Larry Coryell - guitar; Randy Brecker - trumpet; Alphonse Mouzon - drums, percussion; Mike Mandel - piano and synthesizer; Danny Trifan - bass

Tracks

01 Birdfingers
02 The Funky Waltz
03 Low-Lee-Tah
04 Adam Smasher
05 Joy Ride
06 Yin
07 Theme for a Dream
08 Gratitude "A So Low"
09 ISM-Ejercicio
10 Right On Y'all


INRODUCING THE ELEVENTH HOUSE from 1974 is one the best albums of Larry Coryell. Why? Because this is complete Fusion. It rocks, it is funky, it is dreamy, it is fast and it has good musicians.

This album starts off with Birdfingers. A great and typical drum-intro of Alphonse Mouzon. Mouzon is one af the driving forces of INRODUCING THE ELEVENTH HOUSE. He gives some much power to the band. Just like Billy Cobham for Mahavishnu Orchestra. Alphonse Mouzon deserves as much respect like Billy Cobham for his drum quality. Birdfingers is a playfull song with some kind of scales. Fast and tricky.
The Funky Waltz is not a real waltz. It's just a funky straight number with crazy sound-effects of Mike Mandel.
Low-Lee-Tah is an easy Eastern song with good guitarplay by Larry Coryell and Randy Brecker.
Adam Smasher is a goodfeeling shuffle Fusion number with a screaming solo from Randy Brecker. Very good drumming by Alphonse Mouzon.
Joy Ride, written by Mike Mandel, is a mix of pop and Eastern scales-song. Not as fast as all the other songs.
Yin is a powerhouse. This sounds like Mahavishnu Orchestra on his best. This song is very fast and funky. All the musicians are blazing hot here. Again with the intro of Alphonse Mouzon. He's giving this song such a drive. You can say that Yin is the best song of INRODUCING THE ELEVENTH HOUSE.
Theme For A Dream is a dreamy song. With a beautiful intro of Randy Brecker on trumpet. With a lot of chimes, beautiful chords of Larry Coryell and Mike Mandel. It's an easy listing song with a beautiful solo of Larry Coryell with unusual scales. This songs reminds me of the beginning of SPACES.
Gratitude "A So Low" starts of with a crazy solo of Larry Coryell. Again, it reminds me of SPACES. They way he plays is just great. Finally you can hear Larry Coryell play pure, without the band. His quality is undeniable amazing. One of his best solo's.
ISM- Ejercicio starts with bombastic intro with the wholo band. It sounds like some bad-guy in a movie is entering the picture. Suddenly, Larry is speeding up the band with an up-and-down riff. You can hear Alphonse Mouzon is pushing the drums and suddenly goes into easy funky tune. ISM-Ejercicio is one of those dirty funky songs. Mike Mandel is giving color with sound-effects. Randy Brecker is giving an funky solo.
Right On Y'all is a happy tune with funky/soul style. It could be an James Brown number if you didn't recognize it. Mike Mandel is soloing with his weird sounds with his synthesizer. And Larry Coryell gives an excellent solo. As usual.


INTRODUCING THE ELEVENTH HOUSE is one of the best Fusion-albums of the 1970s in jazz history. This album is complete. It has his fast moments. It has his easy moments. It has funky moments. Thanks to Alphonse Mouzon and Randy Brecker INTRODUCING THE ELEVENTH HOUSE became a powerhouse. Larry Coryell sounds very good and does his utter best to give the right touch. You can compare this album with THE INNER MOUNTING FLAME of the Mahavishnu Orchestra. Both albums rocked and are steamy. If you are beginner, you have to listen to this album first. Again, INTRODUCING THE ELEVENTH HOUSE is one of Larry Coryell's best album.