10184 - SANTANA AND MCLAUGHLIN LIVE AT MONTREUX 2011: INVITATION TO ILLUMINATION, DISC TWO (2015)
SANTANA & MCLAUGHLIN
''LIVE AT MONTREUX 2011: INVITATION TO ILLUMINATION, DISC TWO''
RECORDED LIVE ON JULY 1 2011, AT THE AUDITORIUM STRAVINSKI, MONTREUX JAZZ FESTIVAL, SWITZERLAND
SEPTEMBER 11 2015
135:04
DISC ONE (67:56)
1 Echoes Of Angels; Introductions 06:26
Keyboards – David K. Mathews
Voice – Claude Nobs
2 The Life Divine 05:52
Backing Vocals – Andy Vargas, Tony Lindsay
Bass Guitar – Benny Rietveld
Bongos – Raul Rekow
Drums – Cindy Blackman, Dennis Chambers
Keyboards – David K. Mathews
Lead Guitar – Carlos Santana, John McLaughlin
Rhythm Guitar – Tommy Anthony
3 Peace On Earth; A Hard Rain's A-Gonnna Fall; Stairway To Heaven; Lords Prayer; SOCC (Medley) 08:59
Bass Guitar – Etienne Mbappe
Drums – Dennis Chambers
Keyboards – David K. Mathews
Lead Guitar – Carlos Santana, John McLaughlin
Rhythm Guitar – Tommy Anthony
4 Right Off Voodoo Child (Slight Return); Guitar Interlude; Right Off (Medley) 10:51
Bass Guitar – Etienne Mbappe
Drums – Dennis Chambers
Keyboards – David K. Mathews
Lead Guitar – Carlos Santana, John McLaughlin
Rhythm Guitar – Tommy Anthony
5 Vuelta Abajo 06:44
Bass Guitar – Benny Rietveld
Drums – Cindy Blackman
Keyboards – David K. Mathews
Lead Guitar – John McLaughlin
6 Vashkar 06:56
Bass Guitar – Benny Rietveld
Drums – Cindy Blackman
Keyboards – David K. Mathews
Lead Guitar – John McLaughlin
7 The Creator Has A Master Plan; Guitar Interlude (Medley) 11:59
Backing Vocals – Andy Vargas, John McLaughlin
Bass Guitar – Etienne Mbappe
Bongos, Congas – Raul Rekow
Drums – Cindy Blackman, Dennis Chambers
Keyboards – David K. Mathews
Lead Guitar – Carlos Santana, John McLaughlin
Lead Vocals – Tony Lindsay
Rhythm Guitar – Tommy Anthony
8 Naima 04:37
Acoustic Guitar – John McLaughlin
Semi-Acoustic Guitar – Carlos Santana
9 Lotus Land Op 47, No. 1; Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood (Medley) 05:30
Acoustic Guitar – John McLaughlin
Semi-Acoustic Guitar – Carlos Santana
DISC TWO (67:08)
1 Downstairs Blues 07:11
Bass Guitar – Etienne Mbappe
Drums – Cindy Blackman
Keyboards – David K. Mathews
Lead Guitar – Carlos Santana, John McLaughlin
2 Venus; Upper Egypt 10:07
Bass Guitar – Etienne Mbappe
Drums – Cindy Blackman, Dennis Chambers
Keyboards – David K. Mathews
Lead Guitar – Carlos Santana, John McLaughlin
3 Let Us Go Into The House Of The Lord 12:56
Bass Guitar – Etienne Mbappe
Congas – Raul Rekow
Drums – Cindy Blackman, Dennis Chambers
Keyboards – David K. Mathews
Lead Guitar – Carlos Santana, John McLaughlin
Rhythm Guitar – Tommy Anthony
4 Black Satin; Smooth Criminal; Black Satin; Land Of 1000 Dances (Medley) 09:29
Bass Guitar – Etienne Mbappe
Bongos – Raul Rekow
Drums – Cindy Blackman, Dennis Chambers
Keyboards – David K. Mathews
Lead Guitar – Carlos Santana, John McLaughlin
5 Cindy Blackman (Santana Drum Solo) 02:28
Drums - Cindy Blackman
6 A Love Supreme 09:46
Backing Vocals – Andy Vargas, Carlos Santana, John McLaughlin, Tony Lindsay
Bass Guitar – Etienne Mbappe
Congas – Raul Rekow
Drums – Cindy Blackman, Dennis Chambers
Keyboards – David K. Mathews
Lead Guitar – Carlos Santana, John McLaughlin
7 Shake It Up And Go 15:08
Bass Guitar – Etienne Mbappe
Drums – Cindy Blackman, Dennis Chambers
Harmonica – Claude Nobs
Keyboards – David K. Mathews
Lead Guitar – Carlos Santana, John McLaughlin
Lead Vocals – Andy Vargas
Rhythm Guitar – Tommy Anthony
**********
BIOGRAPHY/AMG (SANTANA)
William Ruhlmann
Mexican-born American guitarist Carlos Santana is best known as the leader of the band that bears his last name, which has toured and recorded successfully since the late '60s. He has also recorded a series of exploratory solo albums and collaborations with other musicians that expand upon his basic musical style.
