Monday, January 5, 2015

John McLaughlin & The 4th Dimension FULL CONCERT 2012 (video)

Whether it's jazz, fusion, or tutti frutti really makes no difference to me as the tendency to box things limits music and creates expectations which consequently constrain the musician.

There are various modes of music that relate to where the semi-tones exist within an octave (e.g. Ionian, Dorian, etc).  For most musicians, that information has not much value as modes don't come into play so much until you get into jazz.  And that's when you start appreciating McLaughlin.




The music makes some nervous as where's the melody.  There is no repeated hook as the entire thing is the melody and everything within it is a step along the way.  Those steps may go out into blazing, seemingly-incoherent madness but all the time they count and they reel it all back together and maybe go blazing right back out into space.  If you look at it as a journey and chuck the idea of riffs then you can kick back and feel it fly.


McLaughlin says to the audience, "Es tut mir leid mein Deutsch ist sehr schlecht!"  (I'm sorry my German is very bad)

This had me rolling as I have said that SO many times when I have played.

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