Home » Jazz Musicians » John McLaughlin
John McLaughlin
John McLaughlin, also Mahavishnu John McLaughlin, is a jazz fusion guitar player from Doncaster, Yorkshire in England. He came to prominence with the electric group of Miles Davis in the late 1960s, and with other well- known players such as Chick Corea and Tony Williams.
Before moving to the United States, McLaughlin recorded Extrapolation (with Tony Oxley and John Surman) in 1969. The album showcased McLaughlin as a guitarist of great technical virtuosity, power, speed, and inventiveness (such as the ability to play in odd meters).
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), Big Fun (where he is featured soloist on "Go Ahead John") and A Tribute to Jack Johnson. Davis paid tribute to him in the liner notes to Jack Johnson, calling McLaughlin's playing "far in." He returned to the Davis band for one recorded night of a week-long club date, which was released as part of the album Live/Evil.
His reputation as a 'first-call' session player grew, resulting in recordings as a side-man with Miroslav Vitous, Larry Coryell, Wayne Shorter, Carla Bley and others.
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 were respected for their technical virtuosity and complex fusion of eclectic jazz and rock with hints of Eastern/Indian influence.
After the Mahavishnu Orchestra split, 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 a 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.
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.
He has also worked with the jazz composer Carla Bley.
In the early 1980s he teamed up with flamenco guitarist Paco de Lucia and Larry Coryell (later replaced by Al Di Meola) as the Guitar Trio, the virtuoso talents of all three musicians equally on display.
Read moreTags
Maestro John mcLaughlin, Oz Noy, Nick Freer, Janek Gwizdala and Frederico Heliododro
by Len Davis
Experience an electrifying journey through a dynamic live performance with guitar virtuoso John McLaughlin, captured live at Montreux 2022. The legendary New York guitarist Oz Noy is joined by an all-star lineup including Andrew Synowiec, Melbourne's Nick Freer from Apperseptions, British bassist Janek Gwizdala, and powerhouse drummer Jojo Mayer. Next, take a turn into something more unexpected and experimental with Brazilian guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Frederico Heliodoro, followed by an atmospheric collaboration between British drummer Gavin Harrison and guitarist Nick Johnston. ...
Continue ReadingShakti: Mind Explosion
by Ian Patterson
This is the end--the final recording from arguably the greatest of genre-busting bands. A celebration, not only of Shakti's 50th anniversary tour in 2023 but of an entire career--one that began in 1973, when John McLaughlin and Ustad Zakir Hussain first jammed in New York's Greenwich Village. By embracing Indian Carnatic and Hindustani traditions--fused with McLaughlin's jazz DNA--Shakti broke down musical boundaries, and by extension, cultural and social boundaries as well. Cherry-picked from multiple shows, these six tracks ...
Continue ReadingJohn McLaughlin with the One Truth Band: Guardian Angels
by Scott Lichtman
John McLaughlin's “Guardian Angels" must be on the ultra-short list of “most iconic jazz/fusion songs clocking in under 1 minute." The song takes us back to the time when experimental fusion artists were exploring jazz/rock, classical and world music. “Guardian Angels" is a nugget of shape-shifting guitar arpeggios and time signatures, unified by L. Shankar's entrancing violin melody. It's so catchy that once you hear it, you're likely to remember it for decades--like this reviewer has. Fifty-one seconds is all ...
Continue ReadingMr. Roboto, Meet Mr. Mahavishnu
by Patrick Burnette
This episode's title is a wee bit misleading. The boys don't meet Mr. Mahavishnu John McLaughlin, of course) but rather Matt Phillips, long-time listener to the podcast who just happened to write a very good book on the famous fusion guitarist called John McLaughlin: From Miles and Mahavishnu to The 4th Dimension. The book covers the whole of McLaughlin's recorded career--not just his best known years with the Mahavishnu Orchestra--and our conversation is also wide-ranging. And, no, Mike hasn't turned ...
Continue ReadingThe Electric Years Box Set
by Mike Jurkovic
In a year that has brought us a true bounty of previously unheard majesty including Evenings at the Village Gate: John Coltrane with Eric Dolphy (Impulse!), and Bill Evans; Treasures: Solo, Trio & Orchestra Recordings from Denmark (1965-1969), (Elemental Music) it is only fitting that Miles Davis get his due. And in a very, very big way. Seared into modern memory, modern art, the music presented on the gloriously massive, eleven LP set Miles Davis: The Electric Years ...
Continue ReadingJohn McLaughlin Quintet al Teatro AEGI di Hannover
by Mario Calvitti
John McLaughlin Quintet Teatro AEGI Hannover, Germania 12.10.2023 Si è appena concluso il trionfale tour della sua band Shakti per la ricorrenza del cinquantennale (purtroppo solo 7 date in Europa, e nessuna in Italia) che il chitarrista John McLaughlin è di nuovo on the road, questa volta con un nuovo quintetto, che non è altro che il suo ultimo gruppo 4th Dimension, ovvero il bassista camerunense Etienne Mbappe, il batterista indiano Ranjit Barot e ...
