The Inner Mounting Flame was the Mahavishnu Orchestra's first album. It was also the first album ever produced which totally captured the power of hard rock and the free-wheeling improvisational aspects of jazz. Sure, this had been tried with some success in the few previous years by Larry Coryell, Miles Davis and Tony William's Lifetime. (It was no mistake McLaughlin was attached to two of those projects). But none of those efforts captured the spirit like IMF.

It's ascending and descending distortion-laden mantra-like riffs and unison playing set a standard for jazz-rock which is still in place today. It's Indian influences merging with blues scales and rock rawness set the music world on fire.

Almost 30 years after its release, this album can still blow away first time listeners. This music was made before the use of synthesizers and drum machines and computer enhancing. It is loud, raw and dangerous.Wild abandon meets supreme musicianship in such classic tunes as "The Meeting of the Spirits" and "The Dance of Maya". Beauty, grace and delicacy all have tea and perhaps a little weed as they meet on "A Lotus On Irish Streams".

Melodies and rhythms like this were never heard before. The distortion and the loudness could be insulting. The speed of the playing was mind-numbing. In short, this was the greatest jazz-fusion recording ever made.

Who were these guys anyway? John McLaughlin was an up and coming European jazz guitar player who recently had been best known for some far-out playing with Miles and was soon to become a God Billy Cobham was an ex-marching band drummer from Panama who had played with the great Horace Silver and in an important band called Dreams. He too would also take his rightful place in the heavens. Jan Hammer was an innovator who would eventually achieve worldwide fame not only for his keyboard playing, but also for his movie and television scoring. Jerry Goodman was a jazz-folk violinist who had cut his teeth during the short run of the pseudo jazz-rock group The Flock. Rick Laird was a chum of McLaughlin's from school but a very good bass player in his own right. He had played with Stan Getz and eventually become a well known photographer. These gentlemen were to change the face of music. Although it was a short reign, their influence still reverberates today.

Imagine as you listen to this album for the first time or one hundredth time.....In 1972, this band followed Count Basie at the Newport Jazz Festival. I wish I was there to see the horror and joy this created.

Walter Kolosky
smsi@attbi.com

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

"Dawn" "Vital Transformation" "You Know You Know"