Larry Young (musician)

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Larry Young
Also known as Khalid Yasin
Born October 7, 1940
Newark, New Jersey
Died March 30, 1978
New York City
Genres Jazz, hard bop, soul jazz, jazz-funk
Occupations Musician, songwriter
Instruments Electric organ
Labels Blue Note Records
Larry Young (also known as Khalid Yasin (Abdul Aziz); October 7, 1940, in Newark, New
Jersey March 30, 1978, in New York City) was anAmerican jazz organist and occasional
pianist. Young pioneered a modal approach to the Hammond B-3 (in contrast to Jimmy
Smith's soul-jazzstyle). However, he did play soul-jazz also, among other styles.
[1]

Contents
[hide]
1 Biography
2 Discography
o 2.1 As leader
o 2.2 As sideman
3 References
Biography[edit]
Young played with various R&B bands in the 1950s before gaining jazz experience with Jimmy
Forrest, Lou Donaldson, Kenny Dorham, Hank Mobley and Tommy Turrentine. Recording as a
leader for Prestige from 1960, Young made a number of soul-jazz discs, Testifying, Young
Blues and Groove Street. When Young went to Blue Note in 1964, his music began to show the
marked influence of John Coltrane. In this period, he produced his most enduring work. He
recorded many times as part of a trio with guitarist Grant Green and drummer Elvin Jones,
occasionally augmented by additional players; most of this sequence of albums was released
under Green's name, though Into Somethin' (with Sam Rivers on saxophone) became Young's
Blue Note debut. Unity, recorded in 1965, remains his best-known album; it features a front line
of Joe Henderson and the young Woody Shaw. Subsequent albums for Blue Note (Contrasts,Of
Love and Peace, Heaven On Earth, Mother Ship) also drew on elements of the '60s avant-garde
and utilised local musicians from Young's hometown of Newark. Young then became a part of
some of the earliest fusion experiments: first in Lifetime, Emergency! with Tony
Williams and John McLaughlin and also on Miles Davis's Bitches Brew. His sound with Lifetime
was made distinct by his often very percussive approach and often heavy use of guitar and
synthesizer-like effects. He is also known to rock fans for a jam he recorded with Jimi Hendrix,
which was released after Hendrix's death on the album Nine to the Universe.
His characteristic sound involved management of the stops on the Hammond organ, producing
overtone series that caused an ethereal, drifting effect; a sound that is simultaneously lead and
background.
In March 1978 he checked into the hospital for stomach pains. He died there on March 30, 1978,
while being treated for what is said to be pneumonia. However, his actual cause of death is
unclear.
[2][3]

Discography[edit]
As leader[edit]
Prestige Records
1960: Testifying
1960: Young Blues
1962: Groove Street
Blue Note Records
1964: Into Somethin'
1965: Unity
1966: Of Love and Peace
1967: Contrasts
1968: Heaven on Earth
1969: Mother Ship
Others
1973: Lawrence of Newark (Perception Records)
1975: Fuel (Arista)
1976: Spaceball (Arista)
1977: The Magician (Acanta/Bellaphon)
As sideman[edit]
With Joe Chambers
Double Exposure (1978, Muse)
With Miles Davis
Bitches Brew (1969, Columbia)
Big Fun
With Jimmy Forrest
Forrest Fire (New Jazz, 1960)
With Grant Green
Talkin' About! (1963, Blue Note)
Street of Dreams (1964, Blue Note)
I Want to Hold Your Hand (1965, Blue Note)
His Majesty King Funk (1965, Verve)
With Etta Jones
Love Shout (Prestige, 1963)
With Gildo Mahones
I'm Shooting High (Prestige, 1963)
The Great Gildo (Prestige, 1964)
With John McLaughlin
Devotion (1969, Douglas)
Love Devotion Surrender (1972, Columbia) - with Carlos Santana
With Woody Shaw
In the Beginning (Muse 1965 [1983])
With Tony Williams
Emergency (1969, Polydor)
Turn It Over (1970, Polydor)
Ego (1971, Polydor)
With Love Cry Want
Love Cry Want (1997, Newjazz.com)