Carlos Santana grew up in Mexico, the son of a father who was a mariachi violinist. He took up the violin at five, but at eight switched to the guitar. The family moved to Tijuana, where he began playing in clubs and bars. In the early '60s, the family moved to San Francisco. Santana at first remained in Tijuana, but he later joined them and attended Mission High School, graduating in June 1965. In 1966, he was one of the founders of the Santana Blues Band. Despite the name, the group was at first a collective; it was required to name a nominal leader due to a provision of the musicians union. The name was eventually shortened to Santana and the band debuted at the Fillmore West theater in San Francisco on June 16, 1968. That September, Carlos played guitar at a concert held at the Fillmore West by Al Kooper to record a follow-up to the Super Session album that had featured him with Mike Bloomfield and Steve Stills. The result was The Live Adventures of Mike Bloomfield and Al Kooper, which marked Santana's recording debut.
Meanwhile, Santana was signed to Columbia Records and recorded a self-titled debut album. At this point, the group was a sextet consisting of Carlos (guitar), Gregg Rolie (keyboards and vocals), David Brown (bass), Michael Shrieve (drums), Jose "Chepito" Areas (percussion), and Michael Carabello (percussion). Santana toured the U.S. prior to the release of the album, including a notable appearance at the celebrated Woodstock festival in August 1969 that was filmed and recorded. Santana was released the same month, and it became a massive hit, as did its follow-ups Abraxas (1970) and Santana III (1971). After completing recording and touring activities in connection with Santana III, the original Santana band broke up.
Carlos retained rights to the group's name and he proceeded to lead a band called Santana from then on, though it consisted of himself and a constantly changing collection of hired musicians. His first recording after the breakup of the original group was a live show performed in Hawaii with singer and drummer Buddy Miles, released in June 1972 as Carlos Santana & Buddy Miles! Live! Consistent with the success of the Santana band, the album reached the Top Ten and eventually went platinum. Following the release of the Santana band album Caravanserai (1972), Carlos formed a duo with John McLaughlin, guitarist for the Mahavishnu Orchestra. The two shared a spiritual leader in guru Sri Chinmoy, who bestowed upon Carlos the name Devadip, meaning "the eye, the lamp, and the light of God." Devadip Carlos Santana and Mahavishnu John McLaughlin's duo album Love Devotion Surrender was released in June 1973. It reached the Top 20 and eventually went gold. After releasing another Santana band project, Welcome, Carlos next teamed up with another religious disciple, Turiya Alice Coltrane, widow of John Coltrane, for a third duo album. Their collaboration, Illuminations, was released in September 1974; it spent two months in the charts, peaking in the bottom quarter of the Top 100.
