Mahavishnu Orchestra - I Love Contemporary Jazz (1986) + Bonus Track

(U.S 1971–1976, 1984–1987)

If the seventies fell flat by its middle years, it was at least ushered in with dynamic promise as evidenced by the music of John McLaughlin and the Mahavishnu Orchestra. They were a fire which was sparked by Miles Davis and kindled by the Tony Williams Lifetime.

By the time guitarist John McLaughlin emigrated from England to the United States, he had already become accomplished in the areas of r&b, blues, and rock and roll. He had worked with Georgie Fame and the late Graham Bond in his ground-breaking blues-rock organization. He explored avant-garde jazz with bassist Dave Holland and saxophonist John Surman, and he played rock and roll with Jack Bruce and Eric Clapton.

John McLaughlin

When, in 1969, drummer Tony Williams sent for John Mclaughlin, it was to realize his vision for a musical unit that fused rock and jazz. With McLaughlin and organist Larry Young, The Tony Williams Lifetime created and defined what came to be known as fusion. While exploring jazz-rock with The Lifetime, McLaughlin was also probing a more spatial, rhythmic kind of fusion with Miles Davis on his albums, 'In A Silent Way' and 'Bitches Brew'.

By 1971, McLaughlin, like any creative artist, was ready to shape his own ensemble and through his guru, Sri Chinmay, he took on the name of Mahavishnu and sought the best musicians to carry out his mission of creating a group that would mold all the elements fom his musical past and give birth to a new form of expression - The Mahavishnu Orchestra.

Band Members 1971 - 1973

He hired Rick Laird, a soft, spatial jazz-oriented bassist from Ireland and Jan Hammer, an evolving keyboardist from Czechoslovakia. Jerry Goodman, the young violinist from Chicago, was already incorporating jazz into his rock-based group, 'The Flock', and drummer Billy Cobham - through his work with Horace Silver, his own group 'Dreams', and recording with Miles - had the funkiness, the jazziness and the power. 

Albums 1971 - 1975

As evidenced by this collection which includes selections from their three albums, 'The Inner Mounting Flame', 'Birds af Fire' and 'Between Nothingness and Eternity', The Mahavishnu Orchestra created a sound that went inside your gut and turned it around. Despite your religious convictions or lack thereof, the music, McLaughlin's double barrel guitar, Hammer's overwhelming creations on the synthesizer and Cobham's driving and soul-gripping solos were spiritual and represented musical evalution on the highest order.

Band Members 1975

The closeness and intensity of a group of this kind carried naturally from their music to their personal relationships, and, after two years, the five original members went off in different directions to pursue their individual modes af expression. Under the leadership of McLaughlin, 'Apocalypse' and 'Visions of the Emerald Beyond' were recorded with considerably larger groups, and both are represented on this compilation. With this incarnation of the Mahavishnu Orchestra, McLaughlin was able to paint a wider pallet of textures and create a greater array of sounds. Noted violinist Jean-Luc Ponty and his bassist Ralphe Armstrong emerged from the Orchestra to begin their own form af Jazz- rock.

Jean-Luc Ponty

McLaughlin disbanded the Mahavishnu Orchestra in 1975. Like any evolutionary, he continues to explore a variety of musical paths. He formed the more acoustic Eastern-influenced 'Shakti', the more rhythmic one 'Truth Band', and recently performed in a variety af all-star settings including the 'Trio of Doom' with Jaco Pastorius and Tony Williams, and a guitar extravaganza with Paco DeLucia and Larry Coryell.

The collection on this record represents a high-energized powerful time in music, and its repercussions are still being felt and will be felt for a long time to come. Enjoy its timelessness. (Album Liner Notes - Lois Gilbert, NY)

This post consists of FLACs ripped from my pristine vinyl and includes full album artwork for both CD and vinyl media, along with label scans. It should be noted that this album was also released in 1980 under the title 'The Best Of The Mahavishnu Orchestra' (cover is shown below).

To sweeten the deal, I have also decided to include "Cosmic Strut" from their Visions of the Emerald Beyond LP as a bonus track, a personal favourite of mine.

