Brent Laidler: Wouldn't Be Here Without You

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 other themes, such as the sunny opener, "Keeping It Simple" (Camelot's "Before I Gaze at You Again"), "A Second Chance" ("The Brotherhood of Man," but based on Horace Silver's "The Preacher") and "Wouldn't Be Here" ("The Best Is Yet to Come"). Laidler is an eloquent soloist, as are trumpeter Mark Buselli, woodwind specialist Ned Boyd and organist Jamie Newman who gets the job done without shattering any windows or deafening any ears. Bassist C Scott Pazera and drummer Richard "Sleepy" Floyd keep splendid time and solo with assurance when their number is called.

Laidler is fond of the bossa nova (what's not to like?) and has written three charmers for this session: "Keeping It Simple," "You Ain't the Bossa Me" and the closing "Pretty Little Bossa," as well as an open-hearted samba, "One More." For variety, there are the amiable "Foo's Blues" and "Walt's Waltz," the last written for Walter Cole, one of Laidler's high school band directors. The easygoing "Sunday Mood" is a contrafact of the jazz tune "Minor Mishap," "City by the Bay" a nod to Laidler's admiration for such film composers as Dmitri Tiomkin and Lalo Schifrin. The album's title song is a more recent composition that uses the changes of Chick Corea's classic "Spain" for the solo choruses and features stalwart drumming by Floyd.

This is a likeable album of straight-ahead contemporary jazz by half a dozen earnest and talented musicians for whom the music is of paramount importance. In other words, a pleasant surprise.