Carlos focused on the Santana band for most of the rest of the 1970s, releasing a series of gold or platinum albums: Borboletta (1974), Amigos (1975), Festival (1976), Moonflower (1977), and Inner Secrets (1978). In February 1979, he finally released his first real solo album, the half-live, half-studio Oneness/Silver Dreams -- Golden Reality, actually credited to Devadip. Like Illuminations, it spent a couple of months in the charts and peaked in the bottom quarter of the Top 100. After another gold Santana band album, Marathon (1979), he returned to solo work with the double-LP jazz collection The Swing of Delight in August 1980. Featuring such guests as Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, and Ron Carter, it sold a little better than his previous solo album. Two more Santana band albums, Zebop! (1981) and Shango (1982), followed before Carlos released a more pop-oriented solo effort, Havana Moon, in April 1983. Featuring Willie Nelson, Booker T. Jones, and the Fabulous Thunderbirds, the album reached the Top 40, actually a better showing than the next Santana band album, Beyond Appearances (1985). In 1986, Carlos undertook his first musical score, writing music for the Ritchie Valens film biography La Bamba. He then made another Santana band album, Freedom (1987), and followed it in October 1987 with a solo album, Blues for Salvador. The album did not sell well, but the title track won Carlos his first Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance. After a final Santana band album for Columbia Records, Spirits Dancing in the Flesh (1990), Carlos left the label and signed to Polydor, which gave him his own custom label, Guts and Grace. The first Santana band album for the new company, Milagro, was followed by what was projected to be a series of releases of tapes from Carlos' own collection of his favorite musicians, Live Forever: Sacred Sources 1, featuring Jimi Hendrix, Marvin Gaye, Bob Marley, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and John Coltrane. Then came a Santana band live album (Sacred Fire - Live in South America, 1993) and in September 1994, Carlos released Santana Brothers, a trio album also featuring his brother Jorge Santana and their nephew, Carlos Hernandez. It charted briefly and was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance.
Carlos spent almost five years away from recording, not returning until June 1999 when he issued Supernatural on Arista Records. The Santana band album featured many tracks co-written by guest stars such as Rob Thomas of matchbox 20, Eric Clapton, Lauryn Hill, and others. Paced by the number one singles "Smooth" and "Maria Maria," the album became the biggest hit of Santana's career, selling upwards of ten million copies. It also won Santana eight Grammy Awards.
**********
BIOGRAPHY/AMG (JOHN MCLAUGHLIN)
Steve Huey
One of fusion's most virtuosic guitar soloists, John McLaughlin placed his blazing speed in the service of a searching spiritual passion that has kept his music evolving and open to new influences. Whether shredding on electric or simmering quietly on acoustic, McLaughlin's intensity and underappreciated versatility have nearly always kept his playing vital, and his best moments -- whether as a solo artist or bandmember -- represent some of fusion's greatest recordings.
McLaughlin was born January 4, 1942, in Yorkshire, England, and began playing guitar at age 11. Initially attracted to blues and swing, he worked with British artists like Georgie Fame, Graham Bond, Brian Auger, and Ginger Baker. McLaughlin formed his own band in 1968, and recorded the excellent debut Extrapolation in early 1969. Later that year he moved to New York to join Tony Williams' groundbreaking fusion band Lifetime, and appeared on the classic Emergency! Through Williams, McLaughlin was invited to join Miles Davis' band, and became an important part of fusion landmarks like In a Silent Way, Bitches Brew, and A Tribute to Jack Johnson. In 1970, wanting to explore acoustic and Eastern music, McLaughlin recorded the classic My Goal's Beyond; he soon left Davis, and after one further solo album, Devotion, McLaughlin spent some time woodshedding.
He re-emerged in 1971 as leader of the Mahavishnu Orchestra, a seminal band that did much to define and popularize early jazz-rock fusion, as evidenced by the albums The Inner Mounting Flame, Birds of Fire, and Visions of the Emerald Beyond. Pausing to record Love Devotion Surrender with Carlos Santana in 1972, McLaughlin led Mahavishnu until 1975. Returning to spiritual preoccupations on My Goal's Beyond, he then formed Shakti, which fused acoustic jazz with Indian music over the course of three albums. McLaughlin returned to his solo career in the late '70s, forming a backing outfit called the One Truth Band, and also recording the guitar trio albums Friday Night in San Francisco and Passion, Grace & Fire with fellow fusion burner Al di Meola and flamenco guitarist Paco de Lucia. As the '80s went along, McLaughlin experimented with classical-jazz hybrid composing; there was also a short-lived Mahavishnu reunion in the mid-'80s.
