Editing Rick Laird

{{Short description|Irish jazz bassist (1941–2021)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2021}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name                = Rick Laird
| image               = Rick Laird 1973 (cropped).png
| caption             = Rick Laird in 1973. 
| birth_name          = Richard Quentin Laird
| alias               = 
| birth_date          = {{Birth date|1941|2|5|df=yes}} 
| death_date          = {{Death date and age|2021|7|4|1941|2|5|df=yes}}
| birth_place         = [[Dublin]], Ireland
| death_place         = [[New City, New York|New City, Rockland County, New York]], U.S.
| instrument          = {{hlist|Bass guitar|[[double bass]]}}
| genre               = [[Jazz fusion]]
| occupation          = 
| years_active        = 1962–2021
| label               = 
}}

'''Richard Quentin Laird''' (February 5, 1941 – July 4, 2021) was an Irish musician, best known as the bassist and a founding member of the jazz fusion band [[Mahavishnu Orchestra]], with which he performed from 1971 to 1973.<ref>[http://www.allmusic.com/artist/rick-laird-mn0000303541 Profile], AllMusic; accessed 23 August 2021.</ref>

==Early life==
Laird was born in [[Dublin]] on 5 February 1941 to a musical family. His mother played the piano in a variety of styles and his father played the ukulele; Laird started playing both instruments when he was three.<ref name=GP80/> At around five years of age, Laird started formal tuition in the guitar and piano, and he had already started to read sheet music. He soon quit the piano as he did not perform well, which led him to take up painting and drawing. At twelve, Laird began lessons in Spanish guitar, but his teacher used books that he felt were too difficult, so he quit. He then discovered jazz from his mother, who bought her son a pair of drum brushes and made him play along to records.<ref name=GP80/>

==Career==
===Early career===
At sixteen, Laird moved to New Zealand with his father and worked on a sheep farm. It was there where he took music seriously, first picking up an Australian [[Maton]] guitar, learning chords, and playing along to songs on the radio. After listening to an [[Oscar Peterson]] record featuring bassist [[Ray Brown (musician)|Ray Brown]], Laird noted Brown "doing such incredible things" and started to play bass lines on his guitar. He bought a string bass and played along to Brown's records, and two weeks later he joined a local group in [[Auckland]]. It was there, at eighteen, where Laird "quit his day job" and became a professional bassist.<ref name=GP80/>

Laird's first band soon split, but he joined another which featured pianist [[Mike Nock]] and toured New Zealand extensively.<ref name=GP80/> When Laird was nineteen, he moved to [[Sydney]], Australia for two years, where there was a more active jazz scene. There, he played with many top jazz musicians including [[Don Burrows]], and performed in jazz quartets on the radio. Around this time, Laird's goal was to relocate to the US, but he was encouraged to relocate to England in 1962.<ref name=GP80/>

While in England, Laird toured with the vocal ensemble Lambert, Hendricks, and Ross, which led to a stint with [[Zoot Sims]] and saxophonist [[Al Cohn]], followed by session work. From 1963 to 1964, Laird studied at the [[Guildhall School of Music and Drama]] and played in [[Brian Auger and the Trinity|The Brian Auger Trinity]] (July 1963–February 1964) and The Brian Auger Group (February–October 1964), the latter of which featured guitarist [[John McLaughlin (musician)|John McLaughlin]].<ref name=GP80/> Laird clashed with Auger when he was asked to switch from upright to electric bass to complement the music they were playing, but Laird refused. Laird then accepted the offer to become house bassist at [[Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club]], playing with many visiting musicians including [[Wes Montgomery]] and [[Sonny Stitt]]. It became a valuable learning experience for Laird, as the group were given considerable freedom and Laird received constructive and helpful advice from the other musicians.<ref name=GP80/> Laird is featured on the soundtrack of ''[[Alfie (1966 film)|Alfie]]'' (1966) with [[Sonny Rollins]]. With [[Buddy Rich]], he played a residence at [[Talk of the Town (nightclub)|The Talk of the Town]] in 1969.{{citation needed|date=August 2021}}

===Move to the United States and Mahavishnu Orchestra===
In 1966, Laird won a scholarship to study at [[Berklee College of Music]] in [[Boston|Boston, Massachusetts]] after sending a tape of himself playing with [[Stan Getz]]. There, Laird studied arranging, composition, and the string bass.<ref name=GP80/> In 1968, he took up the bass guitar "so I could be heard."<ref name=BP99>{{cite journal|title=Bass Notes: Where are They Now?|first=Chris|last=Jisi|journal=Bass Player|date=November 1999}}</ref> He gained confidence to take up the instrument after seeing [[The Tony Williams Lifetime]] in concert.<ref name=BP99/>

