Larry Young / Oct 7, 1940 - March 30, 1978

One of the greatest of jazz Hammond organists, Larry Young (aka Khalid Yasin Abdul Aziz) played with Jimi Hendrix, Miles Davis, Elvin Jones, Grant Green, Santana, Booker Ervin and others in a career that played bop, soul-jazz, blues, psych-rock, avant-garde jazz, modal and funk-rock.

The Lawrence of Newark was born in Jersey and learned organ and piano from his father. He played R&B in the '50s before working with Kenny Dorham, Lou Donaldson, Hank Mobley and others. He recorded for Prestige and Blue Note in the '60s before hooking up with Hendrix on some well-circulated (and worthy) sessions.

He played on Miles' Bitches Brew and with Tony Williams' Lifetime. His 1975 project Fuel was a heavy funk-rock record for Arista. His Lawrence of Newark album for Perception is a psychedelic jazz classic (with Pharoah Sanders and James "Blood" Ulmer). He died at 37 from a mysterious stomach ailment. He was the "John Coltrane of the organ" and there may never be another like him.




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