Jazz Fusion Legend, John McLaughlin took his final bow at the Royce Hall on this past Saturday in front of a sold-out crowd.   After 25 shows across the U.S., with more than 16 complete sell-outs, McLaughlin and his current band, the 4th Dimension – Ranjit Barot (drums), Gary Husband (keyboards, drums), and Etienne M’Bappé (bass), performed their final live show in Los Angeles.

Of the living legendary Jazz musicians of the 20^th century, few perform with such purpose and poise as Mahavishnu John McLaughlin. As the groundbreaking Jazz-fusion originating guitarist has put it in two separate interviews with Grateful Web, it’s all out of love. Love for life, love for the players in his earth-shattering 4^th Dimension band, love for exploration, love for all people.

“Ronnie Scott’s…” mused the boundary-shattering guitarist John McLaughlin, “…where would I be without them?” The venerable London jazz club and its charismatic namesake gave so much to McLaughlin’s career, the roots of which extend as far back as McLaughlin’s stint as a member of the club’s house band in the 1960s.

“Ronnie Scott’s…” mused the boundary-shattering guitarist John McLaughlin, “…where would I be without them?” The venerable London jazz club and its charismatic namesake gave so much to McLaughlin’s career, the roots of which extend as far back as McLaughlin’s stint as a member of the club’s house band in the 1960s.

In a career that spans over five decades, John McLaughlin, one of music’s most influential and prolific guitarists, composers, and bandleaders, will begin his farewell U.S. tour on November 1 in Buffalo, NY.  McLaughlin will be joined by Jimmy Herring, who has been in the creative forefront of the American rock-jam movement for 25 years.  The Meeting of the Spirits tour will hit 23 cities before ending in Los Angeles on December 9.

Tomorrow, September 18, 2015 via Abstract Logix, the  worldwide release of Black Light finds the relentlessly inquisitive, exploratory Guitarist John McLaughlin continuing to uncover new melodic and rhythmic pathways with the fearless zeal that has made him one of modern music’s most admired and influential figures.  

Grateful Web was humbled and honored to have an extended conversation with jazz-fusion guitarist and bandleader John McLaughlin. He began recording and composing groundbreaking music in the 1960s before joining forces with Miles Davis on his landmark albums “In A Silent Way” and “Bitches Brew”. His band Mahavishnu Orchestra was the fundamental jazz-fusion originator. His illustrious career since has been continually remarkable.

As a musician, composer, and bandleader, John McLaughlin’s vast contributions to contemporary improvisational music are only just beginning to be fully understood, appreciated, and absorbed by artists and enthusiasts alike.

An all-star concert celebrating the 30th anniversary of Paul Reed Smith Guitars will host a pair unprecedented firsts, when legendary guitarist, composer, and bandleader John McLaughlin appears as a special guest with Col. Bruce Hampton and the Aquarium Rescue Unit at what will be the premier performance by the band’s reunited lineup of Hampton, guitarist Jimmy Herring, bassist Oteil Burbridge, drummer Jeff Sipe, and keyboardist Matt Slocum.

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.