In the first piece of dialogue from this Larry Coryell DVD, Coryell’s son Julian sums up his father’s guitar style perfectly: “He played jazz, but he played it in a rock style. He played rock, but in a jazz style. He played the blues with both styles. And he played it fast, really fast.” Since the late 60s, Coryell has been praised by fusion lovers worldwide, but is often overlooked whenever those ‘greatest guitarist ever’ lists appear in magazines.
With the arrival of the doubledisc DVD, A Retrospective, fans receive a finely tuned collection of recent live and rehearsal performances, as well as behindthe- scenes footage and interviews (and ‘duets’ with such Coryell admirers as Los Lobos’ David Hidalgo and Maroon 5’s James Valentine). While the expected Coryell classics are included (Stiff Neck), some of the best bits are off-the-cuff, such as Hidalgo Rehearsal, which shows Coryell adding some great hand-picked solos to the Los Lobos man’s acoustic strumming, and an untitled Hendrix-y opener. And you’ve also got to love the Song Remains The Same-esque doublemirror special effect that appears in the middle of the DVD. Wonderfully shot, with great sound and exceptional performances, A Retrospective will satisfy both the longtime fan and the newcomer.
