Jazz Articles about Mahavishnu Orchestra

Mahavishnu Orchestra: Visions of the Emerald Beyond

by Walter Kolosky
November 20, 2002

Visions of the Emerald Beyond is the most-overlooked and under-appreciated recording John McLaughlin has ever made. This album, released in 1975, features an expanded Mahavishnu line-up that went beyond a horn and string section to include the dynamic Narada Michael Walden on drums and fusion superstar Jean Luc Ponty on violin.This album is drenched in a new sort of funkiness that McLaughlin had not explored in previous Mahavishnu recordings.“Eternity's Breath" opens the album, and right away ...

Mahavishnu Orchestra: The Lost Trident Sessions

by Walter Kolosky
November 20, 2002

Almost 30 years after its original recording, producer Bob Belden came across the master tapes of what would become The Lost Trident Sessions. Belden had been working on the remastering of Birds of Fire when he discovered these tapes, and the rest is history (so to speak). At long last, the aborted final studio effort of The Mahavishnu Orchestra saw the light of day.

Since this studio effort was never finished, the live Between Nothingness and Eternity was ...

Mahavishnu Orchestra: Inner Worlds

by Walter Kolosky
November 18, 2002

Every McLaughlin album has something to offer, and Inner Worlds is no exception. However, it is easily McLaughlin's weakest outing. Released in 1976, Inner Worlds features the third and scaled down edition of the Mahavishnu Orchestra. No more strings. No more horns. No more Ponty. Was this album made just to finish the contract out? Who knows? After the exciting Visions Of The Emerald Beyond, this record was a disappointment. So much more had been expected.Michael ...

Mahavishnu Orchestra: The Inner Mounting Flame

by Walter Kolosky
November 18, 2002

The Inner Mounting Flame was the first album which totally captured the power of hard rock and the freewheeling improvisational aspects of jazz. Larry Coryell, Miles Davis, and Tony Williams' Lifetime had tried something like this with some success in previous years. (It was no mistake McLaughlin was attached to all three of those efforts.) But none of that output captured the spirit like the Mahavishnu Orchestra's 1971 recording The Inner Mounting Flame. The Inner Mounting Flame 's ...

Mahavishnu Orchestra: Birds of Fire

by Walter Kolosky
November 16, 2002

In 1973, hard rock ruled the universe. But Birds of Fire , a pure instrumental jazz-rock album, managed to crack into the Billboard Top 20 Rock Charts. This was unheard of. And so was the music. Birds of Fire advanced fusion into the modern age, a mere year after the band's The Inner Mounting Flame had given it its real birth. Rock and jazz fans from all over the world tuned into the Mahavishnu Orchestra and it ...

Mahavishnu Orchestra: Between Nothingness and Eternity

by Walter Kolosky
November 16, 2002

Between Nothingness and Eternity was released in 1973 and proved to be the swansong of the first edition of The Mahavishnu Orchestra. While the band had produced two truly great studio albums previously, BNE was intended to showcase its legendary live performance. Disappointingly, this recording does not fully capture that experience. Despite that failing, the album remains a powerhouse of a recording and is a fitting testament to the driving force that was the original Mahavishnu Orchestra. ...

Mahavishnu Orchestra: Apocalypse

by Walter Kolosky
November 15, 2002

Wow! This 1974 recording had a great pedigree. First, you had Beatles producer George Martin. Then Michael Tilson Thomas, the young and gifted classical conductor, waving his magic wand in front of the London Symphony Orchestra. Jazz violin superstar Jean Luc Ponty stepped up as part of a newly expanded Mahavishnu Orchestra, and the teenage bass phenom Ralphe Armstrong more than capably held down the bottom end. Gayle Moran, Chick Corea's girlfriend, handled the keyboards and vocals, and Narada Michael ...