A-Z Artist Index Compilations Record Labels Media
Help Us! Contact Us Resources Timeline
Bio:
Rick Laird was born in Dublin in 1941. His family emigrated to New Zealand where
he began to play both jazz and pop in his teens, first in Auckland in 1959
and later in Sydney, and eventually concentrating on jazz. He moved to London
to study and began to make inroads in the London jazz scene, eventually
joining Ronnie Scott's house band where he backed many visiting big names.
But Rick Laird is best known as part of the original 1971-73 lineup of seminal fusion band the
Mahavishnu Orchestra
with John McLaughlin (leader/guitar), Jerry Goodman (violin), Jan Hammer (keyboards) and Billy
Cobham (drums). They made two outstanding albums, "The Inner Mounting Flame" (CBS, 1971)
and "Birds Of Fire" (CBS, 1973), and a live set "Between Nothingness and Eternity" (CBS, 1973)
but split while recording a third studio album at Trident Studios in London.
The album was shelved and the recordings finally issued in 1999 as "The Lost Trident Sessions".
Unlike the first two
studio albums, this album included material by band members other than John McLaughlin, including Laird's
own "Steppings Tones", which may have increased the tensions within the band. The band
split at the very end of 1973.
Laird remained in New York for a number of years making live and studio dates
for various band leaders, including replacing Stanley Clarke in Return To Forever in
1978, but eventually he began to tire of the hustle of being a musician for
hire and decided to hang up his bass to pursur a successful career as a
photographer. But not before recording his lone solo album.
"Soft Focus" was recorded in Weesp in Holland with Joe Henderson (sax), Tom
Grant (piano) and Ron Steen (drums). It was his only recording as leader. It
includes two Laird originals "Now You Know" and "Soft Focus" as well as
tracks by Henderson, Jan Hammer and Cole Porter's "I Love You".
Help!: We need your help to complete this entry. If you can tell us more about this band then please do! We welcome any corrections, missing details, connections to other bands, where are they now, etc. We also need photos, scans, copies of releases or live or demo recordings, and any other memorabilia gathering dust in the attic. If you can help, then please get in touch.