John McLaughlin And The 4th Dimension ¤ Now Here This |

John McLaughlin And The 4th Dimension ¤ Now Here This
Also known as: Mahavishnu John McLaughlin
Born: 4 January 1942, Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England
Location: Monte Carlo, MC
Album release: October 16, 2012
Record Label: Abstract Logix
Duration: 50:00
Tracks:
1. Trancefusion (7:16)
2. Riff Raff (7:03)
3. Echos From Then (6:08)
4. Wonderfall (6:28)
5. Call And Answer (5:53)
6. Not Here Not There (6:17)
7. Guitar Love (7:09)
8. Take It Or Leave It (3:46)
Notable instruments:
≡ Gibson EDS-1275
≡ Gibson L-4
≡ Gibson Hummingbird
≡ Fender Mustang
≡ Gibson Les Paul Custom
≡ Abraham Wechter-built "Shakti guitar"
≡ Ovation acoustic
CREDITS:
≡ Ranjit Barot Drums
≡ Frédéric Betin Engineer
≡ Gary Husband Drums, Piano, Synthesizer
≡ Etienne Mbappé Bass (Electric), Fretless Bass
≡ John McLaughlin Composer, Guitar, Primary Artist, Producer
≡ Marcus Wippersberg Engineer, Mastering, Mixing
Billboard Albums:
≡ 2013 Jazz Albums #25
≡ 2012 Jazz Albums #25
Website: http://www.johnmclaughlin.com/
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/johnmclaughlinofficial
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/John-McLaughlin/148685138488165
Press contact: Souvik Dutta
Agent: Ted Kurland
Style:
• John McLaughlin is a leading guitarist in jazz and jazz fusion. His style has been described as one of aggressive speed, technical precision, and harmonic sophistication. He is known for using exotic scales and unconventional time signatures. Indian music has had a profound influence on his style, and, it has been written, he is one of the first westerners to play Indian music to Indian audiences. He was influential in bringing jazz fusion to popularity with Miles Davis, playing with Davis on five of his studio albums, including Davis' first gold certified Bitches Brew, and one live album, Live-Evil. Speaking of himself in an interview with Going Thru Vinyl, McLaughlin has stated that the guitar is simply "part of his body," and feels more comfortable when a guitar is present.
Description:
• "As much of John McLaughlin’s amazing guitar work as there is to be found on Now Here This – and there’s plenty of it – this album is a testament to the combined talents of the veteran fusioneer and his band The Fourth Dimension. With 70 years, a couple dozen albums, and a fair chunk of mind- blowing guitar history under his belt, McLaughlin proves himself to still be a six-stringed force to be reckoned with on Now Here This – but his band mates are equally head-spinning on their respective weapons of choice.
• All in all, Now Here This is a milestone in John McLaughlin’s career for two reasons: first, as proof that he is still not only at the top of his personal game but a giant amongst guitarists past and present; secondly, as the debut of a band that one can only hope remains in McLaughlin’s orbit for years to come."
In french:
• Un John McLaughlin toujours alerte...

