)
02 You've Got A Friend (from 'Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway' by 

                                                                                  Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway 1972)
03 Cold Sweat (from 'Get On The Good Foot' by James Brown 1972)
04 The Get Out Of The Ghetto Blues (from 'Free Will' by Gil Scott-Heron 1972)
05 I'm Only A Woman (from 'Margie Joseph' by Margie Joseph 1973)
06 Right Place, Wrong Time (from 'In The Right Place' by Dr. John 1973)
07 Grind It Out (from 'The Soulful Crooner' by Nick Holmes 1973)
08 As Long As He Will Stay (from 'New Beginnings...' by Morgana King 1973)
09 I Know It's You (from 'Extension Of A Man' by Donny Hathaway 1973)
10 The Masquerade Is Over (from 'Let Me In Your Life' by Aretha Franklin 1974)
11 Somebody New Is Lovin' On You (from 'I'm In Need Of Love' by Lou Courtney 1974)
12 Early Ev'ry Midnight (from 'Feel Like Makin' Love' by Roberta Flack 1975)

Albert Lee - ...and on guitar (1974)

Albert William Lee was born on 21 December 1943 Lingen, near Leominster, Herefordshire, but grew up in Blackheath, London, as a member of a Romani family. He inheritied his father's interest in music, and studied piano from the age of seven, during which time he became a fan Jerry Lee Lewis and rockabilly in general. When he was 15 he took up guitar, leaving school the following year to play music full-time, and from 1959 onwards he was with a variety of bands, playing mostly R&B, country music and rock and roll. In the early 60's he joined the stable of musicians working for manager Larry Parnes, playing behind Dickie Pride, among other stars on Parnes' roster, and his first experience of the recording studio was backing Jackie Lynton. A couple of the bands that Lee played in during this time were groups led by Mike Hurst and Neil Christian, and in both cases he replaced a departing Jimmy Page, with Ritchie Blackmore taking over from him when he left Christian to join Chris Farlowe And The Thunderbirds. He spent four years with the Thunderbirds, who became known in British musical circles as one of the best R&B bands in England, finally leaving in 1968 as he was feeling bored playing R&B, and over the next two years he passed through several bands playing behind various visiting American country stars, such as George Hamilton IV, Skeeter Davis, and Bobby Bare, and this cemented his love of country music. He passed through several groups in the late 60's, including Country Fever and Poet & The One Man Band, and after the latter's sole album was released in 1969 Lee left with Tony Colton, Ray Smith, and Pete Gavin and they formed Heads, Hands & Feet, a progressive country outfit who were England's answer to the Flying Burrito Brothers. 

It was with Heads, Hands & Feet that Lee achieved his most positive critical praise, although this didn't translate into commercial success for the band. They split up after two years, and Lee made his living as a session guitarist for the next couple of years, playing on albums by Joe Cocker, Mike d'Abo, Steve Gibbons, and David Elliott. In 1971, Lee performed with Deep Purple's keyboard player Jon Lord on the studio recording of Lord's 'Gemini Suite', as although Ritchie Blackmore had played the guitar at the first live performance of the suite in September 1970, he declined the invitation to appear on the studio version. In 1975 he was offered the chance to record a solo album with A&M Records, but a gig playing and recording with Emmylou Harris (supplying mandolin and backing vocals to her 'Luxury Liner' album, delayed the completion of his own record for a couple of years, and 'Hiding' eventually appeared in 1979. He then signed to Polydor as a solo artist, but by that time the session work was coming in fast and furious, and Lee was seemingly everywhere, playing with everyone from Jackson Browne to Bo Diddley to Herbie Mann. Lee's own solo career continued into the late 80's with 1987's 'Speechless' and 1988's 'Gagged But Not Bound' both achieving critical successes. He was also later a member of Gerry Hogan's bluegrass group Hogan's Heroes, and toured and recorded with Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings, but the busiest period of his career was undoubtably the early 70's, adding his distinctive country licks to a myriad of recordings, a selection of which are here for your enjoyment. 

