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2022 is Larry Carlton’s Final World Tour, and he’s making a last stop at THE VELVET NOTE!

The impressive career of jazz guitarist Larry Carlton dates back more than 30 years. During the 1970s and 1980s, Carlton served as a session player with some of the biggest and most respected names in the music industry, covering a vast musical terrain. Although often referred to as a “smooth” jazz musician, he aptly played everything from rock, pop, folk, and jazz to country, gospel, and R&B. His credits include work with the likes of John Lennon, Steely Dan, Joni Mitchell, Ray Charles, Barbra Streisand, and hundreds of others. At the height of his career as a session player, he contributed to more than 500 recordings per year and, in total, played on more than 100 gold albums. He furthermore worked on numerous film and television soundtracks, including the theme from the show Hill Street Blues, which won a Grammy Award in 1981 for Best Pop Instrumental Performance.

All the while, Carlton gained recognition for his own work in the studio and on stage. After securing a major-label contract in 1977, he recorded several solo albums and, in March of 2002, at the 44th Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, won the prize with fellow guitarist Steve Lukather for Best Pop Instrumental Album for No Substitutions: Live in Osaka.

Lawrence Eugene Carlton was born on March 2, 1948, in Torrance, California. He displayed an aptitude for music early in life. Picking up the guitar at the age of six, he subsequently discovered jazz while in junior high school after hearing the album Moment of Truth by the Gerald Wilson Big Band, featuring guitarist Joe Pass. As a high school student, Carlton also gravitated toward players such as Barney Kessel, Wes Montgomery, and B. B. King, as well as saxophonist John Coltrane. He was influenced in particular by Coltrane’s classic album from 1962 entitled Ballads.

Lawrence Eugene Carlton was born on March 2, 1948, in Torrance, California. He displayed an aptitude for music early in life. Picking up the guitar at the age of six, he subsequently discovered jazz while in junior high school after hearing the album Moment of Truth by the Gerald Wilson Big Band, featuring guitarist Joe Pass. As a high school student, Carlton also gravitated toward players such as Barney Kessel, Wes Montgomery, and B. B. King, as well as saxophonist John Coltrane. He was influenced in particular by Coltrane’s classic album from 1962 entitled Ballads.

Throughout the early 1960s, Carlton honed his skills playing club gigs and taking on occasional studio work in and around Los Angeles. In 1968 he released his debut album, With a Little Help from My Friends, which proved a success among critics and colleagues. Immediately, the entertainment/media industry took notice, and the young guitarist landed a job playing with a group of singers, the Going Thing, for radio and television commercials. In that same year Carlton toured with the group the Fifth Dimension. Then, during the middle of his second year as a professional, he was appointed musical director for the Emmy-nominated children’s television show Mrs. Alphabet. With this gig, Carlton additionally displayed his acting skills as “Larry Guitar,” the show’s co-star.

By 1970 Carton was regarded as a solid session player, and his early studio dates included work for pop stars such as Vicki Carr, Andy Williams, and the Partridge Family. In 1971 he accepted an offer to join the legendary jazz/rock group the Crusaders, remaining with the band until 1976. In between touring and making records with the Crusaders, Carlton, who released his second album, Singing/Playing, in 1973, continued to contribute to the recordings of other artists.

Featuring: Larry Carlton (lead guitar), Barry Green (trombone), Gary Novak (drums), Ernest Tibbs (bass), Mark Stephens (keys), and Mark Douthit (saxophone).