Rick Laird was an Irish bassist working in jazz and best-known for his work with Mahavishnu Orchestra.
He is featured on the oft-sampled “You Know You Know” (1971, above) by Mahavishnu Orchestra.
Tag Archives: jazz
RIP Jimmy Scott (1925 – 2014)
This escaped my attention seven years ago.
Jimmy Scott was an American vocalist known for his high natural contralto voice and his sensitivity on ballads and love songs.
He covered “Nothing Compares 2 U” on his album Holding Back The Years (1998).
RIP Curtis Fuller (1934 – 2021)
Curtis Fuller was an American trombonist known for his work on the American jazz scene between the years 1957 and c. 1980.
Trombonists I admire include Rico Rodriguez, Peter Zummo, Vin Gordon, Don Drummond, Fred Wesley and Willie Colón.
RIP Paul Jackson (1947 – 2021)
Paul Jackson was an American bassist famous for his contributions to The Headhunters, Azteca and Santana.
RIP Chris Barber (1930 – 2021)
Chris Barber was an English jazz bandleader and trombonist best-known for his cover of “Petite Fleur”, a 1952 instrumental by Sidney Bechet.
That song, especially the version of Barber, reminds me of the music of Jacques Tati in his Oncle films. I mean songs such as “Quel temps fait-il à Paris” by Alain Romans and Henri Contet.
RIP Milford Graves (1941 – 2021)
Milford Graves was an American musician and artist known for such albums as Nommo (1967), an album featured in the “Top Ten Free Jazz Underground” (1995), a list by Thurston Moore.
RIP Chick Corea (1941 – 2021)
Chick Corea was a legendary American composer working in jazz, mainly playing keyboards.
He is a celebrated name in jazz fusion, but he never actively appeared on my radar.
So, I give you “Was Dog a Doughnut?” (1977) by Cat Stevens on which Chick plays keyboards. This did came to my attention in the period when I was researching late 20th century nightclub music.
RIP Stanley Cowell (1941 – 2020)
Stanley Cowell (1941 – 2020) was an American jazz pianist and co-founder of Strata-East Records.
Strata-East Records first gained notoriety outside the world of jazz after the British label Soul Jazz Records put out three anthologies of their recordings in the 1994-1997 period.
I give you “Travelin’ Man” (1974) in its first version.
Has anyone besides me noticed the likeness to “Seven Nation Army” by The White Stripes?
RIP Toshinori Kondo (1948 – 2020)
Toshinori Kondo was a Japanese trumpeter.
He worked in avant-garde jazz and jazz fusion.
Kondo also frequently collaborated with Bill Laswell.
The album above also features a a cover of “Sun Is Shining”, around minute 17.
RIP Gary Peacock (1935 – 2020)
Gary Peacock was an American jazz double-bassist. He recorded a dozen albums under his own name, and also performed and recorded with major jazz figures such as Albert Ayler, Paul Bley, Bill Evans, Keith Jarrett and Tony Williams.
On Life Time (Blue Note, 1964), Gary Peacock plays bass on tracks one to three.