In the 1990s McLaughlin continued to record steadily in both electric and acoustic groups. He signed to Verve, where he would remain for 13 years. Some of the more notable albums from that period include the acoustic Time Remembered: John McLaughlin Plays Bill Evans in 1993; After the Rain with Elvin Jones and Joey DeFrancesco in 1995; and 1996's The Promise, which featured the guitarist in a number of settings, including a reunion with his acoustic trio partners di Meola and de Lucia, and a trio with DeFrancesco and drummer Dennis Chambers. The drummer was also a part of McLaughlin's final album of the decade, Heart of Things, a furious bout of electric jazz.
The 21st century found McLaughlin in another nostalgic mood, releasing Remember Shakti: The Believer, a live set featuring the guitarist (playing electric guitar) with electric mandolinist U. Shrinivas, kanjira and ghatam player V. Selvaganesh, and legendary tabla player Zakir Hussain. While it wasn't a Shakti album proper, it nonetheless echoed that group's intricate and amazing rhythmic and harmonic breakthroughs. The group toured and released Saturday Night in Bombay a year later. McLaughlin's Euro-classical-leaning Thieves and Poets appeared in 2003. In 2004, WEA in Germany issued the massive 17-CD box set of McLaughlin's Montreux Concerts, which featured performances recorded between 1974 and 1996. Industrial Zen, released in 2006, was a mixed-bag recording where the guitarist's ambitions ran wild. It was his final album for Verve.
In 2008 McLaughlin issued Floating Point, an extension of many of the concepts on Industrial Zen, on the Abstract Logix imprint. The final track on that album was entitled "Five Peace Band"; it served as the name for a supergroup assembled by McLaughlin and Chick Corea for a one-off world tour. The other members were saxophonist Kenny Garrett, drummer Vinnie Colaiuta, and bassist Christian McBride; an album of the same name was released in 2009 on Concord. To the One, a studio album with his 4th Dimension band, was released on Abstract Logix in the spring of 2010. McLaughlin resurfaced two years later with Now Here This, featuring new 4th Dimension drummer, Ranjit Barot.
TO THE TOP
**********
''LIVE AT MONTREUX 2011: INVITATION TO ILLUMINATION, DISC TWO''
RECORDED LIVE ON JULY 1 2011, AT THE AUDITORIUM STRAVINSKI, MONTREUX JAZZ FESTIVAL, SWITZERLAND
SEPTEMBER 11 2015
135:04
DISC ONE (67:56)
1 Echoes Of Angels; Introductions 06:26
Keyboards – David K. Mathews
Voice – Claude Nobs
2 The Life Divine 05:52
Backing Vocals – Andy Vargas, Tony Lindsay
Bass Guitar – Benny Rietveld
Bongos – Raul Rekow
Drums – Cindy Blackman, Dennis Chambers
Keyboards – David K. Mathews
Lead Guitar – Carlos Santana, John McLaughlin
Rhythm Guitar – Tommy Anthony
3 Peace On Earth; A Hard Rain's A-Gonnna Fall; Stairway To Heaven; Lords Prayer; SOCC (Medley) 08:59
Bass Guitar – Etienne Mbappe
Drums – Dennis Chambers
Keyboards – David K. Mathews
Lead Guitar – Carlos Santana, John McLaughlin
Rhythm Guitar – Tommy Anthony
4 Right Off Voodoo Child (Slight Return); Guitar Interlude; Right Off (Medley) 10:51
Bass Guitar – Etienne Mbappe
Drums – Dennis Chambers
Keyboards – David K. Mathews
Lead Guitar – Carlos Santana, John McLaughlin
Rhythm Guitar – Tommy Anthony
5 Vuelta Abajo 06:44
Bass Guitar – Benny Rietveld
Drums – Cindy Blackman
Keyboards – David K. Mathews
Lead Guitar – John McLaughlin
6 Vashkar 06:56
Bass Guitar – Benny Rietveld
Drums – Cindy Blackman
