John McLaughlin (musician)

John McLaughlin (born January 4, 1942), also Mahavishnu John McLaughlin, is a jazz fusion guitar player from Yorkshire in England. He came to prominence with the electric group of Miles Davis in the late 1960s, with other well-known players such as Chick Corea and Tony Williams.

Related Topics:
January 4 - 1942 - Jazz fusion - Guitar - Yorkshire - England - Miles Davis - 1960s - Chick Corea - Tony Williams

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Before moving to the United States, McLaughlin recorded Extrapolation (with Tony Oxley and John Surman) in 1969. The album showed that McLaughlin's trademark power, speed and accuracy (and ability to play in odd metres like 13/8) were his almost from the beginning.

Related Topics:
United States - Tony Oxley - John Surman - 1969 - Metre

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He moved to the United States in 1969 to join Tony Williams's group Lifetime. He subsequently played with Miles Davis on his landmark albums In A Silent Way, Bitches Brew (which has a track named after him), and A Tribute to Jack Johnson.

Related Topics:
1969 - Tony Williams - Bitches Brew

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The Mahavishnu Orchestra, John's 1970s electric band, featured violinist Jerry Goodman (later Jean-Luc Ponty), keyboardist Jan Hammer (later Gayle Moran / Stu Goldberg), bassist Rick Laird (later Ralphe Armstrong), and drummer Billy Cobham (later Narada Michael Walden). The band was respected the world over for their technical virtuosity and complex fusion of jazz, Indian music, and electric jazz rock.

Related Topics:
The Mahavishnu Orchestra - 1970s - Jerry Goodman - Jean-Luc Ponty - Jan Hammer - Rick Laird - Billy Cobham - Narada Michael Walden - Indian music

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After the split of the Mahavishnu Orchestra, McLaughlin worked with the far more low-key, acoustic group Shakti. This group combined Indian music with elements of jazz and thus may be regarded as pioneer of world music. John was one of the first westerners, if not the first, to attain any acclaim performing Indian music for Indian audiences.

Related Topics:
Shakti - Indian - World music

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Along with Carlos Santana, McLaughlin was a follower of the guru Sri Chinmoy, and in 1973 they collaborated on an album of devotional songs, Love, Devotion, Surrender, which included recordings of Coltrane compositions including A Love Supreme.

Related Topics:
Carlos Santana - Guru - Sri Chinmoy - 1973 - Coltrane - A Love Supreme

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He has also worked with the respected jazz composer Carla Bley.

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In the early 1980s he teamed up with flamenco guitarist Paco de Lucía and Al DiMeola as the Guitar Trio, the virtuoso talents of all three musicians equally on display. The Trio re-united in 1996 for a second recording session and a world tour.

Related Topics:
1980s - Flamenco - Paco de Lucía - Al DiMeola - 1996

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His voice was sampled on the song Unfinished Sympathy by Massive Attack, a song that was listed as number 1 in a BBC Radio 1 poll of the best songs of all time.

Related Topics:
Unfinished Sympathy - Massive Attack

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In recent times he has toured with "Remember Shakti". In addition to original Shakti member Zakir Hussain, this group has also featured eminent Indian musicians U. Srinivas, V. Selvaganesh, Shivkumar Sharma, and Hariprasad Chaurasia.

Related Topics:
Zakir Hussain - U. Srinivas - V. Selvaganesh - Shivkumar Sharma - Hariprasad Chaurasia

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His most recent recording project has been a ballet score, Thieves and Poets, released in 2003 along with arrangements for classical guitar ensemble of favourite jazz standards.

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See also: Paco de Lucía, Al DiMeola, Trilok Gurtu, Santana, Jonas Hellborg.

Related Topics:
Paco de Lucía - Al DiMeola - Trilok Gurtu - Santana - Jonas Hellborg

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