Shakti 50th Anniversary Tour at Hill Auditorium

Shakti
Hill Auditorium
University Musical Society's 145th Annual Season
Ann Arbor, Michigan
September 14, 2023

Having learned his lessons well during his brief stay with Miles Davis in the late '60s, guitarist John McLaughlin has never let any grass grow under his feet, embracing many styles and following his creative muse at will. Back in 1973, casual meetings between McLaughlin and Zakir Hussain enlightened the guitarist to the Indian music tradition, ultimately leading to the formation of Shakti. The mid-'70s found Columbia Records documenting the magic of this special ensemble via three well-received albums, namely Shakti, A Handful of Beauty, and Natural Elements.

Although the group quickly disbanded in 1978, McLaughlin continued to find inspiration in global music and managed to put together a similar ensemble in 1997. He also configured a new Shakti which would perform just two shows at the start of 2020, just prior to the pandemic shutdowns. Fast forward to the start of 2023, much fanfare greeted the announcement that the group had recorded a new album, their first studio set in 46 years. Furthermore, there would be a U.S. tour that would kick off in August, with the group's recent set at Hill Auditorium in Ann Arbor being one of just a handful of shows in the northeast.

Following a brief solo set from banjoist Bela Fleck, Shakti would mesmerize a sold-out audience for over two hours of enchanted and transcendent music making. Seated with legs crossed on a riser in customary fashion, each musician put communication with each other, as well as the audience, at a premium. Also in keeping with the tradition of maintaining eye contact between performers and their audience, the house lights were left on throughout the evening.

The brief opening piece would feature McLaughlin's guitar in conversation with violinist Ganesh Rajagopalan, the huge smiles on both men's faces revealing their joy in this collaboration. When singer Shankar Mahadevan was brought on stage for the next piece, a roar of applause greeted the effervescent talent who also managed to take his phone out for a few selfies with the crowd. Mahadevan would then waste no time establishing the taal, the native rhythmic patterns that the musicians would clap first and then use as a basis for subsequent improvisation.

One of the new pieces from the recent album, "Shrini's Dream" made the most of a repeated riff tossed back and forth between Hussain on tablas and hand percussionist Selvaganesh Vinayakram. McLaughlin turned up the effect pedals for a scorching solo that really brought home how the diversity of flavors makes this an ensemble where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

In terms of creating musical drama and deepening the emotional content, Mahadevan is simply without peer. Hand gestures accompanied his miraculous and varied vocal contours, the angular melody of "Sono Mama" being a perfect showcase for his astounding talents. More traditional structures mixed well with freeform adventures, often with McLaughlin rocking it out via incendiary and technically dazzling displays. Never missing a beat, Rajagopalan managed to go toe-to-toe with the guitarist on more than one occasion.

As if the deeply felt music and jaw-dropping technical brilliance of the entire show would not be enough to keep one satisfied, the group left the best for last. Hussain demonstrated his dominance as a tabla master with an extended display that seemed to entice audible gasps from the audience. Using the melodic aspect of the instrument, he even managed to squeeze in quotes of "Sunshine of You Love" and the "William Tell Overture." Not to be outdone, Vanayakram's skills with a small hand drum called the kanjira were beyond reproach as his right palm and fingers became a blur flying over the drum's skin.

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