Mahavishnu Orchestra: Live at Montreux 1984/1974

John Kelman

Senior Editor since 2004

With the realization that there will always be more music coming at him than he can keep up with, John wonders why anyone would think that jazz is dead or dying.

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Published: November 14, 2007

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Together, these two performances only make one hungry for a similar treatment for the original Mahavishnu Orchestra. While the first incarnation did play Montreux, sadly it was not recorded. Still, Live at Montreux 1984/1974 proves that, while these incarnations of McLaughlin's flagship group didn't receive the kind of widespread acclaim his first version did, in performance they were every bit as stunning, and for the kinds of different reasons that do nothing more than demonstrate why, in a career now in its fifth decade, John McLaughlin remains such a vital figure.

Tracks: 1974: Wings of Karma; Hymn to Him; Power of Love (audio only); Smile of the Beyond (audio only); Vision is a Naked Sword (audio only); Dawn (audio only). 1984: Radio-Activity; Nostalgia; East Side, West Side; Clarendon Hills; Medley: Blues for L.W., It's the Pits, Living on the Crest of a Wave; Jozy; Pacific Express; Mitch Match; Mitch Match (Reprise).

Personnel: 1974: John McLaughlin: guitar; Bob Knapp: flute, percussion; Steve Frankovich: horns; Gayle Moran: keyboards, vocals; Jean-Luc Ponty: violin; Steve Kindler: violin; Carol Shrive: violin; Marsha Westbrook: alto; Phillip Hirschi: cello; Ralphe Armstrong: bass; Narada Michael Walden: drums. 1984: John McLaughlin: Synclavier II Digital Guitar, electric guitar; Bill Evans: saxophone; Mitchell Forman: keyboards; Jonas Hellborg: bass; Danny Gottleib: drums.

DVD Feature: 1974 running time 52 minutes (video) 73 minutes (audio only). 1984: running time 110 minutes. .

Photo Credit
Captured from Live at Montreux 1984/1974, courtesy of Eagle Eye Media

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