Neil Larsen

Larsen was born in Cleveland, Ohio and grew up in Sarasota, Florida.[1] He learned piano, drawing inspiration from jazz artists John Coltrane, Miles Davis and the Modern Jazz Quartet, and from contemporary rock acts.[2]

In 1969, he was drafted to serve in the Vietnam War. During his time in Vietnam, he worked as a band director, co-ordinating musical entertainment for US armed forces personnel. After his discharge, he moved to New York to work as a musician.[2]

While in New York in the early 1970s, Larsen wrote television jingles and played on sessions for various recording artists.[3] He formed the band Full Moon with jazz guitarist Buzz Feiten, and their self-titled debut album was released in 1972. Larson was briefly a member of the Soul Survivors. He contributed as keyboardist, writer and arranger on their 1974 self-titled album on the TSOP label. He began touring as a member of Gregg Allman's band in 1975.[2]

In 1977, Larsen relocated to Los Angeles,[1] where he played on sessions by producers such as Tommy LiPuma, Russ Titelman and Herb Alpert.[3] These projects led to Larsen signing with Alpert's record company, A&M Records,[1] for which he recorded on the Horizon label.[4] Larsen's first album, Jungle Fever, was released in September 1978.[5] Larsen toured the US in support of the release with a band that included Feiten.[2]

The title track from his second album, High Gear, was nominated for the 1980 Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance.[6] The album peaked at number 153 on the Billboard Top LPs & Tape chart in the US[7] and included musical contributions from Feiten, Michael Brecker, Steve Gadd and Paulinho da Costa.[1]

Larsen collaborated further with Feiten in the jazz–rock fusion groups the Larsen Facts Band and the Larsen-Feiten Band. The latter released The Larsen-Feiten Band in 1980 on Warner Bros. Records. He has also recorded and toured with guitarist Robben Ford,[1] who contributed to Larsen's 2007 album Orbit.[8]

His compositions have also been recorded by George Benson and Gregg Allman, among others.[1] Larsen took part in Miles Davis's Rubberband sessions in 1985–86. His song "Carnival" was later adapted by Davis into the piece "Carnival Time".[9]

Larsen has worked as a session musician for many rock artists, including Rickie Lee Jones, George Harrison, Kenny Loggins and Don McLean.[1][10] He was the pianist and musical arranger for the 20th Century Fox Television show Boston Legal,[1] and musical director for jazz singer Al Jarreau.[2]

From 2008, he toured and recorded as a member of Leonard Cohen's band.[11] Larsen performed on Cohen's Old Ideas album and on the singer's final world tour, in 2012–13. Cohen regularly introduced him on stage as "today's foremost exponent of the Hammond B-3 organ".[12]

• 1972: Full Moon (Douglas/Epic)
• 1978: Jungle Fever (Horizon/A&M)
• 1979: High Gear (Horizon/A&M)
• 1980: Larsen-Feiten Band (Warner Bros.)
• 1982: Full Moon Featuring Neil Larsen & Buzz Feiten (Warner Bros.)
• 1987: Through Any Window (MCA)
• 1989: Smooth Talk (MCA)
• 2002: Full Moon Live (Dreamsville [Japan]) note: vintage live recordings from 1980 and 1983.
• 2007: Orbit (Straight Ahead)
• 2015: Forlana (Portico Records)