Track listing

Disc One
01 Two-Timing Baby (single by Carter-Lewis And The Southerners 1961)
02 Stormy Monday Blues (Part 2) (from 'Chris Farlowe & The Thunderbirds' by 

                                                                               Chris Farlowe And The Thunderbirds 1966)
03 One Long Kiss (from 'Burn Up!' by Gerry Temple 1969)
04 Ride Out On The Morning (from 'Poet And The One Man Band' by 

                                                                                           Poet And The One Man Band 1969)
05 In Our Own Sweet Time (single by The Derek Lawrence Statement 1969)
06 Marjorine (from 'With A Little Help From My Friends' by Joe Cocker 1969)
07 Woman In My Life (from 'd'Abo' by Mike D'Abo 1970)
08 Guitar (from 'Gemini Suite' by Jon Lord/London Symphony Orchestra 1971)

Disc Two
01 Alright Now (from 'Short Stories' by Steve Gibbons 1971)
02 Down To My Last Dime (from 'David Elliott' by David Elliott 1972)
03 I'm A Free Man (from 'Green Bullfrog' by Green Bullfrog 1972)
04 Falling Sky (from 'Jackson Browne (Saturate Before Using)' by Jackson Browne 1972)
05 Mellow Man (from 'Balloon' by Marc Wirtz 1973)
06 Make It With You (from 'B.J. Arnau' by B.J. Arnau 1973)
07 I Waited For You (from 'E.H. In The U.K.' by Eddie Harris 1974)
08 Jack Daniels Old No. 7 (from 'Sunset Towers' by Don Everly 1974)
09 Memphis Spoon Bread And Dover Sole (from 'London Underground' by Herbie Mann 1974)
10 Whatever Mood You're In (from 'Whatever Mood You're In' by Les Walker 1974)

If anyone has a better quality copy of 'Make It With You' that they could let me have then that would help improve this album considerably. 

Larry Coryell - ...and on guitar (1976)

Larry Coryell was born Lorenz Albert Van DeLinder III in April 1943 in Galveston, Texas, and was encouraged by his mother to learn piano when he was four years old. In his teens he switched to guitar, and after his family moved to Richland, Washington, he took lessons from a teacher who lent him albums by Les Paul, Johnny Smith, Barney Kessel, and Tal Farlow. He graduated from Richland High School, where he played in local bands the Jailers, the Rumblers, the Royals, and the Flames, and after that he moved to Seattle to attend the University of Washington. In September 1965, he moved to New York City, and his first major excursion into professional music was when he replaced guitarist Gábor Szabó in Chico Hamilton's quintet. In 1967–68, he recorded with Gary Burton, and during the mid-1960's he played with the Free Spirits, his first recorded band. In the eary 70's he led the group Foreplay with Mike Mandel, although the albums from this period, 'Barefoot Boy', 'Offering', and 'The Real Great Escape', were credited only to Larry Coryell, but he also lent his guitar skills to albums by Herbie Mann, Jim Pepper, and Leon Thomas, as well as showing that he didn't just play jazz by appearing with Jimmy Webb on his 1971 'And So: On' record. He formed his best-known band The Eleventh House in 1973, and recorded a number of well-received albums with them, and at the same time also managed to fit in guest appearances on records from Michael Urbaniak, Lenny White, and Larry Young. In 1979 he formed The Guitar Trio with John McLaughlin and Paco de Lucia, and the group toured Europe briefly, but in early 1980, his drug addiction led to his being replaced by Al Di Meola. Coryell died of heart failure on 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. There were too many great tracks from him to cut them down to a single album, so this is a double disc post, with seven shorter pieces on Disc One, and Disc Two including a couple of extended workouts. 

Track listing

Disc One

01 Green Moss (from 'Nine Flags' by Chico O'Farrill  1967)

02 Rain (from 'Tomorrow Never Knows' by Steve Marcus 1968)           

03 Highpockets (from 'And So: On' by Jimmy Webb 1971)

04 Memphis Underground (from 'Memphis Underground' by Herbie Mann 1969)  

05 Straight No Chaser (from 'You Can't Make Love Alone' by Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson 1971)

06 Yon A Ho (from 'Pepper's Pow Wow' by Jim Pepper 1971)

07 C. C. Rider (from 'Blues And The Soulful Truth' by Leon Thomas 1972)

Disc Two

01 Turning Spread (from 'Knirsch' by Et Cetera 1972)

02 The Vamp (from 'Score' by Randy Brecker 1969) 

03 Bloody Kishka (from 'Fusion III' by Michal Urbaniak 1975)

04 Prince Of The Sea (from 'Venusian Summer' by Lenny White 1975)

05 Sticky Wicket (from 'Spaceball' by Larry Young's Fuel 1976)

Mick Taylor - ...and on guitar (1988)

