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John McLaughlin: Now Here This

 A l b u m   D e t a i l s


Label: Abstract Logix Records
Released: 2012.10.16
Time:
 49:55
Category: Jazz Rock
Producer(s): John McLaughlin
Rating:
Media type: CD
Web address: www.johnmclaughlin.com
Appears with: Mahavishnu Orchestra, Al Di Meola, Paco de Lucia, Jan Garbarek
Purchase date: 2012
Price in €: 1,00





 S o n g s ,   T r a c k s


[1] Trancefusion (John McLaughlin) - 7:16
[2] Riff Raff (John McLaughlin) - 7:02
[3] Echoes from Then (John McLaughlin) - 6:07
[4] Wonderfall (John McLaughlin) - 6:27
[5] Call and Answer (John McLaughlin) - 5:53
[6] Not Here Not There (John McLaughlin) - 6:16
[7] Guitar Love (John McLaughlin) - 7:08
[8] Take It or Leave It (John McLaughlin) - 3:46

 A r t i s t s ,   P e r s o n n e l


John Mclaughlin - Electric Guitar, Synthesizer-Guitar, Producer
Gary Husband - Keyboards
Etienne M’Bappe - Electric Bass
Ranjit Barot - Drums

Marcus Wippersberg - Engineer, Mastering, Mixing
Frédéric Betin - Engineer

 C o m m e n t s ,   N o t e s


Recorded at Studio 26 Antibes. Mixed and mastered at Mediastarz Studio Monaco.



It's been two years since John McLaughlin released the highly acclaimed To the One (Abstract Logix, 2010) - his first studio recording with The 4th Dimension, the veteran guitar innovator's second longest-standing group since the east-meets-west fusion of Shakti. Comments like "…listening to his improvisations…leaves no doubt that [McLaughlin] is in inspired creative form," (Ian Patterson, AllAboutJazz.com), and "…this tight 40-minute document hums with a collaborative energy." (John Fordham, The Guardian) left little doubt that McLaughlin's return to the electrified fusion he first innovated more than 40 years ago in groups led by trumpet icon Miles Davis and drum legend Tony Williams - and, of course, with his own earth-shattering Mahavishnu Orchestra - was as inimitably electrifying and exhilarating as ever.

While Now Here This reflects a slightly (but significantly) altered 4th Dimension - specifically the recruitment of powerhouse Indian drummer Ranjit Barot, first heard on the guitarist's 2008 Abstract Logix debut, Floating Point - the markers which have defined this group as one of McLaughlin's best pedal-to-the-metal fusion outfits since Mahavishnu Orchestra remain intact, but with an even greater finesse to contrast with its unfettered power and visceral energy. Cameroon-born/Paris-resident bassist Etienne M'Bappe is back from To the One, as is keyboardist/drummer Gary Husband, The 4th Dimension's only other founding member, first heard on the guitarist's acclaimed Industrial Zen (Verve, 2006).

Despite there being no overt concept as an undercurrent to Now Here This - To the One being an homage to saxophonist John Coltrane's spiritual search, one not unlike McLaughlin's own lifetime pursuit - this set of eight new McLaughlin originals is connected by the guitarist's decades-long fascination with Indian music, his effortless virtuosity, and a relentless lyricism that remains a touchstone, even when the guitarist is shredding at near-light speed. Husband's stunning contribution to Now Here This will put to rest any suggestions that his keyboard playing is secondary to his kit work, though he continues to bring no shortage of percussive power to The 4th Dimension as well - albeit even more successfully, with Barot in the drum chair. And if M'Bappe possesses no shortage of chops, his ability to bring them to the table without sacrificing groove and, when required, the need for space make him the ideal complement to his band mates.

If To the One was "…quite simply, McLaughlin's best album in well over a decade…" (John Kelman, AllAboutJazz.com), Now Here This ups the ante even further with greater fire, finesse and freewheeling interplay. An album certain to thrill longtime McLaughlin fans, for those new to his incendiary nexus of Indo-centric rhythmic complexities, innovative harmonic devices and unparalleled improvisational élan, Now Here This is the perfect introduction - one that will surely encourage them to also dive, head-first, into this legendary guitarist's lengthy and groundbreaking discography.