Track List

01 Birds Of Fire 5:42

02 Open Country Joy 3:54

03 Wings Of Karma 6:10

04 Sister Andrea 8:45

05 The Dance Of The Maya 7:15

06 Meeting Of The Spirits 6:49

07 Lila's Dance 5:35

08 Be Happy 3:40

09 Cosmic Strut (Bonus Track)   3:29

Mahavishnu Orchestra members:

John McLaughlin, Vocals (guitar, sitar)

Rick Laird, Ralphe Armstrong (bass)

Bill Cobham, Narada Michael Walden (percussion)

Jan Hammer, Gayle Moran (keyboards)

Gerry Goodman, Jean-Luc Ponty (violin)

Mahavishnu Orchestra Link (305Mb) Updated Link

Mahavishnu Orchestra - Visions Of the Emerald Beyond (1975)

(U.S 1971–1976, 1984–1987)

Mahavishnu Orchestra's Visions of the Emerald Beyond is clearly, inarguably one of the best sounding Jazz/Rock Fusion Albums of All Time. In my experience few records of any kind offer the kind of Dynamics and Energy found on the best pressings of the album — If you have the size and dynamic firepower to reproduce it.

The amazing engineer Ken Scott (Ziggy Stardust, Magical Mystery Tour, Honky Chateau, Crime of the Century) is the man responsible for the sound here, but the explosive dynamics are not just for show. They’re here for a reason. This music requires that level of sonic realism; better yet, demands it. In truth, the sound is not only up to the challenge of expressing the life of the music on this album, it positively enhances it.

When you hear Ponty’s double-tracked violins explode out of each speaker on the first track, you will know what we mean when I say this record is as big and as bold a recording statement as any you have ever heard.

Mahavishnu Orchestra 1975

The Mahavishnu Orchestra on Visions of the Emerald Beyond is a completely different outfit from the one that recorded three LPs for Columbia from 1971-73. 

To put this thing into perspective it might be worth mentioning that McLaughlin was said to have had the best possible fusion band on the planet with Billy Cobham (drums), Rick Laird (bass), Jan Hammer (keyboards) and Jerry Goodman on the fiddle. This was of course the original Mahavishnu line up, Birds Of Fire being the real thing at the time.

But McLauchlin moved on. The new Mahavishnu was born with the likes of Michael Walden, Ralph Armstrong and Jean Luc Ponty, not to mention the string section. I too am a great fan of Visions Of The Emerald Beyond, and see the new Mahavishnu line up as being just as strong as the original lineup. 

Album Review (By Gary Hill, Music Street Journal: 2006 Volume 4)

Well, I tend to figure that fusion that leans heavily towards the rock end of the spectrum qualifies as progressive rock. In that case, there's no question where Mahavishnu Orchestra belongs. Everyone knows about legendary Mahavishnu guitarist John McLaughlin's fret-board prowess, but by the time this incarnation of the band came around Jean-Luc Ponty had joined bringing his exceptional skills on the violin into the fold .The truth is, these guys were an incredibly talented bunch of musicians (beyond the two most recognizable names, even) and they produced some of the most innovative and challenging music of the period. 

Jean Luc Ponty and John McLaughlin

As opposed to a lot of the output of acts like this not all of Mahavishnu Orchestra's songs were strictly instrumental. Almost half the tracks here have at least some vocals, and that adds to the variety of music that the band created. This album is a real killer - although some would say that it doesn't compare to some of their earlier works. It's a must have for prog fans who are looking to explore the fusion side. For those who haven't heard Ponty and McLaughlin, this one would be a great way to get an introduction to the works of both in one shot. They do manage to steal a lot of the show here, and as strong as these two are on their instruments - who cares?

Track by Track Review

Eternity's Breath Part 1

This rises gradually from silence with an organ-dominated sound. Bass and percussion begin to play across and the cut starts to take on a jazz meets Eastern tones texture. A burst of instrumental exploration gives way to a short percussive solo. Then a rather metallic burst of sound leads to a Zappa-like riff. As the vocals enter this becomes a jazz oriented prog rock powerhouse. The occasional side journeys into more Eastern tones are quite cool. They bring this to a logical conclusion, then a flourish of sound serves as the actual end.

Eternity's Breath Part 2

This fills the vacuum left by the previous one. It is a rather straightforward stomper that calls to mind Blood Sweat and Tears a bit. The guitar soloing on here, though, simply shreds. It should be noted that the BS & T link is in reference to the general musical form, and not the vocals arrangement or any such thing. This one is rather simple in terms of song construction, but gains all of its power from the soloing of Jean-Luc Ponty and John McLaughlin. They do twist it around later into a triumphant sounding segment that adds to the power and majesty of the overall track. Then another new segment emerges out of there and eventually pulls the vocals back in. Even then Ponty is soloing all over this thing. After it's done you can just say "wow!"

