Larry Klein
Encyclopedia
Larry Klein is a music producer, songwriter
and bass guitar
player, commonly known for being the frequent musical collaborator, and ex-husband, of Joni Mitchell
.
He began his musical career while still in his teens, as a session musician
, playing bass guitar on a string of albums, most notably several by jazz trumpeter Freddie Hubbard
.
Klein met Mitchell when he was hired as a bassist and sound engineer for her 1982 album Wild Things Run Fast
. The two quickly became romantically attached, and were married in November 1982. He helped produce that album, as well as her next four, occasionally contributing his own musical compositions to which Mitchell would add lyrics. It was during the recording of Turbulent Indigo
, in 1994, that their marriage broke apart. He has continued to be involved, in various capacities, in the production of her albums.
Since his work with Mitchell, Klein has tended to produce albums by female singer–songwriter
s, although he was the co-producer (with Herbie Hancock
) on Hancock's Grammy-winning River: The Joni Letters
.
In 2006, Klein married Brazilian vocalist Luciana Souza
.
In 2010 Klein was nominated for Producer of the Year for the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards for production on several albums.
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
and bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
player, commonly known for being the frequent musical collaborator, and ex-husband, of Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell, CC is a Canadian musician, singer songwriter, and painter. Mitchell began singing in small nightclubs in her native Saskatchewan and Western Canada and then busking in the streets and dives of Toronto...
.
He began his musical career while still in his teens, as a session musician
Session musician
Session musicians are instrumental and vocal performers, musicians, who are available to work with others at live performances or recording sessions. Usually such musicians are not permanent members of a musical ensemble and often do not achieve fame in their own right as soloists or bandleaders...
, playing bass guitar on a string of albums, most notably several by jazz trumpeter Freddie Hubbard
Freddie Hubbard
Frederick Dewayne "Freddie" Hubbard was an American jazz trumpeter. He was known primarily for playing in the bebop, hard bop and post bop styles from the early 1960s and on...
.
Klein met Mitchell when he was hired as a bassist and sound engineer for her 1982 album Wild Things Run Fast
Wild Things Run Fast
Wild Things Run Fast is Joni Mitchell's eleventh studio album and her first for Geffen Records. Released in 1982, it represents her departure from jazz to a more 80s pop sound....
. The two quickly became romantically attached, and were married in November 1982. He helped produce that album, as well as her next four, occasionally contributing his own musical compositions to which Mitchell would add lyrics. It was during the recording of Turbulent Indigo
Turbulent Indigo
Turbulent Indigo is the fifteenth album by Joni Mitchell. It was released in 1994, and became one of her most critically acclaimed releases, winning a Grammy Award for Pop Album of the Year....
, in 1994, that their marriage broke apart. He has continued to be involved, in various capacities, in the production of her albums.
Since his work with Mitchell, Klein has tended to produce albums by female singer–songwriter
Singer–songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
s, although he was the co-producer (with Herbie Hancock
Herbie Hancock
Herbert Jeffrey "Herbie" Hancock is an American pianist, bandleader and composer. As part of Miles Davis's "second great quintet," Hancock helped to redefine the role of a jazz rhythm section and was one of the primary architects of the "post-bop" sound...
) on Hancock's Grammy-winning River: The Joni Letters
River: The Joni Letters
River: The Joni Letters is the 2007 album by Herbie Hancock. His 47th studio album, it was released on September 25, 2007 by Verve Records. The tribute album is a homage to Joni Mitchell, a longtime associate and friend of Hancock...
.
In 2006, Klein married Brazilian vocalist Luciana Souza
Luciana Souza
Luciana Souza is a Brazilian jazz singer and composer who has crossed over into classical music.Daughter of poet Tereza Souza and singer-composer-guitarist Walter Santos, she grew up in São Paulo. She is a graduate of the Berklee College of Music in Boston from which she received a Bachelor's...
.
In 2010 Klein was nominated for Producer of the Year for the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards for production on several albums.
Albums produced or co-produced
- 1982 Wild Things Run FastWild Things Run FastWild Things Run Fast is Joni Mitchell's eleventh studio album and her first for Geffen Records. Released in 1982, it represents her departure from jazz to a more 80s pop sound....
