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Brent Laidler: Hidden Gems
by Jack Bowers
The Hidden Gems alluded to by guitarist Brent Laidler on his third recording as leader comprise unique and seductive melodies and chord changes he uncovered while taking time during the Covid pandemic to skim through and sight-read some 14,000 tunes in 'fake books' and on his laptop computer, most of which never made it past that platform, even though many were written by well-known jazz artists. In his sortie, Laidler writes that he “began to come across ...
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by Patrick Burnette
Guitarist Brent Laidler has released mainstream jazz albums infused with a cheerful attitude throughout his career. They tend to feature all original tunes, but unlike most jazz releases featuring (cursed with?) the All-Original Syndrome, his tunes are catchy, accessible, and sometimes even mood-enhancing. Given that hundreds--if not thousands--of small group jazz albums are released each year, it can be challenging to find a distinctive feature to hang onto when confronted with a new one. Laidler is canny enough to realize ...
Continue ReadingBrent Laidler: Wouldn't Be Here Without You
by Richard J Salvucci
Stan Getz once said of the best bossa players that they could swing hard without appearing to try. It is also obvious that one of the few good things to come out of the Covid pandemic has been music intended to calm things down a bit. For example, John Pizzarelli's Better Days Ahead(Ghostlight Records, 2021), but there are others as well. If you take “swing" and “calm" and combine them, you end up with Brent Laidler's enjoyable and melliflous recording. ...
Continue ReadingBrent Laidler: Wouldn't Be Here Without You
by Patrick Burnette
As we slip deeper into the twenty-first century, jazz is a very broad church indeed, an umbrella term referring to dozens of sub-genres and styles. Even with all those tags and labels at our disposal, however, sometimes an album can be a little hard to pigeonhole. Guitarist/arranger/composer Brent Laidler's latest album, Wouldn't Be Here Without You, seems simple enough to categorize at first: it is straight-ahead, small combo mainstream jazz, right? But listen a while and you'll discover that the ...
Continue ReadingBrent Laidler: Wouldn't Be Here Without You
by Jack Bowers
Although mostly unnamed, those honored on Indiana-based guitarist Brent Laidler's Wouldn't Be Here Without You are friends, mentors and fellow musicians who have offered encouragement and support on his spiritual and musical journey through life, several of whom comprise the sextet on Laidler's second album as leader. Besides playing guitar (and repairing them by day), Laidler wrote and arranged all of the album's ten numbers, which are rhythmically strong and melodically pleasing. Some are vaguely reminiscent of ...
Continue ReadingBrent Laidler: No Matter Where Noir
by Patrick Burnette
Some jazz albums are notable solely for the well-known personnel featured. These recordings excite interest based on name recognition alone. Even if albums like this lack a coherent vision, fans are willing to pick them up just to hear their favorite players at work. In contrast, composer/guitarist Brent Laidler's No Matter Where Noir , while featuring top-shelf playing and soloing, focuses on creating a cohesive and entertaining vibe throughout. It's a “sum greater than the parts" album, and ...
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