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SUBJECT:	Now Here This Back to Subjects
Gyuri Jan 21 2015 at 12:59 PM	Right now I am listening to John McLaughlin’s 2012 album for the umpteenth time and just cannot get over it. It is absolutely fantastic music from a different world somewhere beyond. I knew, and still know, very little about his music and never really felt like exploring his Mahavishnu phase or anything else by him but this new sound (as far as I can judge, again based on my limited exposure to his music) is in a totally different vein from the very little I have heard so far by him. This new avenue of his, as I have discovered - and may easily be mistaken about it - started somewhere with his "Floating Point" CD, which I will buy very soon. Then he released "To The One" followed by "Now Here This". Just felt like sharing this here. He is exactly what his new band’s name, The 4th Dimension, suggests: walking spirituality. Here is a taster for those who may not know these albums. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98RessAP1rI
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HAMBONE Feb 13 2015 at 1:18 PM	I agree Naut. As much as I have enjoyed JM’s electric productions throughout the years, his acoustic work is my favorite. Especially My Goals Beyond and the trio stuff he did Paco and Al. Truly amazing! And he still has it together. I caught the 4th Dimension July ’13 and he was soloing with almost the same speed and fire that he had 30 years ago.
naut Feb 05 2015 at 4:04 AM	As much as I love John’s electric work, it’s his acoustic playing that I’m most fond of. Some of those lines he plays on the original Shakti albums are completely in outer space. His other acoustic albums, esp. the tribute to Evans, are lovely. Of course, the electric fire in the earliest MO incarnation is incredible as well. / You’re spot-on, blisterfree. What you call groove I might call Pat’s swing element, but I’m sure we’re talking about the same thing. I love it when he does those little hooks that recall the whole tradition in a few bars....
franksexton Jan 26 2015 at 10:45 AM	my favorite of his is "The Promise", which comprises all the different flavors of music he has made. Just wish that "Englishman Jam" was longer.
blisterfree Jan 25 2015 at 10:15 PM	The one descriptor that really fits for Pat’s wide-ranging output, that I find lacking in so many other guitarists, really of any genre, is groove. Whether it’s in a highly-structured PMG tune with a lot of melodic content, or something like Trio Live or Day Trip, Pat always seems to play just the right number of notes in just the right way, per the context of the song and what the rest of the band is doing., but particularly the rhythm section. Not that these other guys like McLaughlin don’t have their moments, but so often there’s a tendency to "solo over something" for its own sake, as though that "something" were simply a means to an end. That "something" stands in place of real song craft, and real band interplay.
hman01 Jan 25 2015 at 1:42 PM	I’m not familiar with a lot of McLaughlin’s work, considering his massive output. But, two tracks that have truly enriched my life are "Little Miss Valley" and "1 Nite Stand" from "The Free Spirits:Live in Tokyo", where he plays with Joey DeFrancesco and Dennis Chambers. I can groove to those tracks anytime,anywhere.Also, in the classical genre, his "Mediterranean Concerto" is nice and well worth checking out.
foper Jan 24 2015 at 5:35 PM	Blister… You and me seem to be of the same mind. I was really heavy into JM and AlDi back in their heydays (the 70s and early 80s). But the incessant speed without any sort of melodic texture to it started wearing on me. I went to a Al DiMeola concert in 1982. Santana was the warm-up band. The concert was so loud it literal rang my ears. They rang so hard I really couldn’t hear the music. We left early. I was well into Pat at the time and made the decision that the whole speed guitar thing was worn out and not worth my time. Pat’s music was more the in realm of what I appreciated.
blisterfree Jan 23 2015 at 1:07 PM	Too bad about the guitar playing, though. Can only manage Johnny Mack in measured doses. Actually that’s the case for me with most jazz guitarists other than Pat. At this point I’ve stopped letting it bother me... I think.
shockandwoe Jan 22 2015 at 1:40 PM	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7w8njCYZ9s
Gyuri Jan 22 2015 at 3:50 AM	...and so is his drummer!
foxesfred Jan 21 2015 at 6:05 PM	...and his Bass player is a BEAST!
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