Keyboards – David K. Mathews
Lead Guitar – John McLaughlin
7 The Creator Has A Master Plan; Guitar Interlude (Medley) 11:59
Backing Vocals – Andy Vargas, John McLaughlin
Bass Guitar – Etienne Mbappe
Bongos, Congas – Raul Rekow
Drums – Cindy Blackman, Dennis Chambers
Keyboards – David K. Mathews
Lead Guitar – Carlos Santana, John McLaughlin
Lead Vocals – Tony Lindsay
Rhythm Guitar – Tommy Anthony
8 Naima 04:37
Acoustic Guitar – John McLaughlin
Semi-Acoustic Guitar – Carlos Santana
9 Lotus Land Op 47, No. 1; Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood (Medley) 05:30
Acoustic Guitar – John McLaughlin
Semi-Acoustic Guitar – Carlos Santana
DISC TWO (67:08)
1 Downstairs Blues 07:11
Bass Guitar – Etienne Mbappe
Drums – Cindy Blackman
Keyboards – David K. Mathews
Lead Guitar – Carlos Santana, John McLaughlin
2 Venus; Upper Egypt 10:07
Bass Guitar – Etienne Mbappe
Drums – Cindy Blackman, Dennis Chambers
Keyboards – David K. Mathews
Lead Guitar – Carlos Santana, John McLaughlin
3 Let Us Go Into The House Of The Lord 12:56
Bass Guitar – Etienne Mbappe
Congas – Raul Rekow
Drums – Cindy Blackman, Dennis Chambers
Keyboards – David K. Mathews
Lead Guitar – Carlos Santana, John McLaughlin
Rhythm Guitar – Tommy Anthony
4 Black Satin; Smooth Criminal; Black Satin; Land Of 1000 Dances (Medley) 09:29
Bass Guitar – Etienne Mbappe
Bongos – Raul Rekow
Drums – Cindy Blackman, Dennis Chambers
Keyboards – David K. Mathews
Lead Guitar – Carlos Santana, John McLaughlin
5 Cindy Blackman (Santana Drum Solo) 02:28
Drums - Cindy Blackman
6 A Love Supreme 09:46
Backing Vocals – Andy Vargas, Carlos Santana, John McLaughlin, Tony Lindsay
Bass Guitar – Etienne Mbappe
Congas – Raul Rekow
Drums – Cindy Blackman, Dennis Chambers
Keyboards – David K. Mathews
Lead Guitar – Carlos Santana, John McLaughlin
7 Shake It Up And Go 15:08
Bass Guitar – Etienne Mbappe
Drums – Cindy Blackman, Dennis Chambers
Harmonica – Claude Nobs
Keyboards – David K. Mathews
Lead Guitar – Carlos Santana, John McLaughlin
Lead Vocals – Andy Vargas
Rhythm Guitar – Tommy Anthony
**********
BIOGRAPHY/AMG (SANTANA)
William Ruhlmann
Mexican-born American guitarist Carlos Santana is best known as the leader of the band that bears his last name, which has toured and recorded successfully since the late '60s. He has also recorded a series of exploratory solo albums and collaborations with other musicians that expand upon his basic musical style.
Carlos Santana grew up in Mexico, the son of a father who was a mariachi violinist. He took up the violin at five, but at eight switched to the guitar. The family moved to Tijuana, where he began playing in clubs and bars. In the early '60s, the family moved to San Francisco. Santana at first remained in Tijuana, but he later joined them and attended Mission High School, graduating in June 1965. In 1966, he was one of the founders of the Santana Blues Band. Despite the name, the group was at first a collective; it was required to name a nominal leader due to a provision of the musicians union. The name was eventually shortened to Santana and the band debuted at the Fillmore West theater in San Francisco on June 16, 1968. That September, Carlos played guitar at a concert held at the Fillmore West by Al Kooper to record a follow-up to the Super Session album that had featured him with Mike Bloomfield and Steve Stills. The result was The Live Adventures of Mike Bloomfield and Al Kooper, which marked Santana's recording debut.
