(editor’s note – no ex post facto proof for Larry Coryell)

James Taylor wins ’em with the old and new

by Cindy Reynolds-Hart, The Knickerbocker News, July 31, 1979

“Sweet Baby James” Taylor, of the Carolina voice and acoustic guitar, had the place rockin’ through three encores.

Actually, two James Taylor performed before a sell-out crowd at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center Monday night — the original who gained fame largely through his own sad, melodic compositions, and the hard-driving rejuvenator of such ’60s hits as “Up On The Roof” and “How Sweet It Is.” Both brought the crowd to its feet at the opening and close of his 2 1/2-hour concert.

Taylor seemed obliging enough when the crowd shouted out requests for his old tunes – such as “Riding’ On a Railroad” early in the show – but he looked happiest when he and the other eight members of his band rocked through his newest material, especially from Taylor’s latest album, “Flag.”

The band moved back and forth as easily as Taylor did, from the gentle to the frenetic, but then Taylor has played with some of them for close to a decade — guitarist Danny Kortchmar, bassist Leland Sklar and drummer Russ Kunkel. Joining them were pianist Don Grolnick, saxophonist David Sanborn, guitarist Waddy Wachtel and back-up singers Arnold McCuller and David Lasley. The only hitch seemed to be that Sanborn’s sax often was drowned out by the pounding drums.

Taylor also has added a bit of flash to the show, although it’s modest compared to most concerts these days. Huge flag emblems flanked the stage and decorated the back. Among the songs from “Flag” were “Brother Trucker,” an anthem to the independent truckers who “don’t pay no Teamster dues, ’cause the AFL-CIO don’t own the road.”

He reassured the more than 10,000 present, who came to be reminded of his folksiness as well, with smooth versions of his vintage hits as “Carolina In My Mind” and “Sweet Baby James.”

He tried to close the show with the latter, but brought the band back for his famous remakes of “How Sweet It Is” and “Summertime Blues.” He closed the encores with his first big hit, the gentle “Fire and Rain,” and left as quietly as he had first strolled on stage

The Post-Star, July 30, 1979

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