, Joni MitchellJoni MitchellJoni Mitchell, CC is a Canadian musician, singer songwriter, and painter. Mitchell began singing in small nightclubs in her native Saskatchewan and Western Canada and then busking in the streets and dives of Toronto... - 1986 Dog Eat Dog, Joni Mitchell
- 1986 The LaceThe Lace (Benjamin Orr album)The Lace is the debut solo record by The Cars' member Benjamin Orr. It features his only solo hit, the song "Stay the Night" which reached the top 40 in 1987...
, Benjamin OrrBenjamin OrrBenjamin Orr was an American rock musician best known as the bassist and vocalist for the Boston based rock band, The Cars.... - 1988 Chalk Mark in a Rain Storm, Joni Mitchell
- 1989 The Innocence MissionThe Innocence Mission (album)The Innocence Mission is the eponymous debut LP from the band of the same name. Recorded in six months in several studios in Los Angeles, California; among them The Kiva, Oceanway Recording and The Sound Castle, the album features the 1894 painting "Impromptu Ball" by Eva Roos as its cover artwork...
, The Innocence MissionThe Innocence MissionThe Innocence Mission is an American alternative rock band centered on husband-and-wife singer-songwriters Karen and Don Peris. The original group, including Mike Bitts and Steve Brown , was formed in Lancaster, Pennsylvania in the early 1980s when the members met during a Catholic school... - 1989 Love Among the CannibalsLove Among the Cannibals-Singles / Music Videos:*"Wild Again" *"It's Not Enough" *"I Didn't Mean to Stay All Night" *"I'll Be There" -Personnel:*Mickey Thomas – vocals*Craig Chaquico – guitars...
, Starship ("It's Not Enough" and "I Didn't Mean to Stay All Night") - 1990 Bedtime Stories, David BaerwaldDavid BaerwaldDavid Baerwald is an American singer-songwriter, composer, and musician.He has one son, Beker Baerwald, who is a nationally ranked basketball player. He is the son of Hans Baerwald, a political scientist, and Diane Moore, a psychologist...
- 1991 Umbrella, The Innocence MissionThe Innocence MissionThe Innocence Mission is an American alternative rock band centered on husband-and-wife singer-songwriters Karen and Don Peris. The original group, including Mike Bitts and Steve Brown , was formed in Lancaster, Pennsylvania in the early 1980s when the members met during a Catholic school...
- 1991 Night Ride HomeNight Ride HomeNight Ride Home is the fourteenth album by Joni Mitchell, released in 1991. It was the last of four albums she recorded for Geffen Records....
, Joni Mitchell - 1992 Fat CityFat City (Shawn Colvin album)Fat City, Shawn Colvin's second full length album, was released in 1992 on Columbia Records.The album reached 142 on the Billboard 200 and reached #2 on Billboard's Top Heatseekers. "Round of Blues" and "I Don't Know Why" made Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks and Adult Contemporary single charts,...
, Shawn ColvinShawn ColvinShawn Colvin is an American singer-songwriter and musician.-Childhood and early career:Colvin was born in Vermillion, South Dakota. Her formative years were spent in the town of Carbondale, Illinois, where she attended Southern Illinois University Carbondale. She learned to play guitar at the age... - 1994 Turbulent IndigoTurbulent IndigoTurbulent Indigo is the fifteenth album by Joni Mitchell. It was released in 1994, and became one of her most critically acclaimed releases, winning a Grammy Award for Pop Album of the Year....
, Joni Mitchell - 1997 Dear Dark Heart, Holly ColeHolly ColeHolly Cole is a Canadian jazz singer, particularly popular in Canada and Japan for both her versatile and distinctive voice, along with her adventurous repertoire, which spans such divergent genres as show tunes, rock, and country music.-Holly Cole Trio:In 1983, Cole travelled to Toronto to seek a...
- 1997 ShineShine (Mary Black album)Mary Black abandons her usual sound and production on Shine, an album of songs recorded in Los Angeles with a combination of local session musicians and members of her Irish band. At the production helm is studio veteran Larry Klein , and he aided in selecting songs from a new crop of songwriters...
, Mary BlackMary BlackMary Black is an Irish singer. She is well known as an interpreter of both folk and contemporary material which has made her a major recording artist in her native Ireland, and in many other parts of the world.... - 1999 Bird YorkBird York (album)Her self titled Bird York debut album includes collaborations with Grammy Award winning producer Larry Klein, and Grammy Award winning engineer mixer, Thom Russo and includes songs heard on Nip Tuck and CBS's Family Law...