Continue ReadingJohn McLaughlin: From Miles and Mahavishnu to The 4th Dimension
by Jeff Schwartz
John McLaughlin: From Miles and Mahavishnu to The 4th Dimension Matt Phillips 287 Pages ISBN: # 978-1-5381-7094-6 Rowman and Littlefield 2023 In fall 2023 John McLaughlin led a new edition of his band Shakti on a world tour. Reviews and fan videos caught the eighty- one-year-old McLaughlin playing with the same breathtaking technique and abundant creativity as when he debuted atop the jazz world on Miles Davis' In a Silent Way (Columbia, 1969) ...
Continue ReadingJazz Musician of the Day: John McLaughlin
Source:
Michael Ricci
All About Jazz is celebrating John McLaughlin's birthday today!
John McLaughlin, also Mahavishnu John McLaughlin, is a jazz fusion guitarist from Doncaster, Yorkshire in England. He came to prominence with the electric group of Miles Davis in the late 1960s, and with other well- known players such as Chick Corea and Tony Williams. Before moving to the United States, McLaughlin recorded Extrapolation (with Tony Oxley and John Surman) in 1969. The album showcased McLaughlin as a guitarist of great technical ...
read more
Jazz Musician of the Day: John McLaughlin
Source:
Michael Ricci
All About Jazz is celebrating John McLaughlin's birthday today!
John McLaughlin, also Mahavishnu John McLaughlin, is a jazz fusion guitarist from Doncaster, Yorkshire in England. He came to prominence with the electric group of Miles Davis in the late 1960s, and with other well- known players such as Chick Corea and Tony Williams. Before moving to the United States, McLaughlin recorded Extrapolation (with Tony Oxley and John Surman) in 1969. The album showcased McLaughlin as a guitarist of great technical ...
read more
Jazz Musician of the Day: John McLaughlin
Source:
Michael Ricci
All About Jazz is celebrating John McLaughlin's birthday today!
John McLaughlin, also Mahavishnu John McLaughlin, is a jazz fusion guitarist from Doncaster, Yorkshire in England. He came to prominence with the electric group of Miles Davis in the late 1960s, and with other well- known players such as Chick Corea and Tony Williams. Before moving to the United States, McLaughlin recorded Extrapolation (with Tony Oxley and John Surman) in 1969. The album showcased McLaughlin as a guitarist of great technical ...
read more
Jazz Musician of the Day: John McLaughlin
Source:
Michael Ricci
All About Jazz is celebrating John McLaughlin's birthday today!
John McLaughlin, also Mahavishnu John McLaughlin, is a jazz fusion guitarist from Doncaster, Yorkshire in England. He came to prominence with the electric group of Miles Davis in the late 1960s, and with other well- known players such as Chick Corea and Tony Williams. Before moving to the United States, McLaughlin recorded Extrapolation (with Tony Oxley and John Surman) in 1969. The album showcased McLaughlin as a guitarist of great technical ...
read more
Jazz Musician of the Day: John McLaughlin
Source:
Michael Ricci
All About Jazz is celebrating John McLaughlin's birthday today!
John McLaughlin, also Mahavishnu John McLaughlin, is a jazz fusion guitarist from Doncaster, Yorkshire in England. He came to prominence with the electric group of Miles Davis in the late 1960s, and with other well- known players such as Chick Corea and Tony Williams. Before moving to the United States, McLaughlin recorded Extrapolation (with Tony Oxley and John Surman) in 1969... Read more.
Place our Musician of the Day widget on ...
read more
Jazz Musician of the Day: John McLaughlin
Source:
Michael Ricci
All About Jazz is celebrating John McLaughlin's birthday today!
John McLaughlin, also Mahavishnu John McLaughlin, is a jazz fusion guitarist from Doncaster, Yorkshire in England. He came to prominence with the electric group of Miles Davis in the late 1960s, and with other well- known players such as Chick Corea and Tony Williams. Before moving to the United States, McLaughlin recorded Extrapolation (with Tony Oxley and John Surman) in 1969... Read more.
Place our Musician of the Day widget on ...
read more
John McLaughlin, Al Di Meola & Paco De Lucia "Passion Grace & Fire" Reissued On 180g Virgin Vinyl by Audio Fidelity
Source:
All About Jazz
In 1983 the guitar super trio of John McLaughlin, Al Di Meola and Paco de Lucía reunited for another set of acoustic guitar trios. Unlike their first album the phenomenal live acoustic performance Friday Night In San Francisco this masterpiece consists entirely of studio sessions. Passion Grace & Fire is a mix of flamenco, fusion, jazz, latin and classical music, bathed with beauty and compassion. It is simply three mindblowing musicians that united to produce the last word in acoustic ...
read more
Jazz Musician of the Day: John McLaughlin
Source:
Michael Ricci
All About Jazz is celebrating John McLaughlin's birthday today!