Lila's Dance

A pretty keyboard line starts this instrumental in a pretty, playful tone that's a definite contrast to the dramatic majesty of the last number. This runs through for a time as the introduction, then a new fusion sort of groove takes the track in slowly rising forms. Ponty cuts loose with a solo over the top of this and it seems as if the song is about to explode. However, instead of cutting loose into a full out fiery jam it moves back to the more restrained with the soloing laying lines of potent melody over the top of this backdrop. Ponty may be the first to solo on this cut, but he is not the only one as the duties are shared throughout this segment. Then it switches gear into a rather Kansas-sounding riff that serves as a transitionary segment. This gives over to a bass dominated segment. Then they burst back out into a guitar scream fest that is quite effective. The Kansas type riff takes it again later and they move it back out to a more melodic ballad type structure to carry forward. Some incredibly dramatic instrumental sounds are woven over the top of this, but eventually the piano returns to bookend this one out. Fans of stunning instrumental work really should not miss this one. It's a powerhouse, and everyone gets a chance to shine here as they move through all sorts of varying themes.

Can't Stand Your Funk

Well, that may be, but I sure like Mahavishnu's style of funk, and this is it. This groove starts off a bit tentatively, but as it kicks into gear full fledged it's an incredibly tasty slice of powerhouse funky tones and progressions. This instrumental is just a little over two minutes in length, but it's all quality. There's no fat on this funk machine.

Pastoral

As one might expect, the gentle sounds of nature lead this one off. They remain alone for the first two or so seconds, then an acoustic guitar motif joins. Ponty begins to weave lines of violin over the top of this backdrop and slowly they rearrange and augment this basic musical structure, enhancing it with each passing run. This is essentially a mellow balladic number, but don't let that fool you - it's anything but boring. It is quite pretty, but there is also plenty happening in this instrumental piece to keep your attention glued. They even include a drop back to classical instrumentation that is accompanied by a return of the natural soundscape. Violin pretty much rules this number, but the sum here is more than just that one instrument. Eventually only the nature sounds remain to end it.

Ralphe Armstrong & John McLaughlin

Faith

A pretty guitar line starts this, but very quickly they begin to work this over and over, creating waves of drama and power that at times become dissonant. This is an incredibly powerful instrumental that packs a lot of exploration into just two minutes. It drops back about half way through to an electric guitar texture and then a rock concert style solo takes it. Drums join in and the band launch into a frantic, but very short burst of excitement that ends in laughter.

Cosmic Strut

This comes in with something that reminds me just a little of Yes. This segment is very short lived (only a couple measures), though. They launch out into a funky sort of fusion groove from there that again showcases some stellar musicianship all around. This thing really captivates and excites as it carries through its variations. It's a pretty pure fusion-oriented outing. McLaughlin and Ponty steal much of the show, but you really can't take away from the rest of the performers, everyone contributes here.

If I Could See

A total change of pace an operatic voice starts this and the band come in as accompaniment, gradually building up to an equal par. This then begins to resemble a very odd early King Crimson sort of approach. This is all out art in motion - with less of an emphasis on musicality than making a point. As it works through the frantic jamming, though, eventually it begins to take on more definite musical themes and it fires out into a super frantic funky jazz jam that's simply awesome. That jam's origin lie in the space that ties this song and the next one together, so there will be more thorough coverage of it there.

Be Happy

The guys are literally on fire here with the bass in particular shining through. You can't take anything away from McLaughlin's guitar pyrotechnics; it's just that it's not as frequent that you get to hear the bass power a track like this. Ralphe Armstrong plays like a man possessed. This instrumental is another showcase piece and one of the best you're likely to hear anywhere.

Earth Ship

In startling contrast to the previous piece, this one starts with very sedate keyboards that build very gradually. After a time the track begins to play around within a jazzy ballad structure that serves as the backdrop for the vocals. This one is more about atmosphere and emotion than furious soloing. In that way it serves as a respite from the fury that we just experienced. Consider this the chance to catch your breath.

Pegasus

Speaking of atmosphere, this is basically a fairly brief section of spacey atmospheric jamming. It never really rises above the level of sound effects in terms of picking up a clear melody, but again it does a nice job of breaking up the disc.

