Results for "Mahavishnu Orchestra"

Mahavishnu Orchestra

Active since: 1971

John McLaughlin's Mahavishnu Orchestra is considered by many to be the greatest Jazz-fusion group of all time. The group was formed in late 1970-early 1971 by McLaughlin, a brilliant guitarist with a jazz-rock pedigree that included work with the Graham Bond Organization in the mid-60s, and with the electrified Miles Davis on his landmark "Bitches Brew" LP in 1969. The original Orchestra included Jan Hammer (later to score TV's "Miami Vice") on keyboards, Jerry Goodman on violin, Rick Laird on bass, and Billy Cobham on drums. Signed with much hoopla to Columbia in 1971, they released two fabulous studio albums, “Inner Mounting Flame,” (’71) and “Birds of Fire,” (’72) along with a live ‘73 album, “Between Nothingness and Eternity.” A reformation of the group in 1974 brought Jean-Luc Ponty on board to play violin, Gayle Moran on keyboards and vocals, Ralphe Armstrong on bass, and drummer Michael Warden

Bobby Wiens: Focus

by Kyle Simpler
June 18, 2026

Even though a recording is a finished product, it still captures the feeling and intensity of the session. When players have a good working rapport, everything translates through the music. Clearly, the musicians assembled by drummer Bobby Wiens for his second album, Focus, share a strong rapport, and that chemistry is evident throughout the recording.

Gary Husband: Celestial Terrestrial Commuters

by Mike Jacobs
June 7, 2026

Rahul Mukerji: Mridhangit

by Maciej Stasiowski
May 31, 2026

Mridhangit is a portmanteau of the instrument mridangam, employed extensively on the new record by Rahul Mukerji, and the Hindi word for song or music (git/geet). First ignited on the artist's 2017 release Ma De Re Sha (Self Produced, 2017), the project has solidified into a recognisable signature: guitar-led instrumentals anchored in Indian percussive rhythms, shaped ...

Sonic Loops: Eight Miles High on the Psychedelic Trane

by Alan Bryson
May 15, 2026

In the popular music of the '50s, the landscape revolved around individual vocalists, vocal harmony groups, and instrumental ensembles. In the early '60s, something radical emerged: self-contained groups--a collective of individuals with a group dynamic and identity. They wrote, sang, played instruments, and performed as a unified artistic whole. This represented a structural revolution in how ...

Didier Lockwood: Storyboard (Vinyl Reissue)

by Artur Moral
April 23, 2026

You might sometimes wonder about the usefulness of reissues--and all the more so in these times when many past gems, though physically unobtainable, are just a click away on the various content platforms. Setting aside die-hard audiophiles, tactile purists and compulsive completists, the truth is that these new pressings represent a golden opportunity for those unfamiliar ...

Spectrum

by Dean Nardi
April 13, 2026

Was it jazz or rock? This was (is) the eternal question about fusion. Back in the 1970s when the Mahavishnu Orchestra pioneered the genre, the electric and chaotic unpredictability of the John McLaughlin-led outfit cut across what was thought to be basic jazz concepts by displaying loud electric guitar riffing over what could stand ...

Record Store Day 2026 Jazz Releases

by Kyle Simpler
April 3, 2026

Many vinyl enthusiasts get excited when the Record Store Day lists appear, and understandably so: most of the titles are limited-run pressings that can disappear quickly once the doors open. The only drawback, however, is that the lists can be overwhelming to sort through, often spanning multiple pages and covering releases across a wide range of ...

New music from Shob, Mike Gotthard and Soft Machine, old favourites with Teymur Phell, Mike Prigoditch and Alberto Rigoni

by Len Davis
March 15, 2026

We begin our new releases with France's Shob. blending fusion grooves with punchy horns. Hungarian guitarist Mike Gotthard follows, joined by Scott Kinsey, Gergo Borlai and bassist Anton Davidyants. From Buenos Aires, Musaiko brings fresh sounds, while Rich Ruttenberg and Jimmy Haslip adds driving electric rhythms. Mumbai guitarist Rhythm Shaw teams with Mohini Dey, before the ...

Ralph Towner: The Accidental Guitarist

by Mario Calvitti
January 20, 2026

This article was first published on All About Jazz on May 16, 2017. Ralph Towner is a rather atypical figure in the vast world of jazz guitar. His instruments of choice are the classical guitar, which when he started, in the '60s, was played almost exclusively by guitarists related to Brazilian music like Charlie ...