-------------------------------------------------------------------
Review by Thom Jurek (Editor rating: ****)
• For anyone who's paid attention to John McLaughlin's recorded output since the turn of the century, it's obvious that he's been on a creative streak unequaled since his days as a Miles Davis sideman and his early Mahavishnu Orchestra recordings. Whether it's his two Remember Shakti sets, or the guitar-and-strings offering that was Thieves and Poets, the Indian carnatic intensity of his Floating Point band, or his forays into fiery, improvisational jazz-rock terrain on Industrial Zen, the evidence is clear. With his latest band, the 4th Dimension, McLaughlin has been on a tear. The band's first offering, To the One, is a direct jazz-rock investigation of John Coltrane's influence on McLaughlin's musical thinking. Now Here This is a knottier jazz-rock fusion offering -- with all the positive connotations of that word and none of the negative. Keyboardist Gary Husband and Cameroonian über-bassist Etienne M'Bappé are holdovers from To the One, while drummer Mark Mondesir has been replaced by Ranjit Barot, who helmed the kit on Floating Point. McLaughlin and the 4th Dimension marry propulsive prog rock to Indian modalities to serious grooves (thanks in no small part to M'Bappé's wildly funky, virtuosic bass playing and Barot's triple-timed breaks and fills). Check opener "Trancefusion" for evidence of kinetic, infectious stop-and-start fusion that keeps rock and jazz in dynamic tension. "Riff Raff" careens with funky bass and keyboard interplay and massive guitar and drum kit grooves. "Echoes from Then" showcases McLaughlin's frenetically rhythmic rock soloing on an extended bass and keyboard vamp, while "Call and Answer" allows Husband to show off his post-bop chops in fluid right-hand flourishes. For balance, there are a couple of mellower cut such as "Wonderfall" (with lovely, languid bass work from M'Bappé) and "Not Here, Not There," a more R&B-oriented, midtempo, jazz-funk vamp that features lyric, emotive playing from McLaughlin. "Guitar Love" is a more rock-based jam, while closer "Take It or Leave It" mines Indian harmony, complex syncopation, and spacey funk with intuitive guitar and keyboard exchanges. Now Here This not only continues the excellent run of albums McLaughlin's amassed in the 21st century, it also displays the 4th Dimension not as a group of sidemen, but as an exciting working band which possesses depth, breadth, and imagination.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Family:
• John has been married to the French pianist Katia Labeque, who was also a member of his band in the early 1980s. He is currently married to Ina Behrend with whom he has a son, Luke (b.1997) and son, Julian, who married Yvonne and had three children, Shannon (b.1995), Jordan (b.1998) and Jay (b.2001).
Equipment:
• Gibson EDS-1275 – McLaughlin played the Gibson doubleneck between 1971 and 1973, his first years with the Mahavishnu Orchestra; this is the guitar which, amplified through a 100-watt Marshall amplifier "in meltdown mode," produced the signature McLaughlin sound hailed by Guitar Player as one of the "50 Greatest Tones of All Time."
• Double Rainbow doubleneck guitar made by Rex Bogue, which McLaughlin played from 1973 to 1975.
• The first Abraham Wechter-built acoustic "Shakti guitar," a customised Gibson J-200 with drone strings transversely across the soundhole.
• He currently plays Godin electric/MIDI guitars, one of which can be seen on the Eric Clapton's Crossroads Chicago 2007 DVD.
Solo albums:
• Extrapolation, 1969, Polydor
• Where Fortune Smiles, 1970, One Way
• Devotion, 1970, Douglas (reissued 1984, Celluloid, and 2001 on CD, Fuel 2000)
• My Goal's Beyond, 1970, Douglas (reissued 1982, Elektra/Musician, and 1987 on CD, Rykodisc)
• Electric Guitarist, 1978, Columbia
• Electric Dreams, 1979, Columbia with One Truth Band
