Search - Artist/Band: John McLaughlin

• Name: John McLaughlin
• Birthday: 01/04/1942
• Birth Place: Yorkshire, England
• Decades Active: 1960,1970,1980,1990,2000
• Genre: Jazz
• Styles: Fusion, Jazz-Rock, Post-Bop, World Fusion, Chamber Jazz, Guitar Jazz, Indian Classical, Indian Subcontinent Traditions, Jazz Instrument
• Moods: Cerebral, Complex, Confident, Elaborate, Fiery, Freewheeling, Intense, Passionate, Rousing, Sophisticated, Spiritual, Visceral, Aggressive, Ambitious, Amiable/Good-Natured, Boisterous, Dramatic, Earnest, Exuberant, Literate, Lively, Playful, Provocative, Witty, Wry

Title	Release
Floating Point WA	05/20/2008
Original Album Classics WA	10/29/2007
The Essential John McLaughlin WA	06/26/2007
Sleep Easy Baby WA	01/15/2007
Industrial Zen WA	05/22/2006
Guitar & Bass WA	11/30/2004
Thieves and Poets WA	10/14/2003
Collection	11/28/2000
The Heart of Things: Live in Paris WA	10/03/2000
Belo Horizonte WA	12/28/1999
Remember Shakti WA	04/13/1999
The Heart of Things	1997
This Is Jazz, Vol. 17	09/24/1996
The Promise	1995
After the Rain	1994
Compact Jazz: John McLaughlin WA	1993
Time Remembered: John McLaughlin Plays Bill Evans	1993
Tokyo Live	1993
Que Alegria WA	1992
Jazz, Vol. 2	1991
Adventures in Radioland WA	1987
Music Spoken Here WA	05/1983
Electric Dreams WA	07/1979
Electric Guitarist WA	1979
Devotion WA	09/1970
My Goal's Beyond WA	06/1970
Where Fortune Smiles WA	03/1970
Extrapolation WA	01/18/1969

One of fusion's most virtuosic guitar soloists, John McLaughlin placed his blazing speed in the service of a searching spiritual passion that has kept his music evolving and open to new influences. Whether shredding on electric, or simmering quietly on acoustic, McLaughlin's intensity and under-appreciated versatility nearly always kept his playing vital, and his best moments -- whether as a solo artist or bandmember -- represent some of fusion's greatest recordings. McLaughlin was born January 4, 1942, in Yorkshire, England, and began playing guitar at age 11. Initially attracted to blues and swing, he worked with British artists like Georgie Fame, Graham Bond, Brian Auger, and Ginger Baker. McLaughlin formed his own band in 1968, and recorded the excellent debut Extrapolation in early 1969. Later that year, he moved to New York to join Tony Williams' groundbreaking fusion band Lifetime, and appeared on the classic Emergency! Through Williams, McLaughlin was invited to join Miles Davis' band, and became an important part of fusion landmarks like In a Silent Way, Bitches Brew, and A Tribute to Jack Johnson. In 1970, wanting to explore acoustic and Eastern music, McLaughlin recorded the classic My Goal's Beyond; he soon left Davis, and after one further solo album, Devotion, McLaughlin spent some time woodshedding. He re-emerged in 1971 as leader of the Mahavishnu Orchestra, a seminal band that did much to define and popularize early jazz-rock fusion. Pausing to record Love, Devotion and Surrender with Carlos Santana in 1972, McLaughlin led Mahavishnu until 1975. Returning to spiritual preoccupations on My Goal's Beyond, he then formed Shakti, which fused acoustic jazz with Indian music over the course of three albums. McLaughlin returned to his solo career in the late '70s, forming a backing outfit called the One Truth Band, and also recording the guitar-trio albums Friday Night in San Francisco and Passion, Grace and Fire with fellow fusion burners Al DiMeola and Paco DeLucia. As the '80s went along, McLaughlin experimented with classical/jazz-hybrid composing; there was also a short-lived Mahavishnu reunion in the mid-'80s. McLaughlin has continued to record steadily in both electric and acoustic settings. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide