Lars Rainer Rüetschi (born March 24, 1977), professional known as Lars Taylor, is a Swiss fusion guitarist, composer, and producer.[1][2] He has collaborated with many notable musicians and Grammy Award winners, including Donny McCaslin, Mark Soskin, Paul Brown, and Bob Glaub.
Lars Taylor | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Lars Rainer Rüetschi |
| Born | March 24, 1977 Switzerland |
| Genres |
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| Occupations | Fusion guitarist, composer, and producer |
| Instruments |
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| Years active | 1998–present |
| Formerly of | 1. Futurologischer Congress |
Early life
editLars Taylor was born in Switzerland, but spent a portion of his childhood in Brazil, where music such as Bossa Nova influenced him.[3] He played the piano for seven years before discovering the guitar at the age of 14. At the age of 15, Lars bought a 4-track recorder, recording, arranging and producing his own compositions, having already his first professional studio job as a session player for a single recording when he was 17.[4]
Career
editFrom 1998 to 2002, Lars Taylor studied jazz guitar in the Basel Music Academy's[4] jazz faculty with French–Marseiller guitar virtuoso Francis Coletta as his teacher.[4]
In 2005, Taylor moved to Berlin, looking for better opportunities in music. After playing at sessions, he quickly became involved in the scene and toured through Berlin clubs with Nigerian singer Leon Adonri and his band The Peacekeeper & The Purple Egg.[4] In the same year, Taylor returned for a few weeks to Switzerland to co-write and record for the Lindale Project, playing with Grammy-nominated American saxophone player Donny McCaslin and Mark Soskin.[4]
In 2006, Taylor was cast for the German pop band Thalaya.[5] After being discovered in 2008 by the Angolan rapper Diamondog, he became part of his band playing in legendary places and festivals like Kunsthaus Tacheles, Fête de la Musique and old DDR place Kaffee Burger.[6]
In 2009 Taylor was also a session guitar player for the New German Wave band 1. Futurologischer Congress, contributed tracks for the album Küssmichdoch from German pop singer Christin Henkel[7] and played with her group at Fritz Nacht der Talente 2008.[8] They were nominated for the German Rock & Pop Award 2007.[1]
In 2009, he spent a few months in Bucharest, Romania. Returning to Switzerland afterward, with his wife Gabriela. In 2018, he collaborated with 2-time Grammy Award producer Paul Brown.[4]
In 2019, Taylor released his first solo single Sweet Onion, Which entered the Top 40 in the Smooth Jazz Charts.[9]
In 2020, Taylor released Keep It Going (with Paul Brown as a producer and the mixing of Bob Glaub on bass). During that same year, he released Dance Forever (Charles Berthoud on bass; produced and mixed by Ken Navarro).[10] In 2021 he released Smile.[1]
In 2022, Taylor released a new single called Blue Sphere, which received over 50,000 streams on Spotify, and spent 26 weeks total on various radio charts. It also made it to the Top 30 on the Groove Jazz Music Chart.[11] In 2022, he also released Flying (To Another Place) and The Waltz.
Taylor was featured in Akustik Gitarre magazine in 2022.[12]
In 2023, he released the singles Electric Night, The Beauty Of Life[11][13] and Carioca.[14]
Discography
editSingles
edit- Sweet Onion (2019)[4][3][15][16]
- Keep It Going (2020)
- Dance Forever (2020)
- Smile (2021)
- Blue Sphere (2022)[17]
- Flying (To Another Place) (2022)
- The Waltz (2022)
- Electric Night (2023)[11][13]
- Beauty of Life (2023)
- Carioca (2023)[14]
Albums
edit- Poetry in Motion ( Cinematic Solo Works) (2022)
References
edit- ^ a b c "Lars Taylor 'Smile' – LISTEN". November 9, 2021.
- ^ "Jazzige Gitarrenklänge, made in Gontenschwil" (PDF). Domfeftil: 28–29. April 2021.
- ^ a b "First Listen: Lars Taylor peels that "Sweet Onion"". SoulTracks - Soul Music Biographies, News and Reviews. 2019-10-10. Retrieved 2023-08-17.
- ^ a b c d e f g Hart, Steve (November 30, 2020). "Lars Taylor talks about his career and new single Sweet Onion". justjazz.world.
- ^ "Lars Taylor Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More". AllMusic.
- ^ "First Listen: Lars Taylor peels that "Sweet Onion"". SoulTracks - Soul Music Biographies, News and Reviews. October 10, 2019.
- ^ Widran, Jonathan (May 27, 2019). "LARS TAYLOR, "Sweet Onion"". Music Reviews - JWV.
- ^ "RadioWaveMonitor.com - SMOOTH JAZZ 100 | RadioWave Monitor Charts". www.radiowavemonitor.com.
- ^ "New Music: Lars Taylor". sjnetwork. 2019-08-18. Retrieved 2023-08-17.
- ^ Track, Inside. "Keep It Going".
- ^ a b c "LARS TAYLOR, "Electric Night"". Music Reviews - JWV. 2023-01-24. Retrieved 2023-08-17.
- ^ "Smooth Guitar". Akustik Gitarre. December 2022. p. 30. Retrieved 2023-11-26.
- ^ a b Hart, Steve (2023-03-17). "Lars Taylor's Electric Night delivers a positive vibe". Just Jazz. Retrieved 2023-08-17.
- ^ a b Hart, Steve (2023-10-10). "Carioca – the sound of happiness from Switzerland". Just Jazz. Retrieved 2023-11-26.
- ^ "Meine Musik sucht einen neuen Weg zum Publikum". Wynentaler Blatt (in German). Retrieved 2023-08-17.
- ^ "Lars Taylor – Sweet Onion (Music Video)". Billboard Sound. Retrieved 2023-08-17.
- ^ "NEWS 2023 : LARS TAYLOR SPENDS AN 'ELECTRIC NIGHT'". cultuurmania.com. 2023.