AMOGH RAO
John Mc
Mumbai’s music scene has grown exponentially since The Quarter’s establishment. We had the
absolute pleasure of having an exclusive conversation with the one and only John Mclaughlin,
where he talks about his time with Miles Davis, his understandings of musical styles and his band
with Ranjit Barot, who also happens to be The Quarter’s co-founder and artistic director.
How has Indian music influenced your playing and style?
It would be difficult to estimate how much the music
of India has influenced my playing and style.
I’ve been listening to Indian music for over 50 years; so
naturally, it has had a profound impact on me. You should not
forget that what drew me to Indian culture initially were the
philosophy, and subsequently the discovery of the common
ground shared by the music of India and jazz. Both of these
musical cultures attempt through improvisation,
the expression of what is essentially unspeakable.
What was it like playing with Miles Davis and how did that
come together?
Miles Davis became my first hero at the age of 16. His
music and his personality were irresistible. Not only was
he a sublime artist, he introduced to the world, some of the
greatest jazz musicians of all time. During the first week
of January 1969 I arrived in New York at the invitation of
drummer Tony Williams, who was at that time playing with
Miles Davis, to complete his trio “Lifetime “. Since Tony was
playing his final week with Miles, I met Miles the same day
I arrived. What was the greatest stroke of luck ever, Miles
invited me to join his recording of the album “In a Silent
Way”. Somehow I passed this baptism of fire and continued
to play and record with him until shortly before his death in 1991.
What is your take on the music scene in India?
Not quite sure what you mean by ‘take’, but there are many
wonderful musicians in India. The Music scene incorporates
the classical world, many musicians from which are involved
in the Bollywood film world, the underground Asian pop
world, and the world of Qawwali. All put together, you have
a very rich musical world in India.
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Score Magazine
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What has your relationship been like with the rest of
Mahavishnu Orchestra's members since it ended? Are
there any upcoming projects with any of them?
The very first Mahavishnu Orchestra ended somewhat
contentiously for the simple reason that we had too much
success too quickly. Since then there is only one musician
from that band with whom I have no contact. This is
unfortunate because I have excellent relationships with
every musician I have ever played with. In 1969, my very
first manager gave me an important point to remember,
he said : “John, failure is easy to deal with, success
much more difficult.” He was right. I’m not planning
any projects with the original members, but I should
remind you that I recently finished a 6 week tour of
the US during which we played almost exclusively, the
music from Mahavishnu. It was an amazing success.
How did the 4th dimension come together?
In 2002 I was invited by the Cultural Center in La Réunion to
bring a new formation for several concerts there. I’d had an
idea for a quartet that shortly after became the 4th Dimension.
The group consisted of drummer Mark Mondesir, his brother
Michael on bass, and Gary Husband playing keyboards and
drums. For the past 7 or 8 years, Ranjit Barot is playing drums
and singing, Etienne M’Bappé replaced Michael Mondesir on
bass over 10 years ago, and Gary Husband is still with me.
How did you and Ranjit Barot end up playing together?
Every February 3rd, Ustad Zakir Hussain creates a
musical event in honor of his father Ustad Alla Rakha. I’ve
been invited several times, and at one time Ranjit was there
playing drums. I had the opportunity during the event
to play with Ranjit, and discovered what a marvelous
musician he is. It really was a question of time before
he became an integral part of the 4th Dimension.