Thursday, November 6, 1997
John McLaughlin, new quintet get into ‘The Heart of Things’
MUSIC: ‘Founding father of fusion’ mixes rock with modern hip
hop
By Kristi Nakamura
Daily Bruin Contributor
Sort through all the past events that lead to the present,
transform them into musical notes, and the true heart of things
emerge.
Internationally acclaimed jazz guitarist John McLaughlin and his
new quintet, The Heart of Things, perform at the Veterans Wadsworth
Theater on Sunday. The performance follows a CenterStage Lecture
with Ken Poston of KLON Radio.
"If your life is rich in music and rich in an interior sense,
then I think the music can reflect that richness," McLaughlin
says.
McLaughlin explains that music stems from his different
experiences. The musician says that the inspiration to write songs
and create music comes from life itself, and when musicians of any
kind play, it is their way of communicating their life stories.
The Heart of Things quintet share many experiences that allow
them to interact and work together.
The quintet features McLaughlin on guitar, Gary Thomas on
saxaphone, Matthew Garrison on electric bass, Jim Beard on the
keyboard and drummer Dennis Chambers, who played with McLaughlin in
the band, The Free Spirits.
"We play with each other, as human beings playing with human
beings on different levels," McLaughlin says. "You can hear not
just the music but the people interacting with each other."
Since the ’60s, nearly every area of improvised music has been
influenced by McLaughlin’s unique style. His subtle, yet aggressive
sound earned him the title of the "founding father of fusion." The
San Francisco Chronicle hails McLaughlin’s music as "an
exhilarating mix of fire and finesse."
McLaughlin explains the music referred to as fusion incorporates
the rock influences that began in the ’60s with the more modern hip
hop, jungle, acid and much more.
"There’s just all kinds of influences that (the members of The
Heart of Things quintet) have been subject to over the years that
we really like," McLaughlin says. "So in a way, this fusion music
was from the beginning, kind of a jazz rock."
McLaughlin began playing guitar at age 11, when his three older
brothers passed their instrument down to him. At the time he was
playing the piano, but says he immediately stopped when he fell in
love with the guitar.
"Right from the beginning I wanted to be an instrumentalist on
the guitar," McLaughlin says. "Anyway, I sing so badly, it’s just
as well."
Since his interest in the guitar and rise to prominence in the
’60s, McLaughlin and his music have grown to encompass nearly four
decades of listeners.
"McLaughlin strolled through all of the music seemingly
effortlessly, playing incredible melodies and riffs up and down the
neck of his guitar, but understating them, adding a subtlety that
is not often heard in fast paced solos," wrote Matt Wexler in the
Massachusetts Daily Collegian