Michael Kevin Taylor was born on 17 January 1949 in Welwyn Garden City, but was raised in Hatfield, and began playing guitar at age nine, learning to play from his uncle. As a teenager, he formed bands with schoolmates and started performing concerts under names such as The Juniors and the Strangers, who also appeared on television and put out a single. At aged 16 he went to see a John Mayall's Bluesbreakers performance at The Woodhall Community Centre, where the band performed their first set without a guitarist. It became clear that for some reason Eric Clapton was not going to show up, and seeing that his guitar had already been set up on the stage, Taylor approached Mayall during the interval to ask if he could play with them. He mentioned that he was familiar with the band's repertoire, and after a moment of deliberation, Mayall agreed. After playing the second set, and garnering Mayall's respect in the process, Taylor left the stage, joined his friends and left the venue before Mayall had the chance to speak with him. This encounter would prove to be pivotal in Taylor's career when Mayall needed someone to fill Peter Green's vacancy the following year, when Green quit to form Fleetwood Mac. Mayall placed a 'Guitarist Wanted' advert in the weekly Melody Maker music paper, and much to his relief immediately got a response from Taylor, whom he readily invited to join. 
From 1966 to 1969, Taylor developed a guitar style that is blues-based with Latin and jazz influences, and appeared on the albums 'Diary Of A Band', 'Bare Wires', and 'Blues From Laurel Canyon'. After Brian Jones was removed from The Rolling Stones in June 1969, Mayall recommended Taylor to Mick Jagger, and following a rehearsal session an impressed Jagger and Keith Richards invited Taylor back the following day to continue rehearsing and recording with the band, where he overdubbed guitar on 'Country Honk' and 'Live With Me' for the album 'Let It Bleed', and on the single 'Honky Tonk Women'. After the 1973 European tour, Richards' drug problems had worsened and begun to compromise the band's ability to function, with the band members living in various countries, and between recording sessions Taylor appeared on Herbie Mann's 'London Underground' album (appropriately enough on a cover of his own band's 'Bitch'), and also contributed guitar to 'Dolly' from Nicky Hopkins' 'The Tin Man Was A Dreamer'. In 1974 recording started on the Rolling Stones' 'It's Only Rock 'n' Roll' album, but he found it difficult to get along with Richards, and so not long after those sessions, Taylor went on a six-week expedition to Brazil, to travel down the Amazon River in a boat and explore Latin music. In December 1974 Taylor announced he was leaving the Rolling Stones, with his decision coming as a shock to fans, and especially the Stones, who were reportedly angry at Taylor for leaving at such short notice. 
In 1975 he formed a band with Jack Bruce and Carla Bley, but after a short European tour they disbanded the following year. In 1977 he attended London-based sessions for the John Phillips album 'Pay Pack & Follow', appearing on several tracks alongside Jagger, Richards and Wood, and the same year he also played guitar on sessions by Alan Merrill and Elliott Murphy. Taylor appeared as a special guest of Little Feat at the Rainbow Theatre in London in early 1977, sharing slide guitar with frontman Lowell George on 'A Apolitical Blues', and that summer he collaborated with Pierre Moerlen's Gong for their 1978 album 'Expresso II', helping out the following year on their 'Downwind' release. The early 80's were spent touring, firstly with Alvin Lee in 1981, then on a John Mayall's Bluesbeakers reunion tour from 1982-1983, and in 1984 he was part of Bob Dylan's touring band. In 1988 he played some great blues guitar on Speedo Jones' 'Have Blues Will Travel' album, and he also performed the lead guitar solo on Joan Jett & the Blackhearts' top-10 single 'I Hate Myself for Loving You'. During his time with the Stones he was always considered their most fluid and melodic guitar player, and this collection shows that skill superbly in a variety of different settings. 

Track listing

01 Bitch (from 'London Underground' by Herbie Mann 1973)
02 Dolly (from 'The Tin Man Was A Dreamer' by Nicky Hopkins 1973)
03 Always Another Train (from 'Alan Merrill' by Alan Merrill 1977, released 1985)
04 Oh Virginia (from 'Pay Pack & Follow' by John Phillips 1977, released 2001)
05 Rock Ballad (from 'Just A Story From America' by Elliott Murphy 1977) 
06 Heavy Tune (from 'Expresso II' by Gong 1978)
07 A Apolitical Blues (from 'Waiting For Columbus' by  Little Feat 1978)
08 What You Know (from 'Downwind' by Pierre Moerlen's Gong 1979)
09 Break Your Broom (from 'Have Blues Will Travel' by Speedo Jones 1988)
10 I Hate Myself For Loving You (from 'Up Your Alley' by Joan Jett & The Blackhearts 1988)