John Mclaughlin S.ganesh Vinayakram Gateway to Rhythm

**John McLaughlin – *This Is Jazz* (1996)** is a compilation album showcasing the groundbreaking work of the British jazz fusion guitarist. Known for his virtuosic technique and innovative blending of jazz, rock, and world music, this collection features highlights from his solo career and collaborations, including tracks that exemplify his pioneering fusion sound. Released as part of the *This Is Jazz* series, the album provides a focused introduction to McLaughlin’s influential style, featuring dynamic guitar work, complex rhythms, and spiritual intensity that have made him a legend in modern jazz.

Six years in the making, Is that So? is one of John McLaughlin's deepest and most profound musical collaborations with prolific Indian composer and vocalist Shankar Mahadevan. Joining the duo is their life-long friend and musical brother Ustad Zakir Hussain on the tabla, who has been collaborating with John since they founded Shakti in the early '70s, acknowledged by most to be the first groundbreaking crossover East-West musical group.

Six years in the making, Is that So? is one of John McLaughlin's deepest and most profound musical collaborations with prolific Indian composer and vocalist Shankar Mahadevan. Joining the duo is their life-long friend and musical brother Ustad Zakir Hussain on the tabla, who has been collaborating with John since they founded Shakti in the early '70s, acknowledged by most to be the first groundbreaking crossover East-West musical group.

This live recording from 1980 matched fusion guitar heavyweights Al DiMeola and John McLaughlin with Spanish guitar whiz Paco DeLucia. The result, a dazzling technical display, also earned jeers as the international summit of world-class finger-wigglers by critics who felt it was long on chops and short on heart. John McLaughlin's importance to the development of the jazz fusion scene can't be overestimated: as the guitarist on Miles Davis's seminal Bitches Brew and A Tribute to Jack Johnson, he was the first significant guitarist of the electric jazz era; on his own, he brought power rock, spiritualism, and lush orchestration to the scene via his Mahavishnu Orchestra. DiMeola, the most commercially successful next-generation fusion guitarist, achieved stardom with Chick Corea's group Return to Forever and on his own records. DeLucia, virtually unknown in the U.S., is a fine flamenco guitarist, and it is that orientation more than anything that colors Friday Night: even when playing straightforward non-flamenco compositions, the phrasing and sensibility lurks behind every note. Still, the passion of the music is frequently marred by the participants' inability to play at anything but the most breakneck pace.

The recording you have in your hand documents the start of John McLaughlin’s journey towards his ideal acoustic guitar trio. For various reasons neither Larry Coryell or Christian Escoudé made it to the end of the journey, being replaced by Al Di Meola and Paco De Lucia, but both were more than capable of holding their own as this concert shows. Escoude, a gypsy-jazz child progidy, came to international attention at the 1978 Nice Jazz Festival; Coryell, a legendary jazz-rock pioneer with virtuosic acoustic skills, was already well known to McLaughlin. The concert was performed at the Den-en Coliseum, Tokyo, Japan July 24,1980, and broadcast by NHK radio.

July 2011, the Montreux audience witnessed the reunification of the two world-class guitarists Carlos Santana and John McLaughlin with her ​​concert "Invitation to the coverage." Both musicians previously occurred regularly over the years the Montreux, this time they were together for the first time as the top play on stage. Shows included most of the songs from his classic 1973 album "Love Devotion Surrender", supplemented by a wide range of other parts. this evening was a prime example of the outstanding musical virtuality and spirituality of this great artist, no one should miss.

Let not the release year deter you from downloading this musican gem. The audio is so excellent on this Master Sound disc that it can put to shame today's generation of audio engineers with a long tail of university degrees. A superb album! My second most favorite album in the fusion genre!