John McLaughlin

McLaughlin, John (b. 4th January 1942, Doncaster). Piano lessons from age eight, took up the guitar three years later. First professional job 1959 with Pete Deucher and his Professors of Ragtime that took him to London; worked as guitar salesman/repairs at Lew Davies/Selmer shop; established himself on London scene — 1961 with Marzipan Twisters, Al Watson and Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames (1961-62); 1963 with the Graham Bond Organisation, Tony Meehan Combo; 1964 with Brian Auger Quintet, Ian Carr, member of Ready Steady Go TV orchestra, appeared on Rolling Stones album Metamorphosis; 1965-66 with Herbie Goins and the Night-Timers; session work with Tom Jones, Englebert Humperdink, Sandy Shaw, Petula Clark, Burt Bacharach, Dione Warwick; in backing band for Wilson Pickett and the Four Tops during their UK tours; on film soundtrack of Casino Royale.

1966-67 with Gordon Beck Quartet also played with Alexis Korner, Duffy Powers, house band at Ronnie Scott’s with Mike Carr (org); Jackie Gatton (d), jazz and poetry band The Huge Local Sun with Pete Brown and Dick Heckstall-Smith; Danny Thompson Trio; became disenchanted with studio scene moved to Germany and Gunter Hempel’s Time Is Now for six months; returned and was active in Ronnie’s Old Place; own bands with Glenn Hughes (baritone sax), short lived group with Dudu Puckwana, Louis Moholo, Johnny Dyani; 1967-8 with Gordon Beck Quartet and Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames appears on Fame’s “Knock on Wood”/“Roadrunner” single and his hit album Ballad of Bonnie and Clyde; own quartet with John Surman (baritone sax), Dave Holland (b); Tony Oxley (d) invited to record for Giorgio Gomelsky’s Marmalade label, by time they had come to record Holland had left for New York, replaced on Extrapolation by Brian Odges; album is regarded as classic of British jazz.

Invited to join drummer Tony Williams’ Lifetime (Williams on drums, Larry Young organ) left for New York on 3rd February 1969 was jamming with Williams in Count Basie’s in Harlem when Miles Davis heard him; appears on Davis’ In A Silent Way; 18th February turned down request from Davis to join his group but appeared on subsequent Davis albums Bitches Brew, Circle in the Round, Directions, Jack Johnson, Get Up With It, On the Corner and Live-Evil. Albums with Tony Williams Lifetime Emergency!, Turn It Over. Bootleg session with Jimi Hendrix Hell’s Session; Super Nova with Wayne Shorter; Infinite Search with Miroslav Vitous; Song of the Wind with Joe Farrell; Spaces and Planet End with Larry Coryell; McLaughlin’s own albums from this period Where Fortune Smiles and My Goals Beyond.

Formed own band in 1971 with Jerry Goodman (violin), Jan Hammer (key), Rick Laird (b), Billy Cobham (d) called The Mahavishnu Orchestra; debuted July 1971 at Gaslight Café in Greenwich Village; changed the face of jazz-rock; Chick Corea and Joe Zawinul on record as saying more influential than Miles Davis’ recordings of the period; albums Inner Mounting Flame, Birds of Fire and Between Nothingness and Eternity.

In 1999 Columbia released The Lost Trident Sessions, recorded in London by the band 25-29 June 1973; these albums established McLaughlin’s reputation as one of the guitar greats in jazz; 1973 recorded Love, Devotion, Surrender with Carlos Santana dedicated to John Coltraneand toured the album; subsequent versions of Mahavishnu with Jean-Luc Ponty on violin (George Martin produced Apocalypse; Visions of the Emerald Beyond); 1975 formed Shakti to explore Indian classical music, several albums on Columbia, revered in Indian sub-continent where they achieved a fusion of the north and southern Indian karnactic traditions; 1979 formed Guitar Trio with Paco de Lucía and Larry Coryell (replaced by Al Di Meola); 1984 formed Mahavishnu with tenor saxist Bill Evans; 1986 appeared in Bertrand Tavernier's film Round Midnight; late 1980s trio with percussionist Trilok Gurtu; variety of projects in 1990s, including recording and touring with organist Joey DeFrancesco, new edition of Shakti; reunited the Guitar Trio; 2000s wrote ballet score; Five Piece Band with Chick Corea; formed 4th Dimension, which would be his regular touring and recording band which included drummer/keyboardist Gary Husband.

In 2017 final tour of U.S.A. with 4th Dimension with support band Jimmy Herring, who joined McLaughlin at end of each concert for a return to original Mahavishnu numbers; 2019 McLaughlin, now 77 years of age, limits himself to “one off” performances.