Jazz Articles about John McLaughlin

About John McLaughlin

Album Review

Tony Williams Lifetime: Tony Williams Lifetime Emergency! Reference: With John McLaughlin & Larry Young

Read "Tony Williams Lifetime Emergency! Reference: With John McLaughlin & Larry Young" reviewed by Glenn Astarita

by Glenn Astarita
August 11, 2026

Tony Williams was barely twenty-three when he put the Lifetime trio together in 1969, only five years past his stint as the engine of the Miles Davis Quintet. Emergency!, the group's sprawling doublealbum debut, paired Williams with organist Larry Young and a littleknown British guitarist named John McLaughlin, and the record still stands as one of the founding documents of jazzrock fusion--loud, unruly, ahead of where the rest of the music was standing. The original Polydor LP, mixed by Gene ...

Album Review

Cindy Blackman Santana: Coherence

Read "Coherence" reviewed by Kyle Simpler

by Kyle Simpler
July 29, 2026

Some musicians communicate their passion almost before they ever play a note, and drummer Cindy Blackman Santana is one of them. Whether performing jazz, rock, soul, or world music, she approaches each style with the conviction that music ultimately transcends categories. Coherence is possibly her clearest statement of that philosophy. Blackman Santana's broad musical perspective comes naturally. She began busking on the streets of New York during the 1980s before quickly moving onto major stages, performing with jazz ...

Radio & Podcasts

New music from John McLaughlin, Peter Fernandes,The Rewind Collective and Stephan Thelen,

by Len Davis
May 3, 2026

We open with John McLaughlin a music score from a film recorded in1994 Music For Abandoned Heights. Keyboard player Peter Fernandes and bassist Ric Fierbracci with their latest, The Rewind Collective features some superb rock fusion with outstanding solos from Richard Hallebeek and Joel Hoekstra, and the sounds inspired by Allan Holdsworth from Quube with Chad Wackerman. The newest from guitarist Stephan Thelen and more from Spanish Drummer Xavi Reija. Italian guitarist Mateo Mancusco, and Simon Phillips with Protocol. Spirit ...

Radio & Podcasts

Maestro John mcLaughlin, Oz Noy, Nick Freer, Janek Gwizdala and Frederico Heliododro

by Len Davis
August 17, 2025

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. ...

Album Review

Shakti: Mind Explosion

Read "Mind Explosion" reviewed by Ian Patterson

by Ian Patterson
August 4, 2025

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 ...

Play This!

John McLaughlin with the One Truth Band: Guardian Angels

by Scott Lichtman
February 28, 2024

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 ...

Radio & Podcasts

Mr. Roboto, Meet Mr. Mahavishnu

by Patrick Burnette
February 8, 2024

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 ...