Tír Na HiFi

This is a really beautiful interview with John McLaughlin about the impact of COVID-19 on musicians and the wider world in general. Such a wise and generous interview from one of the guitar-playing greats who wears his 78 years lightly.

At one point in the interview, the interviewer mentions New York jazz pianist Ethan Iverson’s response to the pandemic: “One - the truth must be faced. Two - crisis is opportunity. Three - optimism doesn’t cost a penny.”

McLaughlin acknowledges the first and third points but really hones in on the second point. He starts by using the word, “inspiration”, rather than “opportunity”, and then appears to correct himself and begins to speak about provocation, which is a much stronger word, which serves as a general definition of his approach to music.

“When I go on stage, I want to be provoked. I don’t want to play what I know. I want to go through the barrier into the unknown.”

This is evidently a general musical dictum for McLaughlin which he has followed throughout his career right from his beginnings with the Tony Williams and Miles Davis groups but, in this interview, he refers specifically to the dire plight which many musicians find themselves in right now and he suggests that it represents an opportunity to look inward and commit to serious dedicated practice.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=BdNaWCJL4g4

And, speaking of provocation, here is prime footage of the Mahavishnu Orchestra in concert with fellow Miles Davis alumnus Billy Cobham pushing and prodding McLaughlin every step of the way. They really had a remarkable musical relationship, Cobham and McLaughlin, and their interplay reminds me of John Coltrane with Elvin Jones or Frank Zappa with Vinnie Colaiuta.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rD36-Zn2bA4

McLaughlin really had an extraordinary stage presence. So calm and controlled. So utterly committed to the music. And probably the shortest hair worn by any male musician in 1972.

Wonderful stuff Paul! He really does wear his years lightly. I've only watched about ten minutes of the interview so far so I can't comment. It's great to hear him speak though....

Watching that explosive live performance reminds me of the kind of interplay that's fairly common with the likes of The Scorch Trio and their ilk. But......the real star for me is Dubliner Rick Laird. A quiet, dignified presence who held that whole maelstrom in check. As I said before, thank God for YouTube. Wonderful footage.

Yes, I completely agree about Rick Laird. There is a composure about his playing which is totally assured. Such a wonderful tone he produced on the bass. You could sense that there was a genuine musical understanding between himself, Cobham and McLaughlin. I wonder whether he was the mediator in the band as relations soured between Goodman/Hammer and McLaughlin. He certainly had a very calm demeanour onstage and he was totally authoritative in his playing. I certainly get the feeling that Hammer relied on him a great deal with the sudden shift in time signatures. He certainly wasn’t getting any help from Cobham or McLaughlin who were off in their own world! Hammer, whilst a good musician, certainly was no Joe Zawinul and Goodman’s contributions were more textural. He played off McLaughlin’s very intricate picking on the 12-string and the rhythms he would develop in unison with McLaughlin served as a launchpad for his own solos. And, I believe that Hammer worked with Laird in a similar way when developing his own solos.

Frank Zappa admired John McLaughlin a great deal and this was reciprocated in turn by McLaughlin. His band toured with the Mahavishnu Orchestra In 1973 and I believe that he would stand at the side of the during the Mahavishnu set observing McLaughlin very closely and, similarly, McLaughlin would also take the time to watch Zappa during his set. I believe that they jammed together onstage in 1971 but I haven’t been able to track down that recording yet. I think it was 1969 (around the time of the Hot Rats album) that Zappa’s guitar-playing really matured. Previously, his guitar-playing in the Sixties reminded me of a combination of Jerry Garcia and Wes Montgomery but he really paid attention to Hendrix and particularly his use of feedback. I don’t believe that Zappa paid much attention to Clapton or Page or Beck and he was dismissive of a lot of pop and rock music in general, but he was very interested in McLaughlin.

Another fantastic read. Thanks for that.....