BetaFunk Posted December 25, 2013 Share Posted December 25, 2013 (edited) This a great clip of the Victor Feldman Trio with one of my favourite bass players, Irish born Rick Laird some years before he became a member of the Mahavishnu Orchestra. Feldman had an eye for spotting decent bass players as Scott LaFaro had recorded with him a few years before. [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLwvdv5oWVw[/media] Edited December 25, 2013 by BetaFunk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BetaFunk Posted December 25, 2013 Author Share Posted December 25, 2013 Here's Rick Laird a few years later............. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcQKjffxIOY Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamsalad Posted December 26, 2013 Share Posted December 26, 2013 Hah! That's excellent. I'd never actually gotten round to looking into anyone except John's previous musical outings. Mahavishnu Orchestra...What an unbelievably good band. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EssentialTension Posted December 26, 2013 Share Posted December 26, 2013 [quote name='BetaFunk' timestamp='1387999901' post='2317825'] Here's Rick Laird a few years later............. [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcQKjffxIOY[/media] [/quote] Am I seeing things or does Rick Laird's Precision have a Hagstrom Bisonic in the neck position? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yorks5stringer Posted December 27, 2013 Share Posted December 27, 2013 (edited) One of the highlights of my teenage years going to Newcastle City Hall....the M O. Don't remember much except it was loud! Edited December 27, 2013 by yorks5stringer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BetaFunk Posted December 27, 2013 Author Share Posted December 27, 2013 [quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1388066478' post='2318227'] Am I seeing things or does Rick Laird's Precision have a Hagstrom Bisonic in the neck position? [/quote] Well spotted. I didn't notice that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ambient Posted December 27, 2013 Share Posted December 27, 2013 I have a book that my uncle gave me, Jazz riffs for bass by Rick Laird, great book . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lowender Posted December 27, 2013 Share Posted December 27, 2013 The upright is really his instrument. I felt Rick was a little lost with what to do with the electric. But he's playing his ass off in that trio. Great stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BetaFunk Posted December 27, 2013 Author Share Posted December 27, 2013 (edited) [quote name='Lowender' timestamp='1388164022' post='2319035'] The upright is really his instrument. I felt Rick was a little lost with what to do with the electric. But he's playing his ass off in that trio. Great stuff. [/quote] He started out on Electric Bass before taking up the Upright and then returning to the Electric later in the 60s but i agree that Upright is his instrument. In an interview he said that he liked Scott LaFaro and Charles Mingus but his heroes were Ray Brown and Paul Chambers so that seems to confirm his preference for the Upright. He also said that he gave it playing bass in the early 80s because he didn't like being just a 'bass for hire'. I understand that he didn't record for some time after that. Edited December 27, 2013 by BetaFunk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BetaFunk Posted December 27, 2013 Author Share Posted December 27, 2013 I think this is from around 1978....... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQL90y3tcfc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BetaFunk Posted December 27, 2013 Author Share Posted December 27, 2013 This is Part 1 of a 4 Part interview with Rick....... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzyDMIhHgXA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foal30 Posted December 28, 2013 Share Posted December 28, 2013 I always thought he was a Kiwi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BetaFunk Posted December 28, 2013 Author Share Posted December 28, 2013 (edited) [quote name='foal30' timestamp='1388202849' post='2319474'] I always thought he was a Kiwi [/quote] He was born in Dublin and then moved with his parents to New Zealand. Edited December 28, 2013 by BetaFunk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lowender Posted December 28, 2013 Share Posted December 28, 2013 [quote name='BetaFunk' timestamp='1388165932' post='2319058'] I think this is from around 1978....... [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQL90y3tcfc[/media] [/quote] That's actually a really nice "upright" approach to the electric. Really fine musician. He never soloed anywhere like that with Mahavishnu. One has to wonder if McLaughlin wanted him to purposely as as simple as possible since everyone else was so busy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BetaFunk Posted December 28, 2013 Author Share Posted December 28, 2013 (edited) [quote name='Lowender' timestamp='1388236566' post='2319760'] That's actually a really nice "upright" approach to the electric. Really fine musician. He never soloed anywhere like that with Mahavishnu. One has to wonder if McLaughlin wanted him to purposely as as simple as possible since everyone else was so busy. [/quote] I remember an interview with Rick Laird from some years ago when it was mentioned that in the Mahavishnu at the time it was between McLaughlin, Cobham, Hammer and Goodman who could play the loudest and fastest. Laird said that someone had to say 'one' and that was him! If you look at any Mahavishnu video of that time and se how busy all the others are there would have been no room for a Jaco or a Stanley in that band so i suppose Rick fitted the bill as the real anchor in that band. On saying that Jonas Hellborg arrived later but the band was a little different then. Edited December 28, 2013 by BetaFunk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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