Bio - Jazzfiddler

Improvisation has been a part of Larry's musical adventure since childhood. In middle school, he made violin a 'cool' instrument by being able to play Michael Jackson tunes on the fly. His first television appearance was with a group of musicians from the Virginia Music Camp performing the Doobie Brothers' "Black Water".

Although he had bought a few Stephane Grappelli and Jean-Luc Ponty albums during his high school and college years, the idea of actually playing jazz violin seemed distant, as nobody was doing it. Lyles experimented with it, however, and utilized the genre playing strolling violin at various venues in Florida, North Carolina, and Virginia. In 2004, Guitarist Thomas Wakefield, desiring to recreate the 1930's 'gypsy jazz' sound of France, pulled Larry and guitarist Jeff Powell together to form the group Gypsy Roots. Though the group is obscure by world standards, it has received accolades throughout the United States and Europe for its fresh approach to the ‘jazz manouche’ style.

Lyles credits his infuences to modern jazz violinists like Regina Carter, Jean-Luc Ponty, Jason Anick, Christian Howes, Miles Steibel, and Stephan Dudash, as well as past legends like Grapelli, Joe Venuti, and Stuff Smith. He especially appreciates the influence of the late Joe Kennedy, Jr., who personally mentored Larry during his high school years and performed side by side with him 20 years later.

Aside from jazz, Lyles is classically trained. Currently, he leads the String Quartet of the Petersburg Symphony, as well as the Second Violin section of the orchestra. Since 1993, he has been a member of Terzetto, a flute/violin/cello trio specializing in Baroque music.