I remember quite clearly in 1976 walking through the aisles of the Sears record department checking to see if there was a new Mahavishnu Orchestra album. Instead, what faced me as I was looking down at the Mahavishnu bin was a strange looking album cover. John McLaughlin had longish hair and a tight, confident smile. He was holding the oddest looking acoustic guitar I had ever seen. It had an extra set of strings attached in a crooked fashion across the sound hole. What made matters worse was the back cover and who I saw who was playing with John. I remember thinking who is Raghavan and what the hell is a Mridangam? I am still not truly sure what a mridangam is. But, I am quite sure I love Shakti.

So, McLaughlin had abandoned the electric Mahavishnu and put together a band featuring some of India's greatest young musicians, thus dooming his career. Tabla master Zakir Hussain, violin virtuoso L. Shankar and the previously mentioned Raghavan were Shakti. Although not a core member of Shakti, T.S. Vinayakaram was also featured on Ghatam. With names like that and 30-minute tunes Shakti did not get much radio-play in the U.S and they didn't sell too many records either.

Shakti was recorded live at South Hampton College in New York State and the live audience is truly a part of this performance. I can only imagine what they were expecting before the concert. McLaughlin had gained fame as Mahavishnu. He was the king of the electric guitar. Instead he appears on stage with the acoustic Shakti. He sits down Indian style. The drone boxes start humming. This had to be bizarre. "Pass the joints. Quick." However, several minutes into the first piece, Shakti had the crowd in its hands.

Blistering guitar runs, unison playing among all the players, and mesmerizing percussion duels make Shakti one of the most exciting live recordings ever. McLaughlin and Shakti created as vast a fusion as possible at the time. They were playing World Music, albeit with a wild jazz abandon, 20 years before anyone else even attempted. (Some apologies to Oregon).

McLaughlin was speed-bending notes and strumming sympathetic strings which had been positioned on his guitar. Shankar's Far Eastern violin was matching John in call and response after call and response. And without a doubt, the album's high water mark is the culmination of an absolutely riveting percussion duel between Hussain and Raghavan resolving "What Need Have I for This? What Need Have I for That? I am Dancing at the Feet of my Lord. All is Bliss. All is Bliss". It appears the audience shared in a group musical orgasm at that moment.

According to Jeff Beck, McLaughlin's playing in Shakti was just about the best any player could hope to be. The original Shakti never sold a lot of records. But, today they are seen as one of the pioneers and they do seem to be, in their current reunion version, at long last commercially viable.

Finally, for the speed freaks. This album contains perhaps the fasted guitar playing John McLaughlin ever recorded.

Walter Kolosky
smsi@attbi.com

Walter Kolosky is a businessman and jazz fan who lives in South Natick, MA, USA

"Joy"