Opus 1

This is a very brief (fifteen seconds) neo-classical introduction. Perhaps an opportunity for the listener to take a breather and set up for the disc's closer and seques straight into it.

On The Way Home To Earth

Spacey sounds rise up from the lead-in number. Then a noisy keyboard texture takes over a bit like some sort of crazy radio signal from a robot. This works its way into a more full-fledged fusion type groove as it carries on. It's still a bit weird and noise oriented, though. This gets pretty intense, but just doesn't quite work to me until it has a false ending couple minutes in. Then a plodding sort of bass chord takes it for a time, serving as the transition into the next movement. They scream out from there into more frantic fusion jamming, this time more on message in terms of the sounds. They still manage to turn it a little dissonant at times, but this is a rather effective piece nonetheless. They pull it towards a more melodic resolution to eventually end, and that's a good thing. Without that effort I'm not sure that this would make a great closer. Even so the ending is kind of abrupt, awkward surprise.

[Extract from musicstreetjournal.com with thanks]

This post consists of FLACS ripped from my first pressing vinyl (yet another gem in my record collection) which I have played many, many times, but religiously taken care of over the years.  Full album artwork and label scans are included.

No bonus tracks needed with this album - it's already loaded with great jazz fusion and has a unique track listing.

Note that I have taken the liberty of reproducing the tracks "If I Could See" &"Be Happy" as one track because they run into one another and I didn't want to interrupt your listening experience with a digital break.  Along with their brilliant LP 'Birds of Fire', this album is definitely Mahavishnu Orchestra's best release in my opinion.

Tracklist:

A1 Eternity's Breath - Part 1 3:10

A2 Eternity's Breath - Part 2 4:51

A3 Lila's Dance 5:37

A4 Can't Stand Your Funk   5:10

A5 Pastoral 3:42

A6 Faith 1:59

B1 Cosmic Strut 3:29

B2 If I Could See  1:16

B3 Be Happy 3:31

B4 Earth Ship 3:44

B5 Pegasus 1:51

B6 Opus 1 0:21

B7 On The Way Home To Earth  4:45

Bass, Vocals – Ralphe Armstrong

Drums, Vocals, Clavinet – Narada Michael Walden

Electric Violin – Jean-Luc Ponty

Guitar, Vocals – John McLaughlin

Keyboards, Vocals – Gayle Moran

Producer – John McLaughlin, Ken Scott, Mahavishnu 

Visions Of The Emerald Beyond Link (232Mb)

John McLaughlin - Electric Guitarist (1978)

(U.K 1962 - Present)

The 1970s were made for such an eclectic and open-eared musician as guitarist John McLaughlin. As blues, rock, free jazz, Eastern scales and psychedelia merged at the end of the previous decade, McLaughlin was perfectly placed to cash in with his distinctive brand of fusion and the world was ready to listen.

Cutting his teeth in the mid to late-‘60s around the jazz clubs of Soho and on the periphery of the British Blues Boom (as well as playing pop sessions for the likes of David Bowie), McLaughlin emerged as a formidable solo artist at the beginning of the ‘70s.

Of course, a stint at Miles Davis University didn’t exactly hamper him either – McLaughlin played on Bitches Brew and several other albums but declined the offer to join Davis’s live touring band.

Following a period playing with another ex-Miles man Tony Williams in Lifetime, McLaughlin – armed with a very loud Les Paul (and bizarre double-necked axe pictured right) – assembled the critically and commercially viable Mahavishnu Orchestra which featured the likes of drummers Billy Cobham and Narada Michael Walden, keyboardist Jan Hammer and violinists Jean-Luc Ponty and Jerry Goodman in its three incarnations. In 1975, McLaughlin ditched the electric guitar for two years to play an all-acoustic mixture of jazz, classical Indian music, flamenco and blues in Shakti alongside violinist L Shankar and percussionist Zakir Hussain.

