The sibling duo of Larry and Alphonso "Fonce" Mizell revolutionized the sound and shape of jazz-funkfusing the commercial sensibilities of Motown with the virtuoso musicianship of the Blue Note stable, the brothers (collaborating under their Sky High Productions aegis) produced a series of now-classic LPs of uncommon beauty and elegance, characterized by soaring horns, cosmic synths, celestial string arrangements and sublime rhythms. While jazz purists reviled their efforts, time has conclusively proven the Mizells' singular genius, and their records remain some of the most sampled and celebrated within contemporary hip-hop culture. Upon graduating Howard, Larry Mizell accepted an engineering position with Grumman Aerospace while Fonce and friend, Freddie Perren relocated to LA. A mutual friend soon put Fonce in contact with Motown producer Deke Richards, and in 1969 he and Perren were signed to the label as staff songwriters. Together with Richards & Motown chief Berry Gordy Jr., they formed the writing and production team dubbed the Corporationafter writing a proposed Gladys Knight song titled "I Wanna Be Free," Gordy suggested they rework the song for Motown's latest signing, the Jackson 5. Retitled "I Want You Back," the Jackson 5 version remains one of the signature Motown classics, rocketing the group to international fame; the Corporation also created the Jacksons' smash follow-ups "ABC" and "The Love You Save". Larry finally joined his brother in L.A., working as a session player on a handful of Corporation-helmed projects. When Donald Byrd traveled to the West Coast to work on his latest Blue Note LP, 1972's Ethiopian Knights, Fonce leaped at the opportunity to contribute to the session. He and Larry also acquired an ARP Soloist synthesizer and began composing demo material, eventually founding their own production concern, Sky High. Byrd's 1973 LP Black Byrd was the first official Sky High effort, the best-selling Blue Note release in the company's long & storied history. It earned a Grammy nomination and immediately established the Mizells' signature approach to jazz, which drew heavily on the sleek sensibility now dominating mainstream R&B. In addition to their work in the production booth, the siblings regularly played on Sky High sessions as well, with Fonce typically contributing clavinet and trumpet while Larry added piano and synthesizerthey also arranged and performed the distinctive harmony vocals that remain a trademark of their sound. The Mizells' acknowledged masterpiece, Byrd's concept album Street Lady, followed in late 1973, flutist Bobbi Humphrey's landmark Blacks and Blues was cut just weeks later, and the siblings maintained their frenetic creative pace across much of the decade, helming sessions including Johnny Hammond's 1974 Gambler's Life, Byrd's 1975 Places & Spaces and Gary Bartz's 1977 release Music Is My Sanctuary. The Mizells also crossed back into commercial R&B with the 1978 release of A Taste of Honey's debut LP, notching the disco classic "Boogie Oogie Oogie." Although the brothers signed their own recording deal with Warner Bros., they preferred the anonymity of writing and producing, and with the dawn of 1980s the Mizells entered an extended creative hiatus that continues to this day.