Meanwhile, Santana was signed to Columbia Records and recorded a self-titled debut album. At this point, the group was a sextet consisting of Carlos (guitar), Gregg Rolie (keyboards and vocals), David Brown (bass), Michael Shrieve (drums), Jose "Chepito" Areas (percussion), and Michael Carabello (percussion). Santana toured the U.S. prior to the release of the album, including a notable appearance at the celebrated Woodstock festival in August 1969 that was filmed and recorded. Santana was released the same month, and it became a massive hit, as did its follow-ups Abraxas (1970) and Santana III (1971). After completing recording and touring activities in connection with Santana III, the original Santana band broke up.
Carlos retained rights to the group's name and he proceeded to lead a band called Santana from then on, though it consisted of himself and a constantly changing collection of hired musicians. His first recording after the breakup of the original group was a live show performed in Hawaii with singer and drummer Buddy Miles, released in June 1972 as Carlos Santana & Buddy Miles! Live! Consistent with the success of the Santana band, the album reached the Top Ten and eventually went platinum. Following the release of the Santana band album Caravanserai (1972), Carlos formed a duo with John McLaughlin, guitarist for the Mahavishnu Orchestra. The two shared a spiritual leader in guru Sri Chinmoy, who bestowed upon Carlos the name Devadip, meaning "the eye, the lamp, and the light of God." Devadip Carlos Santana and Mahavishnu John McLaughlin's duo album Love Devotion Surrender was released in June 1973. It reached the Top 20 and eventually went gold. After releasing another Santana band project, Welcome, Carlos next teamed up with another religious disciple, Turiya Alice Coltrane, widow of John Coltrane, for a third duo album. Their collaboration, Illuminations, was released in September 1974; it spent two months in the charts, peaking in the bottom quarter of the Top 100.
Carlos focused on the Santana band for most of the rest of the 1970s, releasing a series of gold or platinum albums: Borboletta (1974), Amigos (1975), Festival (1976), Moonflower (1977), and Inner Secrets (1978). In February 1979, he finally released his first real solo album, the half-live, half-studio Oneness/Silver Dreams -- Golden Reality, actually credited to Devadip. Like Illuminations, it spent a couple of months in the charts and peaked in the bottom quarter of the Top 100. After another gold Santana band album, Marathon (1979), he returned to solo work with the double-LP jazz collection The Swing of Delight in August 1980. Featuring such guests as Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, and Ron Carter, it sold a little better than his previous solo album. Two more Santana band albums, Zebop! (1981) and Shango (1982), followed before Carlos released a more pop-oriented solo effort, Havana Moon, in April 1983. Featuring Willie Nelson, Booker T. Jones, and the Fabulous Thunderbirds, the album reached the Top 40, actually a better showing than the next Santana band album, Beyond Appearances (1985). In 1986, Carlos undertook his first musical score, writing music for the Ritchie Valens film biography La Bamba. He then made another Santana band album, Freedom (1987), and followed it in October 1987 with a solo album, Blues for Salvador. The album did not sell well, but the title track won Carlos his first Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance. After a final Santana band album for Columbia Records, Spirits Dancing in the Flesh (1990), Carlos left the label and signed to Polydor, which gave him his own custom label, Guts and Grace. The first Santana band album for the new company, Milagro, was followed by what was projected to be a series of releases of tapes from Carlos' own collection of his favorite musicians, Live Forever: Sacred Sources 1, featuring Jimi Hendrix, Marvin Gaye, Bob Marley, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and John Coltrane. Then came a Santana band live album (Sacred Fire - Live in South America, 1993) and in September 1994, Carlos released Santana Brothers, a trio album also featuring his brother Jorge Santana and their nephew, Carlos Hernandez. It charted briefly and was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance.
Carlos spent almost five years away from recording, not returning until June 1999 when he issued Supernatural on Arista Records. The Santana band album featured many tracks co-written by guest stars such as Rob Thomas of matchbox 20, Eric Clapton, Lauryn Hill, and others. Paced by the number one singles "Smooth" and "Maria Maria," the album became the biggest hit of Santana's career, selling upwards of ten million copies. It also won Santana eight Grammy Awards.
