He has recorded with country artists and bluesmen. He has won four Grammys in pop categories. One of his guitar solos made a list of great rock performances compiled by Rolling Stone magazine.
But for Larry Carlton, music comes down to one word: jazz.
More specifically, Carlton identifies himself as a “jazz-influenced guitarist.” His tone, his use of harmonics, and his approach to melody and improvisation all are signs of an understanding and respect for jazz traditions.
“I started playing guitar when I was six years old,” said Carlton, who turned 70 this past March. “It was all I’ve ever done. I never considered any other career.”
Carlton will come to the Mayo Performing Arts Center on Thursday, April 26. He will share the stage with a friend and like-minded guitarist: John Pizzarelli.
“It should be fun,” Carlton said. “About 75 percent of the show will be collaboration, with us sitting on the stage.” He indicated that the set list was likely to include some original compositions, in addition to standards.
Carlton praised Pizzarelli’s skills on the guitar. “I love John’s approach. It’s so authentic and so free,” he said.
“We did a show together about a year ago, but that was only for about 45 minutes,” he said. “This will give us a chance to stretch out more.
“Our styles are like two different colors. One is red, and one is blue,” Carlton continued. “But they do go together.”
That willingness to accept other styles may be one reason why Carlton has served as a sideman for artists as diverse as Linda Ronstadt, Jerry Garcia, Townes Van Zandt, Michael Jackson, the Partridge Family, Sammy Davis Jr., and Clint Black.
“I would go to a session and play the best that I could for that person on that day,” he said. “I was doing dates with the cream of the crop of Los Angeles musicians.”
During the 1970s, he enjoyed length associations with two idiosyncratic but commercially successful acts: Joni Mitchell and Steely Dan. Both represented different challenges, and both provided interesting experiences for him.
Carlton noted that Mitchell (whom he backed on “Court and Spark,” “The Hissing of Summer Lawns,” “Heijira,” and other albums) used an unorthodox guitar tuning. “I was a good fit because I could complement the sounds she was making,” he said.
During roughly the same period, Carlton played on the Steely Dan LPs “Katy Lied,” “The Royal Scam,” “Aja,” and “Gaucho.” His solo on the song “Kid Charlemagne” was ranked 80th on Rolling Stones’ list of greatest guitar songs.
“With Steely Dan, their songs were so sophisticated harmonically but so accessible,” Carlton said, further singling out “Third World Man” and “Don’t Take Me Alive.” “I could play those tunes because of my background with harmony.”
In addition to his prolific session work, Carlton also forged a solo career that began with the 1968 album “With a Little Help from My Friends.” “I was 20,” he said. “I listen to that record, and I hear my youth. I hear what I wanted to be.”
Over the years, he has released numerous solo albums, in addition to work with the jazz fusion groups the Crusaders and Fourplay.
Carlton has been in a position to see trends in jazz come and go over the past 50 years. “I don’t really do a lot of listening these days,” he admitted.
“I would be happier if the smooth jazz market dropped the word ‘jazz,’” Carlton said. “People like it, and that’s OK. I’ve even had some success with that market. But I don’t do it any more. It doesn’t swing, and it doesn’t have much to do with jazz.”
Instead, Carlton said he is concentrating on his own music, which has included work in Japan and Jakarta. He has cut down to about 50 concert dates a year. But he expressed gratitude over the fact that he still is able to do the work that he loves.
“I’m definitely humbled by my career and the way I’ve been accepted,” Carlton said. “The fact that people still want to hear me at 70 years old – not many people can say that.”
IF YOU GO
LARRY CARLTON AND JOHN PIZZARELLI
WHAT: Two jazz-influenced guitarists collaborate on a concert of standards and original compositions. Both Carlton and Pizzarelli have worked in pop and other genres but remain rooted in the harmonics of jazz
WHEN: 8 p.m. Thursday, April 26
WHERE: Mayo Performing Arts Center, 100 South St., Morristown
TICKETS: $39 to $79
INFORMATION: 973-539-8008 or www.mayoarts.org
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
● Larry Carlton and John Pizzarelli will appear at the Mayo Performing Arts Center in Morristown on Thursday, April 26.
● The two jazz-influenced guitarists and friends will share the stage and collaborate on original compositions and arrangements of standards.
● Carlton, whose credits include albums by Steely Dan and Joni Mitchell, has had an extensive career as a sideman for rock, country, and pop acts, in addition to his own solo work.
