Meeting Larry Coryell

Larry & Julie Coryell

While visiting Fred and Patty at their house in Laurel Canyon one day. I was introduced to Larry Coryell, a jazz guitarist who was dating one of the house's residents, Julie. Later, Larry would marry Julie and enjoy a long and happy marriage.

While visiting Julie, one evening, he needed to go out on the town. Seeing as he was not in any condition to drive,  I volunteered, not that I was in any better condition. It is just that I always had complete confidence in being able to drive no matter what.

Thelonius Monk

We were able to navigate the Hollywood Hills to his friend's house. It turns out that driving under the influence of LSD is kind of like operating a remote controlled toy car, from about 1,000 miles away and looking at the landscape through a small screen the size of a cell phone (and not the big ones). Anyway, I got him there.

Then he wanted to go down to Hollywood, where a friend of his was playing a small club off of Hollywood Blvd. I got him there. When we walked inside and sat down at the front, who was playing other than Thelonius Monk. I guess Larry had brought his guitar with him, because he was invited up to the small stage and they jammed the night away.

I got Larry safely back home after that, and later he invited me to join him in New York, to be his road manager. But that is for another time.