Larger than Life Legend Larry Carlton Chooses Charlotte’s Home for Cool, Middle C Jazz
Thursday, August 15 at 6:15 and 8:45pm
July 8, 2024 — Larry Carlton is performing his “Best of”, a set that could span his five-decade career, for a first-ever appearance at Middle C Jazz. For perspective, Carlton will have performed on a Gold or Platinum album for every pair of seats in the venue.
This is being hailed as his last tour, so probably Charlotte’s last chance to hear this living legend in person. We are thrilled that he hand-picked Middle C for this performance.
Eshewing the larger arenas this year, Larry Carlton is leaning towards only a few dozen dates at very particular venues as he aims to wind down his live touring for good. “We’re thrilled to be able to give the Charlotte audience an up close and personal experience with artists of this caliber,” says Larry Farber, Founding Partner of Middle C Jazz.
With 4 Grammys, 38 albums to his credit, and having performed on over 100 albums that have gone Gold or Platinum, there are a lot of options for that “best of” set list for this guitar great. Carlton remains best known for his session work in the 1970s and ’80s for acts such as Steely Dan and Joni Mitchell. His solo on the 1976 Steely Dan single Kid Charlemagne has been listed by Rolling Stone magazine as one of the greatest of all time. He has played with the Crusaders, Fourplay, Michael Jackson, Sammy Davis Jr, Quincy Jones, and many more.
To add to a collection of achievement awards, Larry Carlton was most recently recognized by Rolling Stone as one of the greatest guitarists of all time in 2023.
“When Joni Mitchell and Steely Dan, two of the most musically adventurous acts of the Seventies, wanted to make jazz-infused masterpieces, they both turned to the same guitarist: session master Larry Carlton, who played as if there was no difference between dauntingly sophisticated chord changes and the most elementary rock and folk.” – Rolling Stones October 2023, 250 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.
Carlton has recently shifted gears deeper into the tool he has been known for – the famous 335 Gibson. Nicknamed Mr. 335, he built a home studio in the mid-1970s called Room 335 after the electric guitar and has recorded most of his albums in that place on that guitar. With that level of focus on his instrument, he has just launched a new line of guitars.
We look forward to seeing which of his favorite guitars, and which of our Carlton favorites, make the cut on August 15th.
Learn more about Larry Carlton on his website.
Fun article “My Career in Five Songs” from GuitarPlayer.com, 2021.
SUBSCRIBE NOW
Join our mailing list to stay up to date and on the beat.