Articles by Marco Anderson

Carl Orr: Absolute Freedom

by Marco Anderson
August 27, 2006

Absolute Freedom, Australian guitarist Carl Orr's fifth self-produced album, is a classic funky jazz-rock tour de force. The recording is reminiscent of many of the finest funky jazzthetics of the mid-'70s, also showcasing the guitarist's inimitable mix of fiery guitar licks and compositional flair. The retro sound fits that decade's mark as the zenith of this genre, and that feeling is further strengthened by the presence of no less than king of the fusion tub thumpers, Billy Cobham, on two ...

Carl Orr: Deep Down

by Marco Anderson
August 21, 2006

This recording is a radical departure from guitarist Carl Orr's previous high-voltage fusion output, and on first listening one can be lulled into a false sense of smoothness brought on by commercial aspirations. However, as the title suggests, there is much more to Deep Down than a cursory scratching at the surface would suggest.

The sound is warm and familiar, and anyone with a penchant for Blue Note organ trios with Grant Green or early George Benson will be served ...

Power, Passion And Beauty: The Story Of The Legendary Mahavishnu Orchestra

by Marco Anderson
August 20, 2006

Power, Passion And Beauty: The Story Of The Legendary Mahavishnu Orchestra Walter Kolosky Paperback; 313 pages ISBN 0-9761016-2-9 Abstract Logix Books 2005

Before the corporate whitewash of the disco plague obliterated a golden age of musical creativity, there was a time when artists with a musical vision, fired by spiritual fervour, could reach a global audience with the full backing of a multi national record label.

Fuelled by previously unheard ...

Mahavishnu Project: Live at The Point, Cardiff UK

by Marco Anderson
November 18, 2004

When Jimi Hendrix burst on the music scene in the late '60s, the then “gods of the guitar," idolised by thousands, knew that they had been found out; jaws dropping, they rushed to worship at the new shrine and to usurp as much as they could for their own future betterment. In 1972, the Mahavishnu Orchestra, led by Miles alumnus John McLaughlin, scorched across the USA and Europe and again a new level of musical excellence drove everything ...

John McLaughlin: This is the Way I Do It

by Marco Anderson
September 19, 2004

John McLaughlin This Is The Way I Do It The Ultimate Guitar Workshop On Improvisation Mediastarz 2004

In the hands of all but a few other guitarists, this title would be a self-aggrandisement on a major scale (no pun intended). However, being the distilled sum of knowledge gained by surely the greatest living jazz guitarist of the age throughout more than fifty years of wielding his mighty axe, ...