Oct26
Posted on Oct 26 by blondsummer
This is what it was like to be there, and being there was awesome. When John McLaughlin announced a 2017 joint tour with Jimmy Herring, a favorite disciple of McLaughlin’s otherworldly, progressive guitar mastery, there was a considerable buzz of anticipation among the guitar-heads, and certainly among the devotees of the Mahavishnu Orchestra portion of McLaughlin’s illustrious career. Herring, an incredibly talented and versatile player, seemed a perfect, informed choice to usher in each evening with The Invisible Whip, his quintet of marksmen that included former Aquarium Rescue Unit drummer Jeff Sipe. Formidable tasks have befallen many the supporting act, and this was a whopper, yet Herring and his band were nothing shy of spectacular. Only a master himself could follow his apprentice with something equally sensational, and McLaughlin and his 4th Dimension did just that. > Read...
Jan08
Posted on Jan 8 by blondsummer
Dear Friends, At year’s end, I often reflect on the passing of the year, and even more so on the passing of friends who have left us during this year. More than a few were musicians whom I’ve known for many years. And while I feel the loss deeply, it’s no reason to be sad since we are all on the same path to the end, so we should be joyful in the memories and love in our hearts. In 2018 I am not accepting any tours, but will be playing special concerts/events. The first of these will be in India in February 2018, two of which will be with the 4D in Mumbai, and one in Bangalore with Shankar Mahadevan, which will be titled “Remembering Shrinivas”, the marvelous Mandolinist in Shakti whom we lost in 2014. Speaking of Shankar Mahadevan, he and I have been working on an independent project for the past few years, and we intend to release some music from this collaboration during the 1st half of 2018. This project combines the music of the...
Déc02
Posted on Déc 2 by blondsummer
For my farewell tour of the U.S. Paul Reed Smith built me the guitar of my dreams: a hand made double neck 6 and 12 string with a whammy bar on the 6 string. It’s a magnificent instrument and it’s already priceless to me. It’s for this reason I wish to auction it after my tour in December 2017, to raise money for a non-profit organisation in Ramallah, who are healing through music therapy, traumatized children and women. The entire proceeds from the sale of my guitar will go to the Music Therapy Center in Ramallah. Children are the future of our world, and those born in Palestine suffer for no reason other than to have been born there. The funds from the sale of my guitar will help alleviate this suffering. Speaking as an ‘old hippy’, If I’m not part of the solution, I’m part of the problem. Thank you for reading. JM The guitar comes with a custom case and a signed letter of authenticity will be included. Link...
Nov03
Posted on Nov 3 by blondsummer
For my farewell tour of the US, Paul Reed Smith built me the guitar of my dreams. It is hand made and integrates everything I need in a guitar. It is a magnificent instrument of great intrinsic value, and after my final and farewell tour of America, it will become priceless to me. It is for this reason I wish to auction it at the end of my tour, to raise money for the people who are healing through music, traumatized children and adults, in Palestine. I again visited Palestine in mid October to see the situation, and unfortunately, it has deteriorated. There is acute need for support for this NGO. They are running out of funds, and the wonderful work they are doing will cease without additional support. Even if you have no desire for a guitar, you can always make a donation at the following website, no matter how small it may be, it will be received with profound gratitude. https://igg.me/at/kqzWVIWvyps Children are the future of our world, and those born in Palestine suffer for no reason...
Oct29
Posted on Oct 29 by blondsummer
R.I. is on farewell U.S. tour for the fusion pioneer and master of many styles. John McLaughlin may very well be the master of reinventing himself, something that began long before it became trendy. The 75-year-old British guitarist has focused predominantly on the wide-ranging genre of jazz, composing music and leading bands, but is known for meshing that with everything from flamenco to Indian classical music. His dabbling earned him a place in the music industry as one of the pioneers of true fusion. Read more...
Oct28
Posted on Oct 28 by blondsummer
When John McLaughlin looked through his archives in preparation for an upcoming tour celebrating his pioneering Seventies jazz-rock outfit the Mahavishnu Orchestra, he was shocked by how out-there his old tunes still seemed. « I was into my yoga, my meditation, no drugs, but I wrote some weird music in those days, man, » says the British guitar virtuoso with a laugh. Read more...