John McLaughlin, also Mahavishnu John McLaughlin, is a jazz fusion guitarist from Doncaster, Yorkshire in England. He came to prominence with the electric group of Miles Davis in the late 1960s, and with other well- known players such as Chick Corea and Tony Williams. Before moving to the United States, McLaughlin recorded Extrapolation (with Tony Oxley and John Surman) in 1969... Read more.
Place our Musician of the Day widget on ...
read more
Jazz Musician of the Day: John McLaughlin
Source:
Michael Ricci
All About Jazz is celebrating John McLaughlin's birthday today!
John McLaughlin, also Mahavishnu John McLaughlin, is a jazz fusion guitarist from Doncaster, Yorkshire in England. He came to prominence with the electric group of Miles Davis in the late 1960s, and with other well- known players such as Chick Corea and Tony Williams. Before moving to the United States, McLaughlin recorded Extrapolation (with Tony Oxley and John Surman) in 1969... Read more.
Place our Musician of the Day widget on ...
read more
Music Education Monday: Guitar lessons from John McLaughlin, and more
Source:
St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman
As a sideman to Miles Davis and Tony Williams, founder of the bands Mahavishnu Orchestra and Shakti, and a prolific solo artist and collaborator, John McLaughlin is one of the most admired guitarists of the past 50 years. Drawing on jazz, rock, classical, Indian music, and more, McLaughlin, now 73 years old, helped pioneer the jazz/fusion sound of the 1970s, influencing several generations of guitarists in the process. He continues to tour with his current band, the 4th Dimension, and ...
read more
.jpg)
Yves Nadeau
guitar
Roman Miroshnichenko
guitar
Taeko Kunishima
piano
John Wolf Brennan
piano
Daryll Dobson
guitar, electric
Tassos Spiliotopoulos
guitar
Neil Nail Alexander
keyboards
Dennis Winge
guitar
Greg Chako
guitar
Pete McCann
guitar
Ludmil Krumov
guitar
Lufe Lima
guitar
Ron Jackson
guitar
Robert Castelli
drumsJohn Myers
guitar
Premik Russell Tubbs
saxophone
Jack DeSalvo
guitarJames Wallace
guitar
Lindsey Boullt
guitar
Darin Layne
guitar
Dave Howard
guitar, electric
Shawn Persinger
guitar
Marco Oppedisano
guitar, electricKonstantin Ruchadze
guitar
Jussi Reijonen
guitar
Scott Emmerman
guitar
Mike Murray
guitar
Alexander Kelley
guitar
Ognjen Savija
guitar
AmooMazz
bass, electric
Jay Sanders
guitar
Branko Arnsek
bass, acoustic
Dave Quick
synthesizer
Noshir Mody
guitar
Santiago Bosch
piano
Loukas Hadellis
guitar
Stefanos Tsourelis
guitar
Jim Faulkner
guitar
Randy Wimer
guitar
Bert Jackson
guitar, electric
Marcus Taylor
guitar
Max Ridgway
guitar, electric
Phil Dawson
guitar, electric
Carlos Odria
guitar
Enayet Hossain
tablas
Johannes Luley
guitar
Bobby Rozario
guitar
Javier Subatin
guitar
Shambhu
guitar, acoustic
Tihomir Stojiljkovic
piano
Machrijam
guitar
Cody Steinmann
guitar
Philip Adie Trío
guitar
Faris Ishaq
flute
Kamil Abt
guitar
roman gomez
bandoneon
Radha Thomas
vocals
Onur Aymergen
guitar
B/Y Organism
guitar
Jules Hay
guitar, electric
Henrik Andersen
guitar, acoustic
Jatayu
band / ensemble / orchestra
Intergalactic Brasstronauts
multi-instrumentalist
Strat Andriotis
guitar
Varun Das
composer / conductor
Sahib Singh
guitar, electric
David Cain
multi-instrumentalist
marco sinopoli
guitar
Fil Pate
multi-instrumentalist
Helios Fernandez
guitar
Neal Barnard
guitar and vocals
Jerry bannach
guitar
Guy Lee
guitar
Guillermo Marigliano
guitar
Tombajazz
band / ensemble / orchestraDaev Keli
piano
Matt Jardim
guitar
Ian Raymond Smit
guitar
Marcelo Morem
guitar, electric
Mark Prest
bass, electric
James Tierney
guitar
Margee Minier-Tubbs
vocalsImran Ahmed
guitarPhotos
Music
Shrini's Dream
From: This MomentBy John McLaughlin
Videos
Similar
Pat Metheny
guitar
Chick Corea
piano
Al Di Meola
guitar
John Scofield
guitar
Charlie Haden
bass, acoustic
John Abercrombie
guitar
Jim Hall
guitar
Larry Coryell
guitar
Allan Holdsworth
guitar, electric
Gary Burton
vibraphone
Ralph Towner
guitar
Mahavishnu Orchestra
band / ensemble / orchestra
John McLaughlin
Instrument: Guitar
Born: January 4, 1942
Publicist: MAD Ink PR