• Belo Horizonte, 1981, Warner Bros. (reissued by Wounded Bird)
• Passion, Grace and Fire, 1982, Philips
• Music Spoken Here, 1982, Warner Bros. (reissued by Wounded Bird)
• Mediterranean Concerto (For Guitar and Orchestra) (Live), 1988, Columbia
• Live at the Royal Festival Hall, 1989, JMT (reissued 2003 and 2011 by Winter & Winter)
• Que Alegria, 1992, Verve
• Time Remembered: John McLaughlin Plays Bill Evans, 1993, Verve
• Tokyo Live, 1993, Polygram
• After the Rain, 1994, Verve
• The Promise, 1995, Verve
• The Guitar Trio, 1996, Verve
• The Heart of Things, 1997, Verve
• The Heart of Things: Live in Paris, 2000, Polygram
• Thieves and Poets, 2003, Verve
• Industrial Zen, 2006, Verve
• Floating Point, 2008, Mediastarz/Abstract Logix
• To the One, 2010, Mediastarz/Abstract Logix
• Now Here This, 2012


© John McLaughlin and the 4th Dimension. Photo by Sven Hoffman
Tonight at the Barbican in London / Gary Husband, John McLaughlin, Ranjit Barot & Etienne Mbappe
John McLaughlin And The 4th Dimension ¤ Now Here This |
John McLaughlin And The 4th Dimension ¤ Now Here This
Also known as: Mahavishnu John McLaughlin
Born: 4 January 1942, Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England
Location: Monte Carlo, MC
Album release: October 16, 2012
Record Label: Abstract Logix
Duration: 50:00
Tracks:
1. Trancefusion (7:16)
2. Riff Raff (7:03)
3. Echos From Then (6:08)
4. Wonderfall (6:28)
5. Call And Answer (5:53)
6. Not Here Not There (6:17)
7. Guitar Love (7:09)
8. Take It Or Leave It (3:46)
Notable instruments:
≡ Gibson EDS-1275
≡ Gibson L-4
≡ Gibson Hummingbird
≡ Fender Mustang
≡ Gibson Les Paul Custom
≡ Abraham Wechter-built "Shakti guitar"
≡ Ovation acoustic
CREDITS:
≡ Ranjit Barot Drums
≡ Frédéric Betin Engineer
≡ Gary Husband Drums, Piano, Synthesizer
≡ Etienne Mbappé Bass (Electric), Fretless Bass
≡ John McLaughlin Composer, Guitar, Primary Artist, Producer
≡ Marcus Wippersberg Engineer, Mastering, Mixing
Billboard Albums:
≡ 2013 Jazz Albums #25
≡ 2012 Jazz Albums #25
Website: http://www.johnmclaughlin.com/
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/johnmclaughlinofficial
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/John-McLaughlin/148685138488165
Press contact: Souvik Dutta
Agent: Ted Kurland
Style:
• John McLaughlin is a leading guitarist in jazz and jazz fusion. His style has been described as one of aggressive speed, technical precision, and harmonic sophistication. He is known for using exotic scales and unconventional time signatures. Indian music has had a profound influence on his style, and, it has been written, he is one of the first westerners to play Indian music to Indian audiences. He was influential in bringing jazz fusion to popularity with Miles Davis, playing with Davis on five of his studio albums, including Davis' first gold certified Bitches Brew, and one live album, Live-Evil. Speaking of himself in an interview with Going Thru Vinyl, McLaughlin has stated that the guitar is simply "part of his body," and feels more comfortable when a guitar is present.
Description:
• "As much of John McLaughlin’s amazing guitar work as there is to be found on Now Here This – and there’s plenty of it – this album is a testament to the combined talents of the veteran fusioneer and his band The Fourth Dimension. With 70 years, a couple dozen albums, and a fair chunk of mind- blowing guitar history under his belt, McLaughlin proves himself to still be a six-stringed force to be reckoned with on Now Here This – but his band mates are equally head-spinning on their respective weapons of choice.
• All in all, Now Here This is a milestone in John McLaughlin’s career for two reasons: first, as proof that he is still not only at the top of his personal game but a giant amongst guitarists past and present; secondly, as the debut of a band that one can only hope remains in McLaughlin’s orbit for years to come."
In french:
• Un John McLaughlin toujours alerte...
