Under Investigation: Larry Coryell and the Eleventh House

During the half-dozen years following the release of Miles Davis’ 1969 landmark, Bitches Brew, jazz-rock fusion ruled, with Davis, Tony Williams’ Lifetime, the Mahavishnu Orchestra, Weather Report, and Return to Forever helming the movement. But while most members of these groups came from primarily jazz backgrounds, there was one rogue guitarist who had dipped equally into both the jazz and rock pools, lending him the advantage of having experienced the best of both worlds. In fact, by 1973, Larry Coryell had already played and/or recorded with jazz drum legend Chico Hamilton, vibraphone virtuoso Gary Burton, Miles Davis, John McLaughlin, Chick Corea, Tony Williams, Jack Bruce, Noel Redding, Mitch Mitchell, and yes, Jimi Hendrix. He had also released a string of seminal genre-bending solo albums, been a member of the Free Spirits, and co-starred alongside McLaughlin and Corea on the now-legendary Spaces album, thus cementing his status as one of the true forefathers of jazz-rock fusion guitar.

Ironically the same year that Mahavishnu imploded, 1973 also marked the debut of the Eleventh House, Coryell’s first group effort as a leader. In a move almost reminiscent of how Led Zeppelin filled the void left after Cream disbanded, Coryell assembled the best musicians he could find and set out to take the fusion world by storm. The Eleventh House was originally comprised of Coryell (who at the time endorsed the Hagstrom Swede and Mutron effects by Musitronics), Randy Brecker on trumpet (later replaced by Mike Lawrence), keyboard wizard Mike Mandel, bassist Danny Trifan (later replaced by John Lee), and drummer extraordinaire Alphonse Mouzon. The band’s lineup, particularly the inclusion of Brecker as Coryell’s main instrumental foil, set them apart from