John McLaughlin Guitar Tab Books, Instruction DVDs, Solos, Improvisation, Video Lessons

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John McLaughlin - Revolutionary Rock/Jazz Fusion Guitarist!
Compiled & Edited By Steven Herron

    John McLaughlin was born into a musical family on January 4, 1942 near Doncaster in the United Kingdom. Not only was his mom a violinist but his three brothers and one sister were likewise artists. Music, primarily classical, was always in the background in his house however it was not until McLaughlin was nine years of age that he initially took a few piano lessons. Three years later he started to play the guitar, inspired by the recordings of blues guitarists Big Bill Broonzy, Muddy Waters, and Leadbelly.

    At the age of fourteen McLaughlin started to listen to recordings of jazz guitarists including those of Django Reinhardt, Tal Farlow, Jim Hall, and Barney Kessel. He led his own jazz band at school and in the next few years broadened his musical horizons by studying the music of Miles Davis and John Coltrane as well as classical masters Bartok and Debussy.

    For the next 6 years John McLaughlin gained crucial expert experience playing in all types of jazz groups, mainstream to avant garde, and also in rhythm and blues bands. In his late teenage years McLaughlin stayed in the Newcastle Upon Tyne area and played in local jazz bands consisting of Pete Deuchar's "Professors of Ragtime" and Mike Carr's Quintet. He relocated to London when he was 21 and got his first major job with "The Graham Bond Organization". Other artists in this group included bassist Jack Bruce and drummer Ginger Baker of "The Cream".

    John McLaughlin also played with artists such as Georgie Fame, Tony Oxley, John Surman, and Brian Auger. During his years in London John explored many of the principles that are now considered as everyday techniques in many jazz/ rock fusion guitarists' playing. He likewise ended up becoming interested in Eastern philosophy and religion. In the late 1960s he went to Germany for a couple of months. There he played in a free style jazz group led by Gunter Hampel.

    In 1969 John transferred to the USA to perform with drummer Tony Williams's group "Lifetime". Williams was a great admirer of McLaughlin's energetic and unique style, as was Miles Davis. The popular jazz trumpeter later on included him on several of his recordings. A huge transition in McLaughlin's professional career took place in the spring of 1970 when he was introduced to the guru, Sri Chinmoy.

    This chance meeting changed John McLaughlin's attitude towards life. It likewise gave him the inspiration to form his own group and play a brand-new style of music which was considerably influenced by Indian music. The result was the first "Mahavishnu Orchestra". In this band McLaughlin usually played on a specially constructed double neck electric guitar. For numerous jazz lovers the exotic sounds and rhythms of "The Mahavishnu Orchestra" were the best thing to happen to both jazz and rock music for a long period of time.

    From 1975 on John McLaughlin's love for the East and its' way of life continued to influence his playing. In 1976 he formed a new group called "Shakti". It was comprised of Indian instrumentalists and vocalists and triggered as big a sensation on the contemporary jazz scene as the original "Mahavishnu Orchestra" had done. In this group McLaughlin played a specially constructed acoustic Gibson guitar, created by the famous Gibson Guitar Company master luthier Abe Wechter, which included "drones" (open strings), normally found on Indian instruments.

    After "Shakti" split up in 1978 McLaughlin returned to playing electric guitar with his new jazz-rock group called "The One Truth Band". This group did not last long and he went back to playing an acoustic guitar in a trio with jazz guitarist Larry Coryell and flamenco guitar virtuoso Paco de Lucia. This trio attained great success establishing a new format in jazz by mixing improvised music from America, Europe, and the East. The trio continued its success into the 1980s with jazz guitar player Al DiMeola eventually replacing Larry Coryell.

    In 1976 John McLaughlin decided to return to Europe and make his residence in Paris, France. It was there that he often played in an acoustic guitar duo with Christian Escoude. In 1984 he appeared on the Miles Davis album "You're Under Arrest". In November 1985 he premiered composer Michael Gibb's guitar concerto, "Mediterranean Concerto", with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orcheatra in Los Angeles, California.

    In the exact same year John formed another Mahavishnu group with drummer Billy Cobham showcasing jazz saxophonist Bill Evans. In 1988 McLaughlin began an acoustic duo with Indian percussionist Trilok Gurtu. This duo later on broadened into a trio and their 1989 concert at the Royal Festival Hall in London was released on a recording.

    Throughout the past 20 years or so John McLaughlin has actually kept really busy! The guitarist had a trio with organist Joey DeFrancesco and Elvin Jones on drums that was a bit reminiscent of Tony Williams' "Lifetime". In 2007 he assembled the still active jazz fusion band called "The 4th Dimension" which features primarily original music and in 2009 he toured with Chick Corea in an all-star quintet called "The Five Peace Band".