John McLaughlin

• Genre: Fusion
• Hometown: Yorkshire, England

About

Not many people have a Miles Davis track named after them, but guitarist John McLaughlin earned that honor for his raw jazz-based soloing which held together Davis' monumental Bitches Brew. McLaughlin's versatility and stylistic mastery is unmatched; he's worn many hats through the years, helping to invent Fusion with his combination of jazz virtuosity and blistering rock 'n' roll aggression. His playing is layered and tasteful, floating from full speed improvisation to open-sounding chords and chameleon-like variations. He began as a session player in England, jamming with Clapton, Hendrix and Jimmy Page, and worked his way up to a brilliant Post Bop debut Extrapolation. McLaughlin moved on to join Tony Williams' Lifetime and Miles Davis' bands, before founding the Mahavishnu Orchestra in the early '70s. Dissatisfied with the limitations of playing a single genre, McLaughlin joined tabla master Zakir Hussain to form Shakti, an innovative and exceptional combination of Indian classical music and jazz. His intense, fruitful collaborations are also numerous: over the years McLaughlin has recorded outstanding albums with Carlos Santana, Buddy Miles, Billy Cobham, Paco De Lucia and Al Dimeola, and many more.

- Jessy Terry