Home » Jazz Musicians » Richard "Sleepy" Floyd
Richard "Sleepy" Floyd
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 ...
Continue ReadingBrent Laidler: Hidden Gems
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 ...
Continue ReadingCamilo Valencia, Richard Bravo And Alex Sino Achieved Double Victory At The 24th Annual Latin Grammy Awards With 'Made In Miami'
Source:
Dr. Alex Sino
In a remarkable achievement at 24th Annual Latin GRAMMY Awards in Sevilla, the critically acclaimed album Camilo Valencia, Richard Bravo—Made In Miami produced by Camilo Valencia, Richard Bravo and Alex Sino secured two Latin Grammy Awards: Best Instrumental Album and Best Arrangement for “Songo Bop" featuring Milton Salcedo. This double win underscores the exceptional artistry and innovation encapsulated in"Made In Miami." The album, a vibrant celebration of Miami's musical diversity, seamlessly blends genres such as pop, jazz, funk, R&B, BeBop, ...
read more
Jazz Musician of the Day: Richard "Groove" Holmes
Source:
Michael Ricci
All About Jazz is celebrating Richard “Groove" Holmes' birthday today!
Richard Arnold “Groove" Holmes, Born Richard Arnold Jackson (Camden, New Jersey) was a jazz organist who performed in the hard bop and soul jazz genre. He is best known for his 1965 recording of “Misty," and is considered a precursor of acid jazz. Holmes burst onto the music scene in the early 1960s (his first album, on Pacific Jazz with guest Ben Webster was recorded in March 1961). An African-American, ...
read more
Richard X Bennett & Matt Parker Bring Their All-Encompassing Musical Visions Together With 'Parker Plays X,' Set For Release May 5 By BYNK Records
Source:
Terri Hinte Publicity
Friends and collaborators Richard X Bennett and Matt Parker heighten their creative relationship with the May 5 release of their album Parker Plays X on BYNK Records (Because You Never Know). The record finds pianist-composer Bennett and saxophonist Parker co-leading a session for the first time as they—along with bassist Adam Armstrong and drummer Julian Edmond—explore a dozen Bennett compositions that range from straight-ahead bebop to avant-garde freakouts to classic jump blues, among other styles. Both musicians embrace this kind ...
read more
Backgrounder: Shorty Rogers Plays Richard Rodgers
Source:
JazzWax by Marc Myers
With spring less than a week away, it's time for upbeat West Coast jazz. The last time I posted on Shorty Rogers was over the holidays when I highlighted The Swingin' Nutcracker. Before that, I featured Chances Are It Swings as a Backgrounder. This week, it's the finger-snapping Shorty Rogers Plays Richard Rodgers, as suggested by Todd Selbert. Recorded in the winter of 1957 between January and April, the album for RCA is a swinger loaded with top West Coast ...
read more
Marcus Rezak & PR Productions Assemble An All-Star Lineup Ft. Members Of The Doors, Frank Zappa, Pink Floyd, The Motet & More For Friendsgiving Show At Troubadour In West Hollywood
Source:
Michael Ricci
On Friday, November 25th, virtuosic guitarist Marcus Rezak will perform a special Friendsgiving show with an all-star lineup at the legendary Troubadour in West Hollywood, California. Presented by PR Productions, the three-set performance will feature Felix Pastorius (Hipster Assassins), Dave Watts (The Motet), Wally Ingram (Bob Weir/Phil Lesh), Adam MacDougall (Circles Around the Sun), Ben “Smiley” Silverstein (The Main Squeeze) with special appearances by Robby Krieger (The Doors), Ike Willis (Frank Zappa), Arthur Barrow (Frank Zappa), Scott Page (Pink Floyd), ...
read more
Jazz Musician of the Day: Muhal Richard Abrams
Source:
Michael Ricci
All About Jazz is celebrating Muhal Richard Abrams' birthday today!
Muhal Richard Abrams..... World renowned pianist and composer has been in the forefront of the contemporary music scene for well over forty years. Muhal is a co-founder of The Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM), founder of The AACM School of Music and President of The Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians, New York City Chapter. Muhal was the first recipient of the grand international jazz award, ...
read more
Maripat Davis And Richard Osborn Are Proud To Announce The Release Of The Duet Recording, 'Here's To Love'
Source:
Lampkin Publicity Service
Here's To Love is a collection of material from the worlds of Pop, Musical Theater, R&B, Country, and the Great American Songbook. Selections include “Old Devil Moon" and “This Could Be the Start of Something Big,” to the country flavored version of “Son of A Preacher Man" and the fun duet “I Wish I Were In Love Again/I'll Never Fall in Love Again," to the cool new arrangement of the R&B song “All of Me." “Here's To Love" features solos ...
read more
Jazz Musician of the Day: Richard "Groove" Holmes
Source:
Michael Ricci
All About Jazz is celebrating Richard “Groove" Holmes' birthday today!
Richard Arnold “Groove" Holmes, Born Richard Arnold Jackson (Camden, New Jersey) was a jazz organist who performed in the hard bop and soul jazz genre. He is best known for his 1965 recording of “Misty," and is considered a precursor of acid jazz. Holmes burst onto the music scene in the early 1960s (his first album, on Pacific Jazz with guest Ben Webster was recorded in March 1961). An African-American, ...
read more
Jazz Musician of the Day: Muhal Richard Abrams
Source:
Michael Ricci
All About Jazz is celebrating Muhal Richard Abrams' birthday today!
Muhal Richard Abrams..... World renowned pianist and composer has been in the forefront of the contemporary music scene for well over forty years. Muhal is a co-founder of The Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM), founder of The AACM School of Music and President of The Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians, New York City Chapter. Muhal was the first recipient of the grand international jazz award, ...
read more
Jazz Musician of the Day: Richard "Groove" Holmes
Source:
Michael Ricci
All About Jazz is celebrating Richard “Groove" Holmes' birthday today!
Richard Arnold “Groove" Holmes, Born Richard Arnold Jackson (Camden, New Jersey) was a jazz organist who performed in the hard bop and soul jazz genre. He is best known for his 1965 recording of “Misty," and is considered a precursor of acid jazz. Holmes burst onto the music scene in the early 1960s (his first album, on Pacific Jazz with guest Ben Webster was recorded in March 1961). An African-American, ...
read more
