John McLaughlin & the 4th Dimension "To the One"

With his new album To The One (Abstract Logix/Mediastarz), iconic guitarist and composer and 2010 Grammy Winner John McLaughlin looks backwards and forwards simultaneously. The six original songs are hauntingly evocative - with roiling rhythmic swells, modal expanses, and telepathic group interaction echoing the profound influence of John Cotrane's 1965 spiritual jazz masterpiece A Love Supreme.

Mostly written in July and August of 2009, the music composing To The One was set down in the studio in November and December, with very few overdubs, by McLaughlin's current performing outfit, the Fourth Dimension: Gary Husband (keyboards, drums), Etienne M'Bappe (electric bass), and Mark Mondesir (drums). Compositional devices clearly inspired by Coltrane are fused with elements of McLaughlin's own multi-faceted approach, all delivered with a group empathy and shared vision that harkens back to Coltrane's fearless mid-'60s quartet of Elvin Jones, McCoy Tyner, and Jimmy Garrison. The effect of Jones' kaleidoscopic approach to rhythm and drumming is especially felt, brilliantly recast and explored via McLaughlin's gift for complex metrical structures.

McLaughlin's restless, enquiring spirit is captured with disarming immediacy on To The One, vividly enhanced by both the skill and soulfulness of the Fourth Dimension. From the surging opener “Discovery" to the gently propulsive title track which closes the compact, forty-minute program, McLaughlin's own playing is at its very peak: emotional and probing, exploding into flourishes of rapid-fire sixteenth notes one moment, candid and unguardedly vulnerable the next. No slavish imitation or sentimental tribute, To The One is a fiery yet open-hearted work, taking on the artistic and spiritual challenges first offered by Coltrane's jazz masterpiece while making extensive use of the pioneering musical and technical vocabulary that McLaughlin has honed since the beginning of his storied career.

John McLaughlin & the 4th Dimension with Gary Husband (keys & drums), Etienne Mbappe (bass), Mark Mondesir (drums):

22/04/10 Nice Conservatoire de Nice France
23/04/10 Bremen Jazz Ahead Germany
25/04/10 Gronau Jazz Fest Germany
27/04/10 Tbilissi Tbilissi Concert Hall Georgia
28/04/10 Yerevan Sala Palatului Armenia
29/04/10 Darmstadt Central Station Germany
30/04/10 Kaiserslautern Kammgarn Germany

01/05/10 Kempten Kemptener Jazz Fruhling Germany
03/05/10 Thonex Salle de Thnex Switzerland
04/05/10 Luxembourg Den Atelier Luxembourg
05/05/10 Rottweil Jazzfest, Alte Stallhalle Germany
06/05/10 Barcelona Palau de la Musica Spain
08/05/10 Uppsala Uppsala Guitar Festival Sweden
09/05/10 Vara Vara Concert Hall Sweden
10/05/10 Liverpool Liverpool Philharmonic Hall UK
11/05/10 London Barbican UK
12/05/10 Norwich Norwich Theatre Royal UK
14/05/10 Coutances Coutances Jazz Festival France
15/05/10 Paris Salle Pleyel France
17/05/10 Bucharest Sala Palatului Romania
18/05/10 Istanbul Is bank Sanat Hall Turkey
19/05/10 Roma Salla Santa Cecila Italy
21/05/10 Catania Teatro Metropolitan Italy
22/05/10 Wien WienerKonzertHaus Austria

John McLaughlin & the 4th Dimension with Gary Husband (keys & drums), Etienne Mbappe (bass), Mark Mondesir (drums):

11/11/10 Toronto Koerner Hall Canada
12/11/10 Philadelphia Keswick Theatre US
13/11/10 New York Town Hall US
14/11/10 Alexandria Birchmere US
16/11/10 Boston House of Blues US
19/11/10 St.Louis - Mo Sheldon Concert Hall US
23/11/10 Austin - Tx One World Theatre US
24/11/10 Austin - Tx One World Theatre US
27/11/10 Riviera Maya Jazz Festival Mexico
11/12/10 Berkeley Zellerbach Hall US