The biggest blessing that jazz music has brought to the world is it’s ability to tie different cultures, places, and musical ideas, all bound together by one common unity; love. Guitarist John McLaughlin, a pioneer of the jazz-fusion movement and continuation lets his music thrive in a state of flexibility that had lead him to brilliant collaborations with other craft masters worldwide. McLaughlin’s impressive career reveals a pivotal purpose of exploration and always reaches for more questions rather than answering old ones.

During the summer of 2013, guitar legend John McLaughlin and his trailblazing band The 4th Dimension – Gary Husband on keyboards and drums, Etienne Mbappe on bass, and Ranjit Barot on drums and vocals – a rare tour across America. On June 22nd they performed at the Berklee College of Music in Boston.

World-renowned guitarist John McLaughlin, is set to begin his first U.S. tour in three years.  The tour begins on June 11th in Durham, NC and will hit Asheville, DC, Bethlehem, Boston and a 3-night stand in New York City at the Blue Note before ending in Toronto on June 23rd.  McLaughlin and his legendary 4th Dimension band will also make a special appearance at this year’s Bonnaroo Festival in Manchester, Tennessee on June 14th.“Since I last visited the US, there has been a change in my band 'The 4th Dimension'.

Grateful Web recently had the opportunity to speak to legendary bandleader, composer and jazz guitarist, John McLaughlin.  John discussed his ongoing and diverse collaborations through the years, his newest album, Now Here This, and some of the guitarists who continue to push the envelope.

The only detractor to using the word jazz to describe a genre of music that is too many different progressions have made it useless as an adjective. What does it mean when something is “jazzy”? Many would here a walking bass line accompanied by swinging guitar licks and a brass section leading a melody. Others might think of Flamenco, Indian sitar styling, or Bluegrass. Many fans prefer the Modal or Cool sound and the artists of that classic period.

– It has been nearly two years since world-renowned guitarist John McLaughlin released To the One, his highly acclaimed, first studio recording, with The 4^th Dimension.  The veteran guitar aficionado celebrates his 70^th birthday year with his newest studio recording, Now Here This (Abstract Logix) set for release tomorrow, October 16^th as he ups-the-ante even further with greater fire, finesse and freewheeling interplay.

After driving around downtown Boulder for about 20 minutes and finally finding a parking spot eight blocks away, I hurried through the crowds toward the Boulder Theater.  The John McLaughlin concert on Saturday just happened to coincide with the city’s annual Christmas parade.