, Bird York - 1999 Night in a Strange Town, Lynn MilesLynn MilesLynn Miles is a Canadian singer-songwriter and winner of the 2003 Juno Award.-Early life and education:Miles was born outside Montreal in the town of Sweetsburg, Quebec. Her father was a harmonica player and jazz fan while her mother listened to both opera and country music. Miles learned to...
- 2000 Both Sides NowBoth Sides Now- Personnel : * Joni Mitchell — vocals * Mark Isham — trumpet, solo* John Anderson — oboe * Julie Andrews — bassoon * Nick Bucknall — clarinet * Stan Sulzmann — clarinet, flute * Philip Todd — clarinet, flute and alto flute...
, Joni Mitchell - 2001 Concrete Love, Julia FordhamJulia FordhamJulia Fordham is a British singer-songwriter based in California. Her professional career started in the early 1980s, under the name "Jules Fordham", as a backing singer for Mari Wilson and Kim Wilde.-Career:...
- 2002 TravelogueTravelogue (Joni Mitchell album)Travelogue is a 2002 double album by Joni Mitchell featuring orchestral re-recordings of songs from throughout her career. It is the follow-up to 2000's Both Sides Now which had a similar format...
, Joni Mitchell - 2003 The Velvet HourThe Velvet HourThe Velvet Hour is a 2003 album by Bird York. It features the song "In the Deep" from the film Crash. Producers on this record include Michael Becker, Bird York, Thom Russo and Larry Klein. It also includes songs heard on CSI: NY, House, Seven Pounds, Everwood, the John Cusack-produced feature...
, Bird York - 2004 Careless LoveCareless Love (album)Careless Love is a 2004 jazz album by American jazz singer Madeleine Peyroux. All the tracks are cover versions, except for "Don't Wait Too Long," which Peyroux co-wrote with Jesse Harris and Larry Klein. It is Peyroux's most critically acclaimed album so far and her song choices were praised...
, Madeleine PeyrouxMadeleine PeyrouxMadeleine Peyroux is an American jazz singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Peyroux is noted for her vocal style, which has been compared to that of Billie Holiday.... - 2005 Tough on Crime, Rebecca PidgeonRebecca PidgeonRebecca Pidgeon is a British actress and singer-songwriter. She has maintained a recording career while also acting on stage and in feature films. She is married to the American writer and director David Mamet.-Early life:...
- 2006 Dreaming Through the NoiseDreaming Through the Noise-Track listing:All songs written by Vienna Teng.#"Blue Caravan" - 3:56#"Whatever You Want" - 4:00#"Love Turns 40" - 5:12#"I Don't Feel So Well" - 4:16#"City Hall" - 4:48#"Nothing Without You" - 3:39#"Transcontinental, 1:30 A.M." - 3:46#"1BR/1BA" - 4:02...
, Vienna TengVienna TengCynthia Yih Shih , better known by her stage name Vienna Teng, is a Taiwanese American pianist and singer-songwriter based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Teng has released four studio albums: Waking Hour , Warm Strangers , Dreaming Through the Noise , and Inland Territory... - 2006 Half the Perfect WorldHalf the Perfect WorldHalf the Perfect World is the fourth studio album by American jazz singer Madeleine Peyroux. It was released on September 12, 2006. It peaked at #33 on the Billboard 200 albums chart and had sold 218,000 copies in the United States by December 2008....
, Madeleine PeyrouxMadeleine PeyrouxMadeleine Peyroux is an American jazz singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Peyroux is noted for her vocal style, which has been compared to that of Billie Holiday.... - 2006 OceanaOceana (album)Oceana is the seventh album of keyboardist Derek Sherinian. Simon Phillips returns as co-writer, drummer, co-producer and mixer. Guest guitarists include Steve Lukather, Joe Bonamassa, Tony MacAlpine, Steve Stevens and Doug Aldrich...
, Till BrönnerTill BrönnerTill Brönner is a German jazz musician, trumpet player, singer, composer, arranger and producer. He has a unique jazz approach influenced by bebop and fusion jazz, but also modern pop music, movie soundtracks , country music and even German pop songs... - 2007 The New Bossa Nova, Luciana SouzaLuciana SouzaLuciana Souza is a Brazilian jazz singer and composer who has crossed over into classical music.Daughter of poet Tereza Souza and singer-composer-guitarist Walter Santos, she grew up in São Paulo. She is a graduate of the Berklee College of Music in Boston from which she received a Bachelor's...
- 2007 River: The Joni LettersRiver: The Joni LettersRiver: The Joni Letters is the 2007 album by Herbie Hancock. His 47th studio album, it was released on September 25, 2007 by Verve Records. The tribute album is a homage to Joni Mitchell, a longtime associate and friend of Hancock...