[[File:Between Nothingness and Eternity trade advert 1973.png|thumb|Laird as part of the band [[Mahavishnu Orchestra]] in an advertisement in 1973. From left to right: [[Jerry Goodman]], [[Jan Hammer]], [[John McLaughlin (musician)|John McLaughlin]], [[Billy Cobham]], Rick Laird]]
Laird was a founding member and electric bassist of the [[jazz fusion]] band [[Mahavishnu Orchestra]], the original line-up of which were active from June 1971 to December 1973.<ref name=GP80>{{cite web|url=https://users.cs.cf.ac.uk/Dave.Marshall/mclaughlin/art/laird.html|title=Rick Laird: Jazz Bassist with Richie Cole, Buddy Rich, and the Mahavishnu Orchestra|first=Arnie|last=Belle|work=Guitar Player|date=July 1980|access-date=5 July 2021}}</ref> ''[[Guitar Player]]'' described Laird's playing: "Laird's solid, economical lines in conjunction with [[Billy Cobham]]'s meticulous, powerful drumming provided a strong anchor for the odd-tempo and often volatile solos [from the rest of the band]".<ref name=GP80/> After the band split, Laird moved to New York City and played with Stan Getz (a tour in 1977) and [[Chick Corea]] (a tour the following year). Laird put out one album as a leader, ''Soft Focus''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/soft-focus-mw0000764768 |title=Rick Laird: Soft Focus |first=Michael G. |last=Nastos |website=AllMusic |access-date=October 2, 2022}}</ref>

===Later career===
Laird retired as a performing musician in 1982.<ref name=BP99/> He became a successful photographer and bass teacher. He authored two intermediate- to advanced-level bass books. In 1999, Laird had started to compose on his daughter's iMac computer. He said: "I have no agenda. It's just for my own enjoyment. Besides, I've come to realise our main gig on this planet is not what we do for a living – it's to find out who we are, and to learn how to love ourselves and love others."<ref name=BP99/> Laird was one of a handful of musicians to play an [[S. D. Curlee]], which was his principal fretted bass.<ref name=GP80/>

In March 2009, Laird discovered a collection of photographs that he had taken of musical artists, including [[Miles Davis]], [[Chick Corea]], [[Wayne Shorter]], the Mahavishnu Orchestra, [[Elvin Jones]], [[Keith Jarrett]] and many others. Much of his collection was posted online.<ref>[http://jazz.com/jazz-blog/2009/3/5/the-jazz-photography-of-richard-laird "The Photography of Richard Laird"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090612234449/http://jazz.com/gallery/richard-laird }} at Jazz.com; accessed 12 October 2022.</ref>

==Death==
In early 2021, Laird's daughter announced that he had entered hospice care.<ref>{{cite web|title=I'm Rick Laird from the Mahavishnu Orchestra's daughter.|url=https://www.reddit.com/r/Jazz/comments/l6w8a7/im_rick_laird_from_the_mahavishnu_orchestras/|first=Sophie|last=Rose|publisher=Reddit|date=25 Jan 2021|access-date=12 October 2022}}</ref> Laird died of lung cancer in [[New City, New York|New City, Rockland County, New York]] on 4 July 2021, aged 80.<ref>{{cite web|title=Rick Laird, Bassist at the Forefront of Fusion, Dies at 80|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/20/arts/music/rick-laird-dead.html|work=The New York Times|last=Russonello|first=Giovanni|date=20 July 2021|accessdate=23 August 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/mahavishnu-orchestra-bassist-rick-laird-has-died-aged-80-2986170|title=Mahavishnu Orchestra bassist Rick Laird has died, aged 80|website=NME|date=July 6, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://musicfestnews.com/2021/07/rick-laird-bassist-for-mahavishnu-orchestra-dead-at-80/|title=Rick Laird, Bassist for Mahavishnu Orchestra, Dead at 80|first=Scott|last=Hopkins|date=5 July 2021|publisher=Music Fest News|access-date=23 August 2021}}</ref>

==Discography==
===As leader===
*''Soft Focus'' ([[Timeless Muse]], 1979)

===As sideman===
'''With [[Horace Arnold|Horacee Arnold]]'''
*''Tales of the Exonerated Flea'' (Columbia, 1974)

