Willis, Larry
Willis, Larry
Willis, Larry, American pianist, keyboardist; b. N.Y., Dec. 20, 1942. While attending the Manhattan School of Music, he started playing with Jackie McLean and made his recording debut on McLean’s 1965 album Right Now. Since then, he has been in demand, having played on more than 250 albums and performed with musicians as diverse as Miles Davis, Hugh Masekela, Herb Alpert, Nat and Cannonball Adderley, Carla Bley, and Stan Getz. From 1972 to 1977 he was the keyboardist for Blood, Sweat, & Tears, an erratic period in the band’s history. His playing with the group, however, was always solid, and he left BS&T before it became nothing more than a backing band for David Clayton-Thomas. During the past 20 years, he has led some great dates, playing fusion, funk, and straight-ahead with excellent interpretative ability. He is music director of Mapleshade Productions, and though he has only a few domestic albums in print, he appears as sideman on many of Mapleshade’s recordings.
Discography
Inner Crisis (1973); Portraits in Ivory and Brass (1992); Solo Spirit (1993).
—Paul MacArthur