It had not been since 1985 that John McLaughlin had put out a record featuring an electric guitar. Tokyo Live was released in 1994 and showed the music world, once again, how McLaughlin could reinvent himself. This time in the form of The Free Spirits, a B-3 based jazz trio which featured McLaughlin on a Johnnie Smith electric guitar, organist Joey DeFrancesco and powerhouse drummer, Dennis Chambers. It was an ailing McLaughlin who was recorded on two different nights at the Tokyo Blue Note. He had recently suffered a back injury while playing with his dog on the beach and apparently was hampered a bit on stage. You'd never know it.

Those hoping for a 1990's version of the Tony Williams Lifetime will be disappointed by this record. Those hoping to hear a wailing, plaintiff, distorted guitar will be upset. McLaughlin's bluesy tone is somewhat warm and processed and sometimes is easily lost in the cascading of a busy B-3 barrage. But, the chops are vintage McLaughlin. He plays through and around and underneath the changes and his unison lines with DeFrancesco make you wonder if two musicians are actually playing. (Although impressive, McLaughlin's tone on this recording makes this a drawback). His empathy, with the supercharged Chambers is evident from the first beat and several top-notch compositions, most notably "Vukovar" and make for an exciting and pleasing outing. Although the guitar and trumpet duet, "When Love is Far Away", drags this album down a bit, the overall nightclub feel and musical energy carry the day.

Although this is the only true Free Spirits album released as of this date, the band did not reach a creative peak until its brilliant performance on the cut "Thelodius Melodius" from The Promise.

Walter Kolosky
smsi@attbi.com

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