'''With [[Richie Cole (musician)|Richie Cole]]'''
* ''[[New York Afternoon]]'' (Muse, 1977)
* ''Alto Madness'' with [[Eddie Jefferson]] (Muse, 1978)
*''[[Keeper of the Flame (Richie Cole album)|Keeper of the Flame]]'' (Muse, 1979)

'''With [[Eddie Daniels]]'''
*''Brief Encounter'' (Muse, 1977)

'''With [[Stan Getz]]'''
*''[[Death of a Corrupt Man#Musical score and soundtrack|Mort d'un Pourri]]'' (Melba, 1977) - Soundtrack

'''With [[Benny Golson]]'''
*''Three Little Words'' (Jazz House, 1997)

'''With [[Eddie Jefferson]]'''
*''[[Still on the Planet]]'' (Muse, 1976)
*''The Live-Liest'' (Muse, 1979)

'''With [[Vic Juris]]'''
*''[[Roadsong (album)|Roadsong]]'' (Muse, 1978)

'''With [[Rahsaan Roland Kirk]]'''
*''[[Gifts & Messages]]'' (Mercury, 1964)
*''Live in London'' (Harkit, 2004)

'''With [[Eric Kloss]]'''
*''[[Battle of the Saxes]]'' with [[Richie Cole (musician)|Richie Cole]] (Muse, 1976)

'''With [[Prince Lasha]]'''
*''[[Insight (Prince Lasha album)|Insight]]'' (CBS, 1966)

'''With [[Yusef Lateef]]'''
*''Live at Ronnie Scott's 15 Jan 1966'' ([[Gearbox Records]], 2017)

'''With The [[Mahavishnu Orchestra]]'''
*''[[The Inner Mounting Flame]]'' (Columbia, 1971)
*''[[Birds of Fire]]'' (Columbia, 1973)
*''[[Between Nothingness & Eternity]]'' (Columbia, 1973)
*''The Best of Mahavishnu Orchestra'' (Columbia, 1980)
*''[[The Lost Trident Sessions]]'' (Columbia, 1999)
*''[[Unreleased Tracks from Between Nothingness & Eternity]]'' (Columbia, 2011)
*''[[Mahavishnu Orchestra: The Complete Columbia Albums Collection|The Complete Columbia Albums Collection]]'' (Columbia, 2011)

'''With [[Czesław Niemen]]'''
*''[[Mourner's Rhapsody]]'' (Import Records, 1976)

'''With [[Gerry Niewood]]'''
*''Gerry Niewood and Timepiece'' (A&M/Horizon, 1977)

'''With [[Anita O'Day]]'''
*''Ao vivo no 150 Night Club'' (Estúdio Eldorado, 1984)

'''With [[Buddy Rich]]'''
*''[[Keep the Customer Satisfied (album)|Keep the Customer Satisfied]]'' (Pacific Jazz, 1970)

'''With [[Sonny Rollins]]'''
*''Live in London'' (Harkit, 2004)
*''Live in London, Vol. 2'' (Harkit, 2005)
*''Live in London, Vol. 3'' (Harkit, 2006)

'''With [[Annie Ross]]'''
*''You and Me Baby'' (Decca, 1971)

'''With Clive Stevens & Friends'''
*''Atmospheres'' (Capitol, 1974)

'''With [[Stan Tracey]]'''
*''Laughin' & Scratchin''' (Jazz House, 1966)

'''With Treasure'''
*''Treasure'' (Epic, 1977)

==Instructional books==
* Laird, Rick. (1978) ''Jazz Riffs for Bass''<ref name=GP80/>
* Laird, Rick. (1980) ''Improvising Jazz Bass'' (Music Sales Corp)<ref name=GP80/>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Discogs artist|Rick Laird}}
* {{IMDb name|id=3743551}}

{{Mahavishnu Orchestra}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Laird, Rick}}
[[Category:1941 births]]
[[Category:2021 deaths]]
[[Category:Musicians from Dublin (city)]]
[[Category:Jazz double-bassists]]
[[Category:Irish male bass guitarists]]
[[Category:Jazz bass guitarists]]
[[Category:Irish expatriates in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Irish expatriates in New Zealand]]
[[Category:Irish expatriates in Australia]]
[[Category:Irish expatriates in the United States]]
[[Category:Irish jazz guitarists]]
[[Category:Mahavishnu Orchestra members]]
[[Category:Brian Auger and the Trinity members]]
[[Category:21st-century double-bassists]]
[[Category:Deaths from lung cancer in New York (state)]]
[[Category:20th-century Irish bass guitarists]]