Larry Coryell doesn't need to be the best guitarist in the room. "I want my students to be better than me. Absolutely. The one thing that has changed over the years giving master classes is that there are fewer guys who come with wisecracks and challenge me." Coryell chuckled from his Orlando home when asked if he misses that back-and-forth. He did not hesitate to answer "Yes."

One might look at solo Coryell as a de facto master class in taste, chops, swing and the jazz vocabulary. This will be the context in which the 66-year-old six-string legend is to play at the Rosendale Cafe this Friday, January 29 and as part of the ongoing Tom Humphries Series at the Ritz Theater in Newburgh this Saturday, January 30.

It's rare for a guitarist to jump from acoustic to electric or vice versa, but not for LC. "It is what I do - and now I also play a lot of acoustic with the band, so there really is no difference on that level between playing electric and acoustic."

As a youngster, Coryell moved to New York and checked out guys like Grant Green, Charles Lloyd and John Coltrane play, which helped open his ears. He eventually started getting national recognition himself when he joined Gary Burton's band in 1967. In the four decades since then, Coryell has recorded with Charles Mingus, Chick Corea, John McLaughlin and other jazz heavyweights. And though he has released 60 or so albums as a leader, he had never done an organ-trio album until his latest, Impressions: The New York Sessions, which features organist Sam Yahel and former Pat Metheny drummer Paul Wertico. Oddly enough, Coryell has hooked up with another ex-Metheny drummer, Danny Gottlieb, for a yet-to-be-released trio date.

"There is a classic story where supposedly Duke said to a record label guy, 'You worry about selling them; I'll worry about making them.' That is no longer the case. The record industry has just been obliterated with digital recording. They have just given it away. So I am still not sure about just how this music will be distributed."

For these gigs, expect a blend of Coryell originals, any number of standards (speaking of which, check out LC on YouTube burning through "Our Love is Here to Stay") and maybe a guest sit-in from...another Coryell, son Murali? "He is on his way back right now from a West Coast swing, and his new record [Sugar Lips] is doing nicely. Sometimes we set up dates with my sons [Julian is also a guitarist], but for now this is a solo thing."

The Rosendale Cafe show takes place on Friday, January 29 at 8 p.m. Admission is $20. The Caf? is located at 434 Main Street in Rosendale. For info call (845) 658-9048 or visit www.rosendalecafe.com.

The Ritz Theatre show takes place on Saturday, January 30 at 8 p.m. at 107 Broadway in Newburgh. Tickets cost $25 and are available through www.ticketweb.com, or call the Ritz Theater box office at (845) 784-1199 or visit www.safeharborsofthehudson.org.