, Herbie HancockHerbie HancockHerbert Jeffrey "Herbie" Hancock is an American pianist, bandleader and composer. As part of Miles Davis's "second great quintet," Hancock helped to redefine the role of a jazz rhythm section and was one of the primary architects of the "post-bop" sound...
(co-produced with Hancock) - 2008 Behind the Velvet Curtain, Rebecca PidgeonRebecca PidgeonRebecca Pidgeon is a British actress and singer-songwriter. She has maintained a recording career while also acting on stage and in feature films. She is married to the American writer and director David Mamet.-Early life:...
- 2008 Circus MoneyCircus MoneyCircus Money is the second solo album by Walter Becker. It is his first solo album since 11 Tracks of Whack in 1994, having been released on June 10, 2008 through the 5 Over 12 label both in CD and digital download formats.The traditional mask featured on the album's cover is based on traditional...
, Walter BeckerWalter BeckerWalter Carl Becker is an American musician, songwriter and record producer. He is best known as the co-founder, guitarist, bassist and a co-writer of Steely Dan.-Career:... - 2008 Our Bright FutureOur Bright FutureOur Bright Future is Tracy Chapman's eighth studio album and was released on November 11, 2008. The album was co-produced by Larry Klein. The album's first single "Sing For You" was released digitally on October 31. In promotion for this album Chapman appeared on radio stations across Europe with...
, Tracy ChapmanTracy ChapmanTracy Chapman is an American singer-songwriter, best known for her singles "Fast Car", "Talkin' 'bout a Revolution", "Baby Can I Hold You", "Give Me One Reason" and "Telling Stories". She is a multi-platinum and four-time Grammy Award-winning artist.-Biography:Tracy Chapman was born in Cleveland,... - 2008 RIO, Till BrönnerTill BrönnerTill Brönner is a German jazz musician, trumpet player, singer, composer, arranger and producer. He has a unique jazz approach influenced by bebop and fusion jazz, but also modern pop music, movie soundtracks , country music and even German pop songs...
- 2009 Bare Bones, Madeleine PeyrouxMadeleine PeyrouxMadeleine Peyroux is an American jazz singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Peyroux is noted for her vocal style, which has been compared to that of Billie Holiday....
- 2009 My One and Only ThrillMy One and Only ThrillMy One and Only Thrill is the second studio album by American jazz singer–songwriter Melody Gardot, released in the United States on April 28, 2009 by Verve Records. As May 2009, two singles had been released: "Who Will Comfort Me" and "Baby I'm a Fool"...
, Melody GardotMelody GardotMelody Gardot is a Grammy-nominated American singer, writer and musician in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, though she considers herself a "citizen of the world". She has been influenced by such blues and jazz artists as Judy Garland, Janis Joplin, Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, Stan Getz and George... - 2009 Last Kiss, Zachary RichardZachary RichardZachary Richard is a Cajun singer/songwriter and poet. His music is an innovative combination of Cajun and Zydeco musical styles.-Biography:...
("Acadian Driftwood") - 2009 Tide, Luciana SouzaLuciana SouzaLuciana Souza is a Brazilian jazz singer and composer who has crossed over into classical music.Daughter of poet Tereza Souza and singer-composer-guitarist Walter Santos, she grew up in São Paulo. She is a graduate of the Berklee College of Music in Boston from which she received a Bachelor's...
- 2009 Synthesis, Raul MidónRaul MidónRaúl Midón is a singer-songwriter and guitarist from New Mexico, based in New York City. He combines his distinct voice, strumming, beats, and vocal mouth trumpet sounds to create a one-man performance. His unique style shows influence of virtually every musical genre which came before him,...
- 2010 The Imagine ProjectThe Imagine ProjectThe Imagine Project is an album by Herbie Hancock released on June 22, 2010. The album, which was recorded in many locations throughout the world and features collaborations from various artists, was complemented by a documentary about the recording process. Hancock's interpretations of these songs...
, Herbie HancockHerbie HancockHerbert Jeffrey "Herbie" Hancock is an American pianist, bandleader and composer. As part of Miles Davis's "second great quintet," Hancock helped to redefine the role of a jazz rhythm section and was one of the primary architects of the "post-bop" sound... - 2011 Bleu Venise, Daphné
External links
- [ All-Music Guide biography]
- Interview with Mix Magazine