John McLaughlin unveils new Indo-jazz super trio – track premiere
Mike Flynn
Monday, September 9, 2019
Guitar-guru John McLaughlin is set to release a new album, Is That So?, on 17 January 2020 on the Abstract Logix label.
The album features a collaboration with impressive Indian singer/composer Shankar Mahadevan, and their longstanding friend and tabla titan, Zakir Hussain. The trio have previously worked together in McLaughlin’s revered Indo-jazz group Shakti, where the idea of blending complex traditional Indian rhythms and the guitarist’s advanced take on Western harmony first blossomed six years ago.
McLaughlin explained the album’s concept: “The idea for this album appeared in my mind early 2013. Shankar and I had been touring with Shakti and I was constantly inspired by his superb voice and gigantic talent. Even though I had studied the theory and practice of Indian music for years, I remain a ‘Western’ musician and one aspect of Western music is the magic of harmony.”
Fans can hear a taste of this new work below, which sees the guitar maestro return to his love of Indian music for the first time since 2008’s Floating Point, having consistently toured and released material from his 4th Dimension electric band since.
For more info visit www.abstractlogix.com