I think Oz has all the technique he needs to do what he does. McLaughlin has long been my fave electric guy but as far as the last 20 years go I like Oz. I appreciate the musicanship of all those other cats but his music reaches me and theirs does not. Same with George Harrison--hardly virtuosic but IMO he always did the right thing in the allotted space. I realize other people have their favorites and may not care for mine. I've been around the diMeola faction at a concert of "the trio" and I've seen people who thought Eric Johnson put on a clinic jamming with Oz Noy. They could not believe that I or anyone else could have found Oz more musically satisfying than Eric. |
inna, no good ideas regarding your original question. In fact, I now find little to no interest in some of the fusion I enjoyed back in the '70s. Still, MO stands up to the test of time. I just wanted to share that in spite of a few other comments here, seeing MO live was one of the very best concerts I ever attended. It was early in their career (so included Goodman) at a small club in San Diego called Funky Quarters. My date and I had a table (cabaret seating) up front with close views of all the band. It was one of those special moments when everyone was just on. The energy and interplay between each of them was just magical. Lines were traded back and forth and challenged all evening. And Cobham was simply a coiled spring that seemed to drive the intensity of their music more as they worked through their set. I only wish now I had been able to find a recording with that intensity and creativity. For me the closest thing to early MO may be some of the later, instrumental Zappa, but that is not really the same. Anyway, it is fun to see so many who still appreciate McLaughlin and company. |
Pryso, you were very lucky to see them live and perform their best. I read a number of interviews with McLaughlin. After a certain point in time the first Mahavishnu toured all over the world too much. They had to play the same tunes sometimes every other day or even more often, were very tired of everything including each other, virtually had no time to rehears, little time for life outside stage and studio. The characters were also not really compatible, Goodman and Hammer had their own ambitions and challenged John all the time. No wonder, the band didn't last. The second Mahavishnu was different, John himself called it true Mahavishnu Orchestra. Perhaps, but still only one great album - the Visions. |
I only listen to four fusion era albums - Bitches Brew and Pangaea by Miles Davis, and Inner Mounting Flame and Visions Of The Emerald Beyond by Mahavishnu Orchestra. I also listen to some compositions from other albums, not many. I have a Nakamichi 682ZX deck and make compilations. As I mentioned, tunes like Birds of Fire, Sanctuary, Inner Worlds, New York on my Mind, a few others. Life Divine with Santana is excellent too. |
I'm going to have to check out "Visions" again--it didn't grab me at the time the way "Inner Mounting Flame" and "Birds of Fire" did. I didn't care much for the live album except for one great track by Jan Hammer: "Sister Andrea." I do like all the live versions of the material from the first two albums that can be found and I wish I had bought the box set that includes the older material from the same performances that gave us "Between Nothingness and Eternity." I doubt Columbia will ever release that material as a single CD even though the box set is out of print. The used price is double what it used to cost new! Anyway, I absolutely loved this band and I'm glad I caught the original group twice. I just don't think there's anything that quite measures up to the excitement and the spooky, almost telepathic, communication they had. |
I was also lucky to have been able to catch the Mahavishnu Orchestra in a small club the 1st time I saw them, unbelievable! I saw them again in larger venues (2X) and while they always delivered, it never compared to that 1st nightclub show! When I think back for a minute, the club was My Father's Place in Roslyn, NY. I also caught Return to Forever there as well as Larry Coryell's Eleventh House, not to mention Jaco Pastorious small band! I lived close by so I was fortunate to have caught a lot of great music there (one especially memorable night was when I went to see Paul Winter's Consort and an unknown Bruce Springsteen & the E St. Band were 2nd billing!). When Billy Cobham premiered his Crosswinds band (according to the liner notes in his fantastic compilation; Rudiments), the very 1st gigs they had were at My Father's Place. I went 3 nights in a row!!! Us fanboys would gather around the stage at the end of a set, Billy would toss his used, frayed (from all the rimshots!) wooden drumsticks to us. I managed to get TWO from different nights!;) A book I'd very strongly recommend to anyone interested in Fusion is Power, Passion, & Beauty - The Story of the Legendary Mahavishnu Orchestra (the greatest band that ever was) by Walter Kolosky. Very well researched and written, beyond telling the definitive history of the MO, it also is a narrative about the roots of Fusion Jazz, and paints a general picture of the Jazz world at a pivotal point in its history, it's a great read! "....a most enjoyable read. Walter knows more about the MO than I do and I was the bass player!" - Rick Laird |
Correction. " Pasha's Love " composition was written by Trilok Gurtu not by John. This is not the best take, I only have the best take on VHS tape, but still quite good. The bass player is weak. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4e5Fu_tCjK8 |
@ maxnewid: decided to take your advice on The School Of The Arts and have been enjoying the hell out of it the past few days, Thanks! I'm a fusion fan and have always Loved Dixie Dreggs, R2F, Ponty, DiMeola, Corea, et al....but, hey, inna, what can you say...Mahavishnu was always Mahavishnu - nothin' else like 'em!....but then, given all their individual firepower, how could there be, right?? Maybe the band that would best define the 'supergroup of fusion'. |
Long ago I once heard some Danish band perform fusion somewhat similar to Mahavishnu, though no violin. The guitar player was very good. Of course, it was no Mahavishnu, but it was quite impressive. My point is that if anyone is trying to continue the tradition of Mahavishnu style fusion, or Miles style, it is likely that you will find them in Europe, especially in Norway and Denmark. Both McLaughlin and fusion era Davis were always more admired in Europe and Japan. |
