Inner Crisis - Music

Larry Willis Lawrence Elliott Willis New York City NY USA December 20 1940 - September 29 2019 Was An American Jazz Pianist And Composer. He Has Performed In A Wide Range Of Styles Including Jazz Fusion Afro Cuban Jazz Bebop And Avant-Garde. Willis Was Born In New York City. After His First Year Studying Music Theory At The Manhattan School Of Music He Began Performing Regularly With Jackie McLean. After He Graduated He Made His First Jazz Recording McLean's Right Now! In January 1965 Which Featured Two Of Willis' Compositions. His First Recording Of Any Type However Was As A Singer With The Music And Arts Chorale Ensemble Performing An Opera By Aaron Copland Under The Direction Of Leonard Bernstein. He Decided To Concentrate On Jazz Because Of The Difficulties African American Musicians Had In Finding Work In Concert Music. Throughout His Career He Has Performed With A Wide Range Of Musicians Including Several Years As Keyboardist For Blood Sweat & Tears Beginning In 1972 . He Spent Several Years As Pianist For Nat Adderley As Well As Long And Productive Tenures With Roy Hargrove And With Jerry Gonzalez & The Fort Apache Band. His Latest Recording With Paul Murphy Exposé Demonstrated The Fusion Principles Of Bebop And Avant-Garde Jazz. His Composition "Sanctuary" Began Exploring Works Employing Strings. After A Successful Performance In Frank Lloyd Wright's Annie Pfieffer Chapel At Florida Southern College's Child Of The Sun Jazz Festival He Was Commissioned To Write A Full Scale Orchestral Work For Jazz Trio And Orchestra. He Received The Don Redman Award In 2011 And The Benny Golson Jazz Master Award At Howard University In 2012. Discography As Leader/co-Leader A New Kind Of Soul LLP 1970 Inner Crisis Groove Merchant 1973 My Funny Valentine Jazz City 1988 Just In Time SteepleChase 1989 Heavy Blue SteepleChase 1990 Let's Play SteepleChase 1991 Steal Away AudioQuest 1991 1992 2 Solo Spirit Mapleshade 1992 1993 How Do You Keep The Music Playing? SteepleChase 1992 Unforgettable Piano Solos SteepleChase 1992 A Tribute To Someone AudioQuest 1993 1994 Serenade Sound Hills 1995 If Trees Could Talk Mapleshade 1999 With Hamiet Bluiett
Sunshower Mapleshade 2001 With Kash Killion Steve Novosel Paul Murphy Steve Berrios
Sanctuary Mapleshade 2003 With Joe Ford Ray Codrington Steve Novosel Steve Berrios Artie Sherman And The Rick Schmidt Strings
The Powers Of Two Mapleshade 2004 With Paul Murphy
The Powers Of Two Volume 2 Mapleshade 2004 2006 With Paul Murphy
Alter Ego Mapleshade 2006 With Tony Pancella
The Big Push HighNote 2006 Blue Fable HighNote 2007 The Offering HighNote 2008 This Time The Dream's On Me HighNote 2012 As Sideman With Nat Adderley On The Move Theresa 1983 Blue Autumn Theresa 1983 With Gary Bartz Episode One Children Of Harlem Challenge 1994 With Cindy Blackman Arcane Muse 1987 With Carla Bley Night-Glo Watt/ECM 1985 Sextet Watt/ECM 1987 With Blood Sweat And Tears New Blood Columbia 1972 With Louis Hayes Nightfall SteepleChase 1991 With Jimmy Heath Peer Pleasure Landmark 1987 With Joe Henderson Multiple Milestone 1973 With Groove Holmes American Pie Groove Merchant 1972 With Clifford Jordan The Mellow Side Of Clifford Jordan Mapleshade 1989-91 1997 With Robin Kenyatta Gypsy Man Atlantic 1973 With Hugh Masekela Grrr Uncredited 1966 Reconstruction 1970 Home Is Where The Music Is 1978 Main Event Live 1978 Almost Like Being In Jazz 2005 Friends 2012 With Jackie McLean Right Now! Blue Note 1965 Jacknife Blue Note 1965 With Carmen McRae Carmen Sings Monk 1988 With Lee Morgan Infinity Blue Note 1965 With Alphonse Mouzon The Essence Of Mystery Blue Note 1972 With David "Fathead" Newman Still Hard Times Muse 1982 With Valery Ponomarev Trip To Moscow Reservoir 1987 With Woody Shaw For Sure! Columbia 1979 With Steve Swallow Carla Xtra Watt 1987 With Buddy Terry Lean On Him Mainstream 1973 With Norris Turney Big Sweet 'n Blue – With Turney Walter Booker And Jimmy Cobb Mapleshade 1993 With Fred Lipsius Dreaming Of Your Love Mja Records 1995 With C. I. Williams When Alto Was King Mapleshade 1997 As Co-Leader
With Heads Of State Search For Peace – With Buster Williams Al Foster And Gary Bartz Smoke Sessions 2015 read less