**********
BIOGRAPHY/AMG (JOHN MCLAUGHLIN)
Steve Huey
One of fusion's most virtuosic guitar soloists, John McLaughlin placed his blazing speed in the service of a searching spiritual passion that has kept his music evolving and open to new influences. Whether shredding on electric or simmering quietly on acoustic, McLaughlin's intensity and underappreciated versatility have nearly always kept his playing vital, and his best moments -- whether as a solo artist or bandmember -- represent some of fusion's greatest recordings.
McLaughlin was born January 4, 1942, in Yorkshire, England, and began playing guitar at age 11. Initially attracted to blues and swing, he worked with British artists like Georgie Fame, Graham Bond, Brian Auger, and Ginger Baker. McLaughlin formed his own band in 1968, and recorded the excellent debut Extrapolation in early 1969. Later that year he moved to New York to join Tony Williams' groundbreaking fusion band Lifetime, and appeared on the classic Emergency! Through Williams, McLaughlin was invited to join Miles Davis' band, and became an important part of fusion landmarks like In a Silent Way, Bitches Brew, and A Tribute to Jack Johnson. In 1970, wanting to explore acoustic and Eastern music, McLaughlin recorded the classic My Goal's Beyond; he soon left Davis, and after one further solo album, Devotion, McLaughlin spent some time woodshedding.
He re-emerged in 1971 as leader of the Mahavishnu Orchestra, a seminal band that did much to define and popularize early jazz-rock fusion, as evidenced by the albums The Inner Mounting Flame, Birds of Fire, and Visions of the Emerald Beyond. Pausing to record Love Devotion Surrender with Carlos Santana in 1972, McLaughlin led Mahavishnu until 1975. Returning to spiritual preoccupations on My Goal's Beyond, he then formed Shakti, which fused acoustic jazz with Indian music over the course of three albums. McLaughlin returned to his solo career in the late '70s, forming a backing outfit called the One Truth Band, and also recording the guitar trio albums Friday Night in San Francisco and Passion, Grace & Fire with fellow fusion burner Al di Meola and flamenco guitarist Paco de Lucia. As the '80s went along, McLaughlin experimented with classical-jazz hybrid composing; there was also a short-lived Mahavishnu reunion in the mid-'80s.
In the 1990s McLaughlin continued to record steadily in both electric and acoustic groups. He signed to Verve, where he would remain for 13 years. Some of the more notable albums from that period include the acoustic Time Remembered: John McLaughlin Plays Bill Evans in 1993; After the Rain with Elvin Jones and Joey DeFrancesco in 1995; and 1996's The Promise, which featured the guitarist in a number of settings, including a reunion with his acoustic trio partners di Meola and de Lucia, and a trio with DeFrancesco and drummer Dennis Chambers. The drummer was also a part of McLaughlin's final album of the decade, Heart of Things, a furious bout of electric jazz.
The 21st century found McLaughlin in another nostalgic mood, releasing Remember Shakti: The Believer, a live set featuring the guitarist (playing electric guitar) with electric mandolinist U. Shrinivas, kanjira and ghatam player V. Selvaganesh, and legendary tabla player Zakir Hussain. While it wasn't a Shakti album proper, it nonetheless echoed that group's intricate and amazing rhythmic and harmonic breakthroughs. The group toured and released Saturday Night in Bombay a year later. McLaughlin's Euro-classical-leaning Thieves and Poets appeared in 2003. In 2004, WEA in Germany issued the massive 17-CD box set of McLaughlin's Montreux Concerts, which featured performances recorded between 1974 and 1996. Industrial Zen, released in 2006, was a mixed-bag recording where the guitarist's ambitions ran wild. It was his final album for Verve.
In 2008 McLaughlin issued Floating Point, an extension of many of the concepts on Industrial Zen, on the Abstract Logix imprint. The final track on that album was entitled "Five Peace Band"; it served as the name for a supergroup assembled by McLaughlin and Chick Corea for a one-off world tour. The other members were saxophonist Kenny Garrett, drummer Vinnie Colaiuta, and bassist Christian McBride; an album of the same name was released in 2009 on Concord. To the One, a studio album with his 4th Dimension band, was released on Abstract Logix in the spring of 2010. McLaughlin resurfaced two years later with Now Here This, featuring new 4th Dimension drummer, Ranjit Barot.
TO THE TOP
**********