John McLaughlin — „Liberation Time“(July 16th, 2021) ⊆⊕⊇ As the world reels from the social, emotional, and spiritual toll of the ongoing viral~induced global lockdown, McLaughlin reflects on both the perils and potential of this challenging moment with “Liberation Time” — his newest album, available July 16th on Abstract Logix/Mediastarz. In the fall of 2020, as the reality of pandemic limitations set in, McLaughlin commenced work on “Liberation Time” as a “direct response” (his words) to the mandated restrictions imposed by the spread of Covid~19. Characterized by both joy and reflection, “Liberation Time” finds McLaughlin harnessing his frustrations and redirecting that energy. “The result,” he explains in a candid liner note, “was an explosion of music in my mind.” Also known as: Mahavishnu John McLaughlin Born: 4 January 1942, Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England Location: Monte Carlo, Monaco Album release: July 16th, 2021 Record Label: Abstract Logix Duration: 37:00 Tracks: 01. As the Spirit Sings 5:22 02. Singing Our Secrets 5:06 03. Lockdown Blues 7:14 04. Mila Repa 2:28 05. Right Here, Right Now, Right On 7:23 06. Shade of Blue 1:38 07. Liberation Time 7:49 Line~up: ∝ John McLaughlin (Guitar, Guitar synth, Piano); ∝ Roger Rossignol (Piano); ∝ Ranjit Barot (Drums, Konokol); ∝ Jean Michel. ‘Kiki’ Aublette (Drums,Bass); ∝ Vinnie Colaiuta (Drums); ∝ Nicolas Viccaro (Drums); ∝ Julian Siegel (Tenor Sax); ∝ Etienne MBappe (Bass); ∝ Gary Husband (Drums, Piano); ∝ Sam Burgess (Bass); ∝ Jerome Regard (Bass); ∝Oz Ezzeldin (Piano)
Description: Ξ A living legend of improvised music, with a career now spanning more than five decades, John McLaughlin is no stranger to translating tumultuous moments into compelling, thoughtful audio art. Witness his searing contributions to Miles Davis’s infamous Jack Johnson sessions, the explosively pioneering rock/jazz hybrid he helped create as a member of the first edition of Tony Williams’s Lifetime, or the expansive explorations encompassed by his own music — be it the rhythmic revolution of the Mahavishnu Orchestra, the unprecedented east/west fusion of Shakti, or the thrilling telepathic interplay his current outfit, the 4th Dimension. Ξ With his newest album, Liberation Time, McLaughlin draws from one of humanity’s most fraught, uncertain epochs to produce music that gracefully reflects the uncertainty, vulnerability, and slowly awakening joy of our times. A direct response to the mandated restrictions imposed by the spread of Covid~19, the album is — unusually for McLaughlin’s recent projects — not the work of one fixed ensemble. With physical proximity no longer a prerequisite, McLaughlin drew upon decades of experience as a bandleader to select musicians best suited to each composition. Ξ “As the Spirit Sings” introduces the album by contrasting churning rhythmic tension (stoked by drummer Vinnie Colaiuta and bassist Sam Burgess) with McLaughlin’s soaring guitar figures — all underpinned by Gary Husband’s subtle, supportive piano. The knotty post~bop figures of “Right Here, Right Now, Right On” mark one of the most jazz~inflected performances McLaughlin has laid down in some time, featuring Nicolas Viccaro (drums), Jerome Regard (bass), Julian Siegel (tenor saxophone), and Oz Ezzeldin (piano). The sense of brotherhood that bonds McLaughlin’s current 4th Dimension ensemble (McLaughlin, Husband, bassist Etienne Mbappe, and drummer Ranjit Barot) is on full display during “Lockdown Blues,” a playful refraction examination of blues tropes first released last summer to benefit the Jazz Foundation of America. Ξ With vaccination campaigns now in full effect and a more promising tomorrow coming into view, Liberation Time’s title track can be felt as visceral anticipation — a rousing glimpse into an unbound future rich with possibilities. And while much of Liberation Blues revels in the sort of spontaneous interplay that has been denied by Covid restrictions, some of the album’s most touching moments feature McLaughlin alone at the piano — an instrument he has not recorded on since his 1973 collaboration with Carlos Santana, Love Devotion Surrender. Ξ Liberation Time is a product of its times, and yet it looks both forwards and backwards — at once drawing upon memories of better days yet reaching for a new dawn. Looking back at the album’s transcontinental sessions, McLaughlin concludes, “The wonderful thing about music is that you put the headphones on and you are all in the same room.” By Michael Ullman, JULY 4, 2021: https://artsfuse.org/232000/jazz-album-review-john-mclaughlins-liberation-time-driven-by-the-spirit/ WEB: https://www.johnmclaughlin.com/2021/05/liberation-time/ Label: https://linktr.ee/abstractlogix
John McLaughlin — „Liberation Time“ (July 16th, 2021)
⊆⊕⊇ As the world reels from the social, emotional, and spiritual toll of the ongoing viral~induced global lockdown, McLaughlin reflects on both the perils and potential of this challenging moment with “Liberation Time” — his newest album, available July 16th on Abstract Logix/Mediastarz. In the fall of 2020, as the reality of pandemic limitations set in, McLaughlin commenced work on “Liberation Time” as a “direct response” (his words) to the mandated restrictions imposed by the spread of Covid~19. Characterized by both joy and reflection, “Liberation Time” finds McLaughlin harnessing his frustrations and redirecting that energy. “The result,” he explains in a candid liner note, “was an explosion of music in my mind.”