Always searching, he took stock at the end of 1977 and decided to plug in again. Recorded in New York and Los Angeles, Johnny McLaughlin Electric Guitarist took shape as a tribute to the electric guitar featuring McLaughlin’s key past collaborators. Every track would feature a different lineup and different idiom, from fusion to post-bop. Two years of playing acoustic guitar had helped improve McLaughlin’s touch on the electric and widened his artistic horizons too. [by Matt Phillips, 2015 at Sound of Surprise]

Album Review
If you listen to McLaughlin's version of "My Foolish Heart" from 1978's Johnny McLaughlin - Electric Guitarist, it's hard to logically explain how the same guitarist had also produced the sounds found on so many of his earlier records. It's hard to reconcile this tune with his approach on his debut Extrapolation, Miles' Tribute to Jack Johnson, Larry Coryell's Spaces, and various recordings by the Mahavishnu Orchestra and Shakti. None of those earlier performances would have prepared you for McLaughlin's beautiful treatment of Victor Young and Nat Washington's jazz standard. His warm and serene arrangement sounds like the antithesis of what McLaughlin was known for.

Electric Guitarist was meant to be a comeback record for McLaughlin. Columbia Records was none too pleased that McLaughlin had produced three straight records with his Indian acoustic world music group Shakti. These records would eventually reach legendary status, but at the time they sold embarrassingly poorly. There was hope at Columbia that Electric Guitarist would bring John McLaughlin back to the top of the record sales heap. In the end, although it sold well, it did not sell as many records as Columbia had hoped.

This album features many of McLaughlin's contemporaries, including Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke, Jack DeJohnette, Billy Cobham, Narada Michael Walden, Carlos Santana, Jerry Goodman, and David Sanborn. There is not one weak cut on the entire album. Electric Guitarist also marks the first recorded use of McLaughlin's scalloped fretboard electric guitar, an idea from his Shakti experience that gave him a brand new sound. McLaughlin was able to bend notes and even chords beyond limits. This technique opened up a whole new vocabulary for his compositions.

Key cuts to play really loud include a duet with Billy Cobham, "Phenomenon-Compulsion," and "Are You the One? Are You the One?," featuring Tony Williams and Jack Bruce. This tune harkens back to the great Tony Williams Lifetime that featured McLaughlin, Bruce and the late Larry Young on organ. Even though, for obvious reasons, Young couldn't make this gig, he would have loved this tune. "Do You Hear The Voices You Left Behind," based upon the changes of Coltrane's "Giant Steps," is an unrelenting jazz force that McLaughlin, Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke and Jack DeJohnette play for all they are worth.

Many all-star recordings do not live up to their promise. This album is not one of them. Johnny McLaughlin- Electric Guitarist was the last important recording of the initial jazz-fusion movement.[review by Walter Kolosky, 2002 at All About Jazz]

Album Promo Poster
Original 1978 COLUMBIA RECORDS PROMOTIONAL POSTER for JOHN McLAUGHLIN - "ELECTRIC GUITARIST". 

This hard to find original 45 year old poster for the legendary Mahavishnu Orchestra guitarist John McLaughlin is considered by collectors as the "holy grail" of John McLaughlin posters. It is his very best poster visually and also the most desirable. One recently sold on eBay for $200. Apparently, it was printed in extremely small quantities and distributed to select radio stations, distributors and retailers.

This post consists of FLACs ripped from my 'first pressing' vinyl which I bought in the year of its release, along with the usual high class artwork and label scans. I was a huge fan of Mahavishnu at the time and purchased this album when I sighted it in the record shelves at Melbourne University's Book Emporium. It should be noted that the title of the album actually attributes the album to 'Johnny McLaughlin'.

Track List

A1. New York On My Mind (5:46)

A2. Friendship (7:01)

A3. Every Tear From Every Eye (6:51)

B1. Do You Hear The Voices That You Left Behind? (7:40)

B2. Are You The One? Are You The One? (4:41)

B3. Phenomenon: Compulsion (3:21)

B4. My Foolish Heart (3:26)

The Players

John McLaughlin (guitar) with Jack Bruce (bass on B2), Stanley Clarke (acoustic bass on B1), Bill Cobham (drums on A1/B3), Chick Corea (piano and mini-moog on B1), Tom Coster (organ on A2), Jack DeJohnette (drums on B1), Stu Goldberg (electric piano, organ & mini-moog synthesizer on A1), Jerry Goodman (violon on A1), Neil Jason (bass on A2), Alphonso Johnson (Taurus bass pedals and bass on A3), Alyrio Lima (percussion on A2), Armando Peraza (congas on A2), Patrice Rushen (piano on A3), David Sanborn (alto sax on A3), Devadip Carlos Santana (guitar on A2), Fernando Saunders (bass on A1), Tony Smith (drums on A3), Narada Michael Walden (drums on A2), Tony Williams (drums on B2)

