Larry Simon
Guitarist, Composer
& Author of
"New York City Blues"
Postwar Portraits from
Harlem to the Village and Beyond
University Press of Mississippi 2021- AVAILABLE NOW
Guitarist, Composer
& Author of
"New York City Blues"
Postwar Portraits from
Harlem to the Village and Beyond
University Press of Mississippi 2021- AVAILABLE NOW
WELCOME. I am always adding more and more rare pics, tracks and info. Please check back regularly. My site features a cornucopia of material, starting in the late 1970's, of NYC Blues, downtown NY new music, punk/funk, jazz and ending up with brand new music. Enjoy.
Peace and Love- Larry
Peace and Love- Larry
Larry Simon, guitarist and composer from Brooklyn, New York, has recorded and toured with jazz and blues artists including; Big Jay McNeely, George Coleman, The Skatalites, David Amram, Leon Thomas, Bob Gaddy, Larry Dale, Jimmy Spruill and many others. As a composer he has written extensively for dance, film, and theatre. Additionally, Simon has worked for many years collaborating with poets, including Robert Pinsky, Ed Sanders and John Sinclair.
Larry also lived in Portsmouth New Hampshire for a number of years. While there he created the still ongoing "Beat Night" series, featuring music and spoken word. In 2004 he founded "Jazzmouth, The Seacoast poetry and Jazz Festival" of which he was the Artistic director and producer.
Starting in the late 1970’s Simon became very active in the downtown NYC experimental music scene, having composed and performed some of the earliest minimalist music for electric guitar. He was also a vital part of the “punk/funk” scene working with musicians such as Lester Bowie, Juilus Hemphill, David Sanborn, John Zorn, Henry Threadgill, and Phillip Wilson in seminal NYC clubs such as CBGB’s, Hurrahs, The Lone Star Café, and Tier 3. Simon was a member of composer Lamonte Young’s ensemble as well as Gamelan Son of Lion. Other musicians Simon has worked with include; Rhys Chatham, Wayne Horowitz, Butch Morris, Richard Peck (Phil Glass Ensemble), Don Davis (Microscopic Septet), Frank Lowe and others.
In the late 1980's Larry searched out a number of long retired, and sometimes reclusive blues musicians from New York's original post war blues scene. Larry successfully got them out playing again across the U.S. and Europe (recording too). This marked the beginning of Larry's work on his book "New York City Blues".
"New York City Blues" (edited by John Broven), published in 2021 by the University Press of Mississippi has just been released. He has also written for The Millennium Film Journal, Ear Magazine, The Portsmouth Herald, and Spotlight Magazine. His most recent recording is “The Dream Keeper” (With David Amram and Eric Mingus). It features the poetry of Langston Hughes, with music.
Larry also lived in Portsmouth New Hampshire for a number of years. While there he created the still ongoing "Beat Night" series, featuring music and spoken word. In 2004 he founded "Jazzmouth, The Seacoast poetry and Jazz Festival" of which he was the Artistic director and producer.
Starting in the late 1970’s Simon became very active in the downtown NYC experimental music scene, having composed and performed some of the earliest minimalist music for electric guitar. He was also a vital part of the “punk/funk” scene working with musicians such as Lester Bowie, Juilus Hemphill, David Sanborn, John Zorn, Henry Threadgill, and Phillip Wilson in seminal NYC clubs such as CBGB’s, Hurrahs, The Lone Star Café, and Tier 3. Simon was a member of composer Lamonte Young’s ensemble as well as Gamelan Son of Lion. Other musicians Simon has worked with include; Rhys Chatham, Wayne Horowitz, Butch Morris, Richard Peck (Phil Glass Ensemble), Don Davis (Microscopic Septet), Frank Lowe and others.
In the late 1980's Larry searched out a number of long retired, and sometimes reclusive blues musicians from New York's original post war blues scene. Larry successfully got them out playing again across the U.S. and Europe (recording too). This marked the beginning of Larry's work on his book "New York City Blues".
"New York City Blues" (edited by John Broven), published in 2021 by the University Press of Mississippi has just been released. He has also written for The Millennium Film Journal, Ear Magazine, The Portsmouth Herald, and Spotlight Magazine. His most recent recording is “The Dream Keeper” (With David Amram and Eric Mingus). It features the poetry of Langston Hughes, with music.