Inventions and Dimensions

Inventions and Dimensions

The Music of John McLaughlin

Kevin Le Gendre

Musicians have always traveled. Yet we should not underestimate the challenge of relocation to another country, with its specific culture and lifestyle, especially in preinternet times. Guitarist John McLaughlin was one of the few Britons to become part of the highly competitive New York jazz scene in the late ’60s, where he joined The Tony Williams Lifetime, a trio led by drummer Williams and featuring organist Larry Young. He appeared on its debut Emergency! and also on In a Silent Way and Bitches Brew by trumpeter Miles Davis. These albums helped to usher in what several critics and pundits labeled jazz-rock or fusion. Many musicians were ambivalent about the terminology, but there was nonetheless a sense that these artists were taking bold steps away from previous models and daring to pursue “new directions in music,” as Davis said.

McLaughlin’s contribution to this chapter in the history of contemporary music can hardly be overstated. He possessed the requisite combination of fire and finesse to be an entirely suitable partner for artists of the technical caliber and experimental inclinations of Williams and Davis. Looking back on this pivotal period many years later, McLaughlin himself recalled that Davis had instructed him “to play the guitar like you don’t know how to play the guitar”—which was by no means a perverse puzzle set by one of the greatest musical innovators of the 20th century. Essentially, Davis was telling McLaughlin to avoid clichés and hackneyed phrases. Many musicians may have shrunk in front of a creative bar set so uncompromisingly high, but the guitarist, who was 27 at the time, valiantly rose to the occasion. There were many players with the credentials to be called for that gig—Davis had previously worked with the excellent George Benson on Miles in the Sky—but McLaughlin was chosen for his ability to play as Davis had asked, primarily because he knew how to skillfully draw on disparate sources.

Not only did McLaughlin have the jazz chops that allowed him to unfurl lengthy, spiraling lines at speed, racing through chords with the sharp focus of any player with an interest in the vocabularies of American jazz and Spanish flamenco. There was also a ruggedness to his tone and textures that could be thick, heavy, and brash, as befitted his deep immersion in electric blues, and underlined his kinship to revolutionary players like Jimi Hendrix. McLaughlin was able to use the guitar to cover an emotional gamut from passion and power to grace and serenity that resonated with the African-American musicians who had taken him to their hearts.

His playing on In a Silent Way was subtle as well as vivid, demonstrating a maturity and judgment Davis appreciated. John McLaughlin, in other words, came of age in the most esteemed company. This was a logical step up from the other significant decision he had taken some years earlier: leaving his native Doncaster, Yorkshire, where he was born in 1942, in order to relocate to London and be part of the dynamic blues, R&B, and jazz scene that brought him into contact with the likes of Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames, the Graham Bond Organization, and Alexis Korner.

McLaughlin’s tastes were always wide-ranging, and the initial flurry of albums he made under his own name revealed an open, curious, alert mind that looked well beyond stylistic borders. Extrapolation, with multi-reed player John Surman, drummer Tony Oxley, and double bassist Brian Odges, saw him push post-bop toward freer arrangements while Devotion and My Goal’s Beyond were brilliantly expressive works in the electric and acoustic realms, respectively, that acknowledged the onset of psychedelia as well as McLaughlin’s interest in non-western philosophy and spirituality. He became a disciple of the renowned guru Sri Chinmoy and began to practice meditation, which dovetailed with his passion for Indian classical music.

The guitarist built steadily on those foundations by leading bands that gained a large following among fans of both jazz and progressive rock. Mahavishnu Orchestra was a group that largely defined McLaughlin as a forward-thinker as well as virtuoso soloist. The four-piece unit featured drummer Billy Cobham, bass guitarist Rick Laird, violinist Jerry Goodman (later replaced by Jean-Luc Ponty), and keyboardist Jan Hammer; it made a huge impact through its array of timbres as well as smart combination of Asian time signatures, blues-rock sensibilities, and, above all, the strong personality of each musician. McLaughlin, clad in a loose white tunic and holding a double-necked guitar that allowed him to play six and twelve string, cut a charismatic figure on big stages such as New York’s Philharmonic Hall (renamed Avery Fisher Hall shortly after the group’s first appearance there and now called David Geffen Hall), the kind of venue that suited the tidal waves of sound the band could unleash at high volume.

By the mid-1970s, McLaughlin had formed another group, Shakti, that was a more explicit expression of his embrace of Indian culture as well as music. This was an “unplugged” setup that found McLaughlin playing acoustic guitar, seated on a podium next to percussionists Zakir Hussain, Ramnad Raghavan, and T.H. Vinayakram. Using tabla, mridangam, and ghatam, these three virtuosi created an intricate rhythmic patchwork into which McLaughlin wove lines that moved seamlessly from soaring melody to jabbing rhythm. Albums such as Natural Elements and A Handful of Beauty were memorable documents of the guitarist’s ability to bridge cultures while bringing his own strength of character to the fore.

Like many of his sources of inspiration, particularly Miles Davis, McLaughlin continued to seek fresh challenges by forming new bands that brought him into contact with a bevy of players of widely differing backgrounds, including the likes of Chick Corea, L. Shankar, David Sanborn, and Paco de Lucía, to name but a few. But he also had the wherewithal to hire young players such as the brilliant Liberian- German bass guitarist Kai Eckhardt; together with Indian percussionist Trilok Gurtu they formed one of the greatest trios of the ’80s. Their 1990 album Live at the Royal Festival Hall is a superb summary of a band that really came alive on stage. I was lucky enough to hear them perform in France that same year and was struck by the effortless chemistry between the players as well as their vast sonic range. As Gurtu was drawing novel sounds from waterphone, shells, and drum kit, McLaughlin used a guitar synthesizer and pedals that enabled him to produce a rainbow of colors, imbuing the music with a grand orchestral richness. Yet in the midst of this state-of-the-art technology McLaughlin still made captivating statements on acoustic guitar. To hear him play the opening chord sequence of the timeless Miles Davis-Bill Evans anthem Blue in Green was to hear a musician anchored in the history of jazz set sail towards exciting new destinations.

A closer look at his discography reveals that the prevailing categorization of McLaughlin as a fusion superhero has never been entirely accurate. Hence his appearance in Bertrand Tavernier’s acclaimed 1986 movie Round Midnight, a heartfelt evocation of France’s love affair with American jazz, should not be overlooked. Although McLaughlin’s formal attire of dark suit and tie was at odds with the more casual image that has come to define him over the years, he sounds in his element performing a version of Body and Soul. It is an apt reminder that standards and the Great American Songbook are also part of his core vocabulary.

Yet McLaughlin has remained intent on creating music that is utterly distinctive and leading bands of musicians who are both compatible with and challenging each other. In the lineage of Mahavishnu, Shakti, One Truth, and The Heart of Things is his current group The 4th Dimension, which began touring in 2007 (and previously performed at the Pierre Boulez Saal during the hall’s opening week in March 2017). As with his other ensembles, this is an international lineup featuring British keyboardist-drummer Gary Husband, Cameroonian bass guitarist Etienne Mbappé, and Indian percussionist Ranjit Barot. These players, who have all been greatly influenced by McLaughlin’s innovations, bring the artistic personalities and technical chops to ensure that the resulting adventures in sound are as enthralling as ever.