Also known as: Mahavishnu John McLaughlin
Born: 4 January 1942, Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England
Location: Monte Carlo, Monaco
Album release: July 16th, 2021
Record Label: Abstract Logix
Duration: 37:00
Tracks:
01. As the Spirit Sings 5:22
02. Singing Our Secrets 5:06
03. Lockdown Blues 7:14
04. Mila Repa 2:28
05. Right Here, Right Now, Right On 7:23
06. Shade of Blue 1:38
07. Liberation Time 7:49
Line~up:
∝ John McLaughlin (Guitar, Guitar synth, Piano);
∝ Roger Rossignol (Piano);
∝ Ranjit Barot (Drums, Konokol);
∝ Jean Michel. ‘Kiki’ Aublette (Drums,Bass);
∝ Vinnie Colaiuta (Drums);
∝ Nicolas Viccaro (Drums);
∝ Julian Siegel (Tenor Sax);
∝ Etienne MBappe (Bass);
∝ Gary Husband (Drums, Piano);
∝ Sam Burgess (Bass);
∝ Jerome Regard (Bass);
∝ Oz Ezzeldin (Piano)
Description:
Ξ A living legend of improvised music, with a career now spanning more than five decades, John McLaughlin is no stranger to translating tumultuous moments into compelling, thoughtful audio art. Witness his searing contributions to Miles Davis’s infamous Jack Johnson sessions, the explosively pioneering rock/jazz hybrid he helped create as a member of the first edition of Tony Williams’s Lifetime, or the expansive explorations encompassed by his own music — be it the rhythmic revolution of the Mahavishnu Orchestra, the unprecedented east/west fusion of Shakti, or the thrilling telepathic interplay his current outfit, the 4th Dimension.
Ξ With his newest album, Liberation Time, McLaughlin draws from one of humanity’s most fraught, uncertain epochs to produce music that gracefully reflects the uncertainty, vulnerability, and slowly awakening joy of our times. A direct response to the mandated restrictions imposed by the spread of Covid~19, the album is — unusually for McLaughlin’s recent projects — not the work of one fixed ensemble. With physical proximity no longer a prerequisite, McLaughlin drew upon decades of experience as a bandleader to select musicians best suited to each composition.
Ξ “As the Spirit Sings” introduces the album by contrasting churning rhythmic tension (stoked by drummer Vinnie Colaiuta and bassist Sam Burgess) with McLaughlin’s soaring guitar figures — all underpinned by Gary Husband’s subtle, supportive piano. The knotty post~bop figures of “Right Here, Right Now, Right On” mark one of the most jazz~inflected performances McLaughlin has laid down in some time, featuring Nicolas Viccaro (drums), Jerome Regard (bass), Julian Siegel (tenor saxophone), and Oz Ezzeldin (piano). The sense of brotherhood that bonds McLaughlin’s current 4th Dimension ensemble (McLaughlin, Husband, bassist Etienne Mbappe, and drummer Ranjit Barot) is on full display during “Lockdown Blues,” a playful refraction examination of blues tropes first released last summer to benefit the Jazz Foundation of America.
Ξ With vaccination campaigns now in full effect and a more promising tomorrow coming into view, Liberation Time’s title track can be felt as visceral anticipation — a rousing glimpse into an unbound future rich with possibilities. And while much of Liberation Blues revels in the sort of spontaneous interplay that has been denied by Covid restrictions, some of the album’s most touching moments feature McLaughlin alone at the piano — an instrument he has not recorded on since his 1973 collaboration with Carlos Santana, Love Devotion Surrender.
Ξ Liberation Time is a product of its times, and yet it looks both forwards and backwards — at once drawing upon memories of better days yet reaching for a new dawn. Looking back at the album’s transcontinental sessions, McLaughlin concludes, “The wonderful thing about music is that you put the headphones on and you are all in the same room.”
By Michael Ullman, JULY 4, 2021: https://artsfuse.org/232000/jazz-album-review-john-mclaughlins-liberation-time-driven-by-the-spirit/
WEB: https://www.johnmclaughlin.com/2021/05/liberation-time/
Label: https://linktr.ee/abstractlogix