Larry Willis

Keyboardist Larry Willis, initially linked to avant-garde improvisation, pursued a commercially rewarding engagement with fusion throughout the 1970s before shifting toward hard bop during the following two decades. Although his performances have consistently displayed intensity, drive, and inventiveness, the jazz-rock and fusion period featured grooves that remained contained and straightforward. As an admirer of Herbie Hancock, Willis achieved equilibrium through precisely shaped modal excursions alongside reflective, unhurried phrasing. After earning his degree from the Manhattan School of Music in the early 1960s, he performed alongside Jackie McLean and Hugh Masekela. Mid-decade sessions paired him with Lee Morgan and McLean, while additional work came with Kai Winding, Stan Getz, and a 1969 date alongside Robin Kenyatta. In the 1970s Willis adopted synthesizer and electric piano for dates with Cannonball Adderley, Earl May, Joe Henderson, Richard “Groove” Holmes, and a return collaboration with Masekela. He entered Blood, Sweat & Tears in 1972, cut tracks with Alphonse Mouzon during both 1972 and 1973, and maintained activity as a bandleader and studio musician. Further recordings from the late 1970s included Ryo Kawasaki and Sonny Fortune, followed in the 1980s by David “Fathead” Newman and Carla Bley. Throughout the 1980s Willis toured and recorded with Nat Adderley, then became a member of Woody Shaw’s quintet in 1986. His own leader sessions have appeared on Groove Merchant, Steeplechase, Audioquest, Brunswick, and Mapleshade, among additional imprints, among them Blue Fable and Offering issued on Highnote in 2007 and 2008 respectively.