John McLaughlin Link (205Mb)

Jimi Hendrix with John McLaughlin / Johnny Winter - Jam Sessions at The Record Plant (1969) Ex Bootleg

(U.S 1967-1970)
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Jimi Hendrix jammed with numerous artists during his 'experience years' but regrettably many of these sessions were never recorded or have yet to surface. Artists such as Eric Clapton and Jack Bruce (Hendrix was a big fan of Cream and included 'Sunshine of your Love' in his earlier gigs), Jim Morrison from the Doors, B.B King, Roy Buchanan, Jeff Beck, Stevie Wonder, Peter Tork from the Monkees (who toured with the Experience in their early stages) and Eric Burdon and War at Ronnie Scott's Club, the night on which he died.
Jim also jammed with John McLaughlin (from Mahavishnu Orchestra) and Johnny Winter (the master of the Blues and slide guitar) at the Record Plant and these sessions were recorded for prosperity.
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John McLaughlin Sessions:
"In 1969, guitarist John McLaughlin, who had just signed with Alan Douglas, began working at the Record Plant on the album 'Devotion'. Joining John McLaughlin on the album were Buddy Miles on drums and Larry Young on Keyboards. While this album was being recorded in the Record Plant's lower level, Hendrix worked in the studio upstairs.

.On one fortunate occasion, the two guitarists met. A few days after his arrival in the US, John McLaughlin recorded with Miles Davis for his 1969 album 'In a Silent Way'. He later jammed with Hendrix at NY's Record Plant, where Hendrix was playing with Buddy Miles, bassist Roland Robinson, and guitarist Jim McCarty (of BM Express). At the request of Mitch Mitchell, John McLaughlin went to the Record Plant with the intention of jamming with Hendrix, not recording.
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In 1996, Steven Roby interviewed John McLaughlin and asked him how the jam with Hendrix took place.
'It was through Mitch Mitchell. Mitch and I go back to working with Georgie Fame in the early 60's. In 1969, I was playing with Tony Williams. Mitch was a big fan of his and would come to see us play at the Vanguard. One night Mitch invited us to the Record Plant. I came down with Larry Young and Dave Holland (MD's bassist 68-70). Basically, we played, but it was difficult because at the time I was using a hollow-bodied acoustic.....like a country guitar. The volume on it was so low and Buddy Miles was playing drums so loud. Dave Holland was there and Jimi played electric. It wasn't really a playing session....it was just hanging out....having a good time. I've only heard a little bit of tape, about two or three minutes, that's all they sent me. It sounded terrible to me.' An energized Hendrix and Buddy Miles dominated the three jams based on blues riffs, and McLaughlin's guitar static was too distracting to make this a great moment in rock history.
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In 1974, Alan Douglas discovered the tape of of John McLaughlin and Hendrix jamming and was ecstatic: 'the tape we have of them together is not only a historical thing, it's very exciting. It's going to have a heavy impact on the musical audience. It's Jimi playing in a way that's never been released before'. Douglas quickly drew up a promotion campaign and started feeding the press teasers about the jazz-fusion material he had on tape between John McLaughlin and Hendrix. Oui magazine reported in Feb1975 that Reprise would release one album of this material and Nemperor Records (McLaughlin's manager's label) would come out with an alternate one. After hearing a sample of these jams, rock critic Dave Marsh wrote in Penthouse Magazine: 'The McLaughlin/Hendrix tapes are reportedly ten hours long.....once they got started, McLaughlin and Hendrix achieve the sort of interplay that producers of super-sessions always seek but rarely discover'.
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Mysteriously, neither record was released and the boasts about hours of recordings full of non-stop jamming were silenced when archivist John McDermott explained in his book "Sessions": 'All that remains of this special summit (March 25 1969) is one thirty-minute reel of recording tape.' No one seems to know what happened to the recordings that inspired Douglas to say, 'I felt like I had been to Tibet.'

