Larry Mizell

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Larry Mizell, born in 1944, was, with his brother Alphonso Fonce Mizell, one of the most important producers of the 1970s. Larry studied engineering and Fonce music at Howard University, where they sang together in the vocal quartet the Vanlords. Later Larry worked as an electrical engineer and carried out tests for the lunar module of NASA's Apollo programme. He was also among the first to carry out research into liquid crystals, which are now used in screens.

Music and breakthrough

Fonce was a member of The Corporation, the team at Motown that wrote the early hits of The Jackson 5, such as I Want You Back and ABC. When Motown moved to Los Angeles, the brothers worked with the trumpeter Donald Byrd, with whom they had studied in Washington. Their first album together was Black Byrd on Blue Note, the first of a series that defined jazz-funk and laid the foundation for acid jazz and neo-soul. With their company Sky High Productions they also made records with The Blackbyrds, Johnny Hammond Smith and Roger Glenn, among others. Later came Boogie Oogie Oogie by A Taste of Honey in 1978 and Love Ballad by L.T.D. in 1976.

Influence

The brothers often used the same studio musicians and a warm, layered production with plenty of percussion. In the 1980s they withdrew, but in the 2000s they returned. In 2007 Larry co-wrote and sang on Play with the Changes by 4hero. Their work was regarded as a building block of jazz-funk, acid jazz and neo-soul.

Listening