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Review by Thom Jurek (Editor rating: ****)
• For anyone who's paid attention to John McLaughlin's recorded output since the turn of the century, it's obvious that he's been on a creative streak unequaled since his days as a Miles Davis sideman and his early Mahavishnu Orchestra recordings. Whether it's his two Remember Shakti sets, or the guitar-and-strings offering that was Thieves and Poets, the Indian carnatic intensity of his Floating Point band, or his forays into fiery, improvisational jazz-rock terrain on Industrial Zen, the evidence is clear. With his latest band, the 4th Dimension, McLaughlin has been on a tear. The band's first offering, To the One, is a direct jazz-rock investigation of John Coltrane's influence on McLaughlin's musical thinking. Now Here This is a knottier jazz-rock fusion offering -- with all the positive connotations of that word and none of the negative. Keyboardist Gary Husband and Cameroonian über-bassist Etienne M'Bappé are holdovers from To the One, while drummer Mark Mondesir has been replaced by Ranjit Barot, who helmed the kit on Floating Point. McLaughlin and the 4th Dimension marry propulsive prog rock to Indian modalities to serious grooves (thanks in no small part to M'Bappé's wildly funky, virtuosic bass playing and Barot's triple-timed breaks and fills). Check opener "Trancefusion" for evidence of kinetic, infectious stop-and-start fusion that keeps rock and jazz in dynamic tension. "Riff Raff" careens with funky bass and keyboard interplay and massive guitar and drum kit grooves. "Echoes from Then" showcases McLaughlin's frenetically rhythmic rock soloing on an extended bass and keyboard vamp, while "Call and Answer" allows Husband to show off his post-bop chops in fluid right-hand flourishes. For balance, there are a couple of mellower cut such as "Wonderfall" (with lovely, languid bass work from M'Bappé) and "Not Here, Not There," a more R&B-oriented, midtempo, jazz-funk vamp that features lyric, emotive playing from McLaughlin. "Guitar Love" is a more rock-based jam, while closer "Take It or Leave It" mines Indian harmony, complex syncopation, and spacey funk with intuitive guitar and keyboard exchanges. Now Here This not only continues the excellent run of albums McLaughlin's amassed in the 21st century, it also displays the 4th Dimension not as a group of sidemen, but as an exciting working band which possesses depth, breadth, and imagination.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Family:
• John has been married to the French pianist Katia Labeque, who was also a member of his band in the early 1980s. He is currently married to Ina Behrend with whom he has a son, Luke (b.1997) and son, Julian, who married Yvonne and had three children, Shannon (b.1995), Jordan (b.1998) and Jay (b.2001).
Equipment:
• Gibson EDS-1275 – McLaughlin played the Gibson doubleneck between 1971 and 1973, his first years with the Mahavishnu Orchestra; this is the guitar which, amplified through a 100-watt Marshall amplifier "in meltdown mode," produced the signature McLaughlin sound hailed by Guitar Player as one of the "50 Greatest Tones of All Time."
• Double Rainbow doubleneck guitar made by Rex Bogue, which McLaughlin played from 1973 to 1975.
• The first Abraham Wechter-built acoustic "Shakti guitar," a customised Gibson J-200 with drone strings transversely across the soundhole.
• He currently plays Godin electric/MIDI guitars, one of which can be seen on the Eric Clapton's Crossroads Chicago 2007 DVD.
Solo albums:
• Extrapolation, 1969, Polydor
• Where Fortune Smiles, 1970, One Way
• Devotion, 1970, Douglas (reissued 1984, Celluloid, and 2001 on CD, Fuel 2000)
• My Goal's Beyond, 1970, Douglas (reissued 1982, Elektra/Musician, and 1987 on CD, Rykodisc)
• Electric Guitarist, 1978, Columbia
• Electric Dreams, 1979, Columbia with One Truth Band
• Belo Horizonte, 1981, Warner Bros. (reissued by Wounded Bird)
• Passion, Grace and Fire, 1982, Philips
• Music Spoken Here, 1982, Warner Bros. (reissued by Wounded Bird)
• Mediterranean Concerto (For Guitar and Orchestra) (Live), 1988, Columbia
• Live at the Royal Festival Hall, 1989, JMT (reissued 2003 and 2011 by Winter & Winter)
• Que Alegria, 1992, Verve
• Time Remembered: John McLaughlin Plays Bill Evans, 1993, Verve
• Tokyo Live, 1993, Polygram
• After the Rain, 1994, Verve
• The Promise, 1995, Verve
• The Guitar Trio, 1996, Verve
• The Heart of Things, 1997, Verve
• The Heart of Things: Live in Paris, 2000, Polygram
• Thieves and Poets, 2003, Verve
• Industrial Zen, 2006, Verve
• Floating Point, 2008, Mediastarz/Abstract Logix
• To the One, 2010, Mediastarz/Abstract Logix
• Now Here This, 2012
Tonight at the Barbican in London / Gary Husband, John McLaughlin, Ranjit Barot & Etienne Mbappe