John McLaughlin was happy that this project was aborted. 'They were looking to squeeze as much money as possible out of what to me was a scam', he later explained. 'Jimi had already been scammed by these people, because most people will want to buy something on the strength of the name. Jimi's name and my name, and who ever else was there - it was just a scam. For me, I would have been delighted to see something good to have resulted from it, but it wasn't a recording session. I didn't play very long. There were other guitar players down there. They were all playing good and Jimi sounded great. Jimi was a revolutionary like Coltrane. He could do things with the guitar that nobody has ever done before. We all owe him a great deal' [Extract from : 'Black Gold - The Lost Archives of Jimi Hendrix', Steven Roby 2002]

Footnote: These thirty minutes of the McLaughlin/Hendrix jams have surfaced in the collector's network and apparently this is all that remains of the loosely organised jam that John McLaughlin said 'lasted from two til eight in the morning'. If other reels exist from the 6-hour session, they have not surfaced. Since John McLaughlin was not too thrilled with the short sample tape that Alan Douglas gave him, it is unlikely he would ever approve a future release. The songs that appear on the thirty minute tape are "Drivin' South", "Everything's Gonna be Alright" and are included in this rip.
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Johnny Winter Sessions:
In New Musical Express (NME a UK music magazine), the 6 Feb. 1971 issue there is an interview with Johnny Winter -
"I first met Jimi Hendrix at The Scene [popular New York City nightclub that his manager Steve Paul had in 1968]. I was a Jimi Hendrix groupie, and he was a Johnny Winter groupie. ....
We jammed together at The Scene a good bit; Jimi jammed with anybody who stayed there long enough. What we would often do after the club closed is go over to a studio where he had recording time booked regularly, and play around with things, maybe play for several hours and then some other day listen to the tapes to pick out the good parts for ideas to work into songs.
One of the things that the studio people were interested in putting out from the jams was an old Guitar Slim tune "The Things I Used to Do." I was playing slide and Jimi Hendrix was playing regular guitar and singing. It was just playing around, but it was a lot better than some of the stuff that was put out after he died. Some of that stuff should never have been released. The trouble when we played together was that we both respected each other's playing so much that we'd each lay back and wait for the other to play lead.
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I never really learned much from playing with Jimi Hendrix, though, because we had both learned from the same people; we had the same influences - but the music evolved in different ways. I guess I did learn from him some, however, though I didn't want to be copying him. It's just that any guitar player can learn from someone who has that many ideas and can do so much."
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Then Johnny Winter talks about how they went into the Record Plant Studios in NY and jammed...
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"We didn't play any particular tunes. It was just an extended guitar workshop. I mean, you just couldn't show that man anything new. It was just a case of Jimi watching how I used a bottleneck when playing. All I was doing was more or less demonstrating the basic technique to him."
And Johnny Winter goes on: "I guess Jimi Hendrix and I must have played together for at least two or three hours that day. Now...if someone was to do a professional job of editing those tapes, I'm sure we could get a good album out of them. If they're good, then I'd really like to see them come out for everyone to hear. I know I shouldn't say it, 'cause I'm under contract to another company and all that stuff, but really, I'm not bothered if I don't make a penny from them. It's just that I liked him so much."

.In another interview with Johnny Winter, this time in UniVibes (issue 4, November 1991), Winter was asked - You're sometimes credited as playing on a Jimi Hendrix bootleg called `Sky High' along with Jim Morrison and others playing `Red House', `The Sunshine Of Your Love' and several other songs...
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Winter responded - "Oh, I never even met Jim Morrison! There's a whole album of Hendrix and Morrison and I'm supposedly on the album but I don't think I am `cause I never met Jim Morrison in my life! I'm sure I never, never played with Jim Morrison at all! I don't know how that rumour got started".
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All tracks ripped at 320kps and full album artwork is included (with alternative covers) - source unknown.
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Track Listing:
01. Drivin' South
02. Everything's Gonna Be Alright/Jam
.Studio Recording (March 25, 1969 Record Plant, New York, NY)
Jimi Hendrix - guitar
John McLaughlin - guitar
Dave Holland -on bass
Buddy Miles - drums
Mitch Mitchell - drums on final part
Bass ?
03. Instrumental Jam 1
04. Earth Blues Jam
05. Instrumental Jam 2
06. The Things I Used To Do (Take 1)
07. Ships passing The Night
08. The Things I Used To Do (Take 2)
.Studio Recording (May 7th 1969 Record Plant, New York, NY)
Jimi Hendrix - Guitar, dialogue
Johnny Winter - Slide guitar
Steve Stills - Bass
Dallas Taylor - Drums
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Hendrix Jams Link (107 Mb) New Link 03/09/25
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