THE ELEVENTH HOUSE: INTRODUCING THE ELEVENTH HOUSE WITH LARRY CORYELL

You know this thing means business, from the stellar lineup including trumpeter Randy Brecker to the appropriately titled burning opening track Birdfingers (and those fingers was a flyin' here!). Here, Larry and Company carved out a unique sound for themselves in a genre' that Larry helped pioneer. The interaction between Larry C and Randy Brecker is pure magic, as keyboardist Mike Mandell lets forth funky Herbie Hancock-eque interjections and the rhythm section of bassist Danny Trifan and drummer Alphonse Mouzon pushes things along at a harrowing pace.

The Highlights: Birdfingers with Larry and Randy exchanging lively phrases and challenges, Funky Waltz, Low-Le-Tah, and the screamingly funky Adam Smasher amongst many. The introspective Theme For A Dream is a great change of pace. Even more wonderfully psychotronic is the inclusion of extra tracks like the ominous Cover Girl (which was even more so played live), Randy Brecker's Rocks (which later wound up redone on the first Brecker Bros. album) and Eyes of Love. Gratitude-A-So-Low is a mysterious and edgy electric guitar solo piece by Larry that will have you on the edge of your seat as well.

The Only Gripe: Alphonse Mouzon's drumming, sometimes grooving and then maddeningly sloppy and over-technical in the blink of an eye. Having the sheer chops that Alphonse did was both a wonderful blessing AND a horrible curse at the same time. Depending on the song, Alphonse could either carry it along very strongly, or let his technique and ego get so out of control and try to cram as many notes into a bar as fast as possible like a caffeine-crazed octopus, leaving little to no breathing room for the other musicians at times. However, the sheer quality of the tunes and the players enables me to look past this more than I would otherwise.

Gripes aside, I am just sooooo glad this made it to CD, a wonderful slice of classic fusion and Larry Coryell reaching for a higher level!