Abstract Logix Records



For anyone who's paid attention to John McLaughlin's recorded output since the turn of the century, it's obvious that he's been on a creative streak unequaled since his days as a Miles Davis sideman and his early Mahavishnu Orchestra recordings. Whether it's his two Remember Shakti sets, or the guitar-and-strings offering that was Thieves and Poets, the Indian carnatic intensity of his Floating Point band, or his forays into fiery, improvisational jazz-rock terrain on Industrial Zen, the evidence is clear. With his latest band, the 4th Dimension, McLaughlin has been on a tear. The band's first offering, To the One, is a direct jazz-rock investigation of John Coltrane's influence on McLaughlin's musical thinking. Now Here This is a knottier jazz-rock fusion offering -- with all the positive connotations of that word and none of the negative. Keyboardist Gary Husband and Cameroonian über-bassist Etienne M'Bappé are holdovers from To the One, while drummer Mark Mondesir has been replaced by Ranjit Barot, who helmed the kit on Floating Point. McLaughlin and the 4th Dimension marry propulsive prog rock to Indian modalities to serious grooves (thanks in no small part to M'Bappé's wildly funky, virtuosic bass playing and Barot's triple-timed breaks and fills). Check opener "Trancefusion" for evidence of kinetic, infectious stop-and-start fusion that keeps rock and jazz in dynamic tension. "Riff Raff" careens with funky bass and keyboard interplay and massive guitar and drum kit grooves. "Echoes from Then" showcases McLaughlin's frenetically rhythmic rock soloing on an extended bass and keyboard vamp, while "Call and Answer" allows Husband to show off his post-bop chops in fluid right-hand flourishes. For balance, there are a couple of mellower cut such as "Wonderfall" (with lovely, languid bass work from M'Bappé) and "Not Here, Not There," a more R&B-oriented, midtempo, jazz-funk vamp that features lyric, emotive playing from McLaughlin. "Guitar Love" is a more rock-based jam, while closer "Take It or Leave It" mines Indian harmony, complex syncopation, and spacey funk with intuitive guitar and keyboard exchanges. Now Here This not only continues the excellent run of albums McLaughlin's amassed in the 21st century, it also displays the 4th Dimension not as a group of sidemen, but as an exciting working band which possesses depth, breadth, and imagination.

Thom Jurek - All Music Guide



Guitarist John McLaughlin and his 4th Dimension group's studio debut, To The One (Abstract Logix, 2010), mined the past for inspiration. The spirit of saxophonist John Coltrane's A Love Supreme (Impulse!, 1965) drove McLaughlin's most charged electric playing in years, proving he'd lost none of his fire. Two years on, and McLaughlin's 4th Dimension returns another energetic set of strong compositions, less specifically inspired than To The One, but inspired nonetheless. McLaughlin's electric guitar and guitar-synthesizer swing between biting edge and a lyricism more in line with the sublime Floating Point (Abstract Logix, 2008).

Ranjit Barot replaces Mark Mondesir, and the Indian drummer brings another dimension (a 5th dimension?) to the band. On pulsating tracks like "Riff Raff" and "Call and Answer," drummer and guitarist go flat out in thrilling passages and it's difficult to think of any drummer driving McLaughlin this hard since Billy Cobham in the early Mahavishnu Orchestra days. Barot's polyrhythmic bustle, bass bombs and the snap and crackle of his cymbals greatly inform the mood of the music, and he forms a formidable rhythm team with bassist Etienne Mbappe.

The modal jazz, jazz-rock, fusion and the ever-present blues that has largely defined McLaughlin's unique five-decade musical adventure are all in the mix, though artfully distilled to maximize melody and lyricism. The bouncing blues bass line of "Echos of Then" evokes trumpeter Miles Davis' A Tribute to Jack Johnson (Columbia, 1971), though there's more of grooving funk vibe here. McLaughlin, at 70, sounds even more fired up than he was on that essential Davis session forty years ago. Keyboardist Gary Husband—ever-present in the 4th Dimension since 2007—and Barot take short, lively solos, but melody and groove win the day outright.

The slower, more spacious compositions are arresting. M'Bappes' purring fretless bass, McLaughlin's tender guitar-synth lines and Husband's spare piano playing combine beautifully on the soothing "Waterfall." It's impossible not to be seduced by the joyful guitar melody of "Not Here Not There" or pulled along in the undertow of M'Bappe's quietly spun funk. Husband's subtly emotive playing provides the perfect accompaniment to McLaughlin's more expansive though caressing phrasing. Balladic, and lovingly playful, this gem ranks among McLaughlin's most lyrical compositions.

The delicate arpeggio into to "Guitar Love" has just a hint of Mahavishnu Orchestra, though the band shifts up a gear with McLaughlin unleashing an inspired extended solo. Husband rises to the occasion with an untethered Hammond-style solo that burns, accompanied by McLaughlin's buoyant, floated chords. The short but explosive funk of "Take It or Leave It" provides a stirring finale. Stoked by M'Bappe's funk and Barot's in-the-pocket groove, McLaughlin's gradually intoxicating synth-guitar and Husband's understated counterpoint both evoke keyboardist Joe Zawinul's wicked charms.

With the notable exception of Shakti, McLaughlin's projects have burned fiercely and relatively briefly before new adventures beckon. After more than half a decade, the 4th Dimension has evolved to a point where, to coin a phrase, the sky's the limit. This blend of musical personalities has a balance and dynamism that's all too rare. In concert? Surely unmissable.

Ian Patterson - October 22, 2012
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