Any discussion about who is the greatest, in any sphere of human achievement, is bound to provoke some lively debate. And music being such a subjective experience, disagreements in this area are often profound. But when scholarly and experienced musicians discuss the greatest guitarists, a few names always crop up, and john McLaughlin is one of them. Born in 1942 in Yorkshire, Mclaughlin’s earliest musical endeavours were in classical violin and piano, before he took up jazz and flamenco guitar. Once he moved to London and became a session guitarist on the rock scene, his range was immense and his skills profound. When, in addition, he became interested in Indian culture and mysticism, and started studying eastern music, the scene was set for a true fusion of styles, and McLaughlin was a leading light in the tidal wave of musical experimentation that became a cultural phenomenon in the ‘60 and ‘70s.
McLaughlin has recorded with literally everyone who ever was anyone in the diverse world of jazz fusion, but is undoubtedly best known for his early 1970s Mahavishnu Orchestra, which combined rock, blues, jazz, prog and eastern styles, including electric violin, and rocky, distorted, but virtuosic guitar playing. In 1973 he formed the eastern-oriented acoustic outfit Shakti, with which he still performs now, and as the ‘80s rolled around, he also recorded the incendiary acoustic guitar trio live album Friday Night In San Francisco, with Al Di Meola and Paco de Lucía. The grass has never grown under his feet though, and in 2007 he formed the quartet 4th Dimension.
McLaughlin has been playing the Montreux Jazz Festival, which he describes as ‘the greatest festival in the world,’ for over 50 years. In 2022, his performance there with 4th Dimension was recorded for posterity, and has now been released in Blu-ray+2CD Digipak, double LP and digital download formats. The album features the astonishing Cuban pianist and vocalist Jany McPherson as special guest, alongside McLaughlin and band members Etienne Mbappe on bass, Nicolas Viccaro on drums, and Gary Husband on both keys and drums!
The album starts up with minimal preamble – a few seconds of applause fades in, then the first number, Kiki, is announced, and off they go. It’s a surprisingly bluesy piece, starting with a rocky riff in 7/8 time, before dropping into classic jazz fusion prog. A swinging 7/8 blues workout over two chords follows, but the number has still only been going for three minutes when it morphs, via a manic keyboard riff, into ambient answer-back solos, cycling between bass guitar and the two pianos, McPherson’s acoustic and Husband’s electric, and both are breathtakingly proficient players! Lock Down Blues comes next, another groovy, rocky workout, with some fabulous, fluid bass work. It’s a remarkably freeform performance, seemingly with nobody ‘counting 1’, to paraphrase Mahavishnu bassist Rick Laird’s famous quote. Nevertheless, they all still hit the stops with remarkable tightness.
There follows an eight-minute rendition of Pharoah Sanders’ The Creator Has A Master Plan, introduced by McLaughlin in commendable French. This features the first helping of McPherson’s rich, mellifluous vocals, and some beautiful, flowing electric piano with lots of reverb. There doesn’t seem much point in describing every number in detail, but mention should be made of McPherson’s wordless scat vocals in Mr. DC, which also includes a drum showcase featuring both Gary Husband and Nicolas Viccaro together.
For the most part, the musical style is pure Mahavishnu – if I was told this was a vintage recording by that band, I wouldn’t have batted an eyelid, the guitar tone and style replicating that era exactly. On the other hand, the tone changes somewhat with the Mclaughlin composition Abbaji, with its springy, groovy rhythm. The guitar features a lighter jazz style, more in the vein of Larry Carlton, but with a dirtier tone, and this track was selected as the a album’s lead single.
So far, all tremendous, and fans of 1970s fusion, and McLaughlin’s style in particular, will be lapping this up. But it’s not until the second half, or LP number two, depending on media preferences, that I suddenly break into a broad grin. The Mclaughlin composition ‘Here Comes The Jiis, honouring two of McLaughlin’s Shakti bandmates, is a 6½ minute masterpiece, (‘Jiis’ is the plural of ‘Ji,’ an honorific title in some Indian languages, roughly comparable to the English ‘sir’). A jazz-fusion guitar jam with frenetic drums and bass, and some groovy piano backing, gives way to a wonderful call-and-response duet between the two pianos, with a climactic guitar solo at the end. Now this is what it’s all about! I could listen to this all day; it is the second single from the album, with a link at the foot of this page. Bassist Etienne Mbappe gets his chance to shine on the next track, The Light At The Edge Of The World, which opens with ambient keys and guitar, but mostly takes the form of a stunningly brilliant bass workout. Not everyone is a fan of drum solos, but massive kudos also to Nicolas Viccaro for his imaginative drum and percussion work on the finale, Echoes From Then.
There follows a full two minutes of applause, which I would assume is how long it took for the band to come back on stage for an encore. And what a conclusion – the final number, the 7½ minute El Hombre Que Saba, may well be the best performance of the whole set. A rapid, flappy rhythm drifts into a rim-shot jazzy vibe, with more scat female vocals. It’s a pure jazz number, and a lot less grungy than the foregoing, notwithstanding the overdriven guitar tone. There is some truly great instrumentation here, especially the second piano, and for fans of early Santana, echoes of Toussaint L’Overture, to these ears at least.
McLaughlin had just turned 80 when this concert was recorded, and he is still playing, touring and recording. Not only is he undoubtedly one of the world’s foremost exponents of the guitar – in any genre – but he surrounds himself with genius musicians. What’s not to love? Keep it coming John.
Live At Montreux Jazz Festival 2022 by John McLaughlin And The 4th Dimension, is now available as a Blu-ray+2CD Digipak, double LP, or digital download, via earMUSIC
