Review by John Luciano
It’s not often that an artist is willing to go back, revisit and rerecord some of their hits and compositions from earlier in their career.
About ten years ago, Joe Sample, did just that with Sample This, and earlier this year, Larry Carlton revisited nine of his
earlier "hits" on his new label, 335 Records. This CD sounds so comfortable, maybe it’s because the songs benefit from newer arrangements
and better recording techniques than the originals. But I don’t think so – it probably has more to do with Carlton playing these songs,
the same way he’d welcome an old favorite pair of well worn jeans. The disc opens with "All In Good Time" from 1989’s On Solid Ground,
followed by "Room 335" from Carlton’s 1978 self-titled release. Room 335 really struck a chord with me, the sound and feel of the song
is so much fuller than the original, yet authentic. Backing Carlton is his son, Travis on bass, Jeff Babko on keys, the veteran
Vinnie Colaiuta on drums, and Paul Cerra on saxophone. "Smiles and Smiles To Go" from 1986’s Alone/But Never Alone, gets a
gentle electric remake, reminding me of a version I once saw Carlton do in concert many years back. Also revisited are "Hello Tomorrow"
from 1987’s Discovery, "High Steppin" also from Alone/But…, two selections from 1992’s Kid Gloves: "Terry T" and
"Kid Gloves," and two from Larry’s 1993 blues recording, Renegade Gentlemen: "RCM" and "Red Hot Poker". As a fan of contemporary jazz,
I could think of a half dozen of my favorite artists that I would love to see go back and revisit some of their earlier songs;
here’s hoping that they have the courage and confidence of Larry Carlton to do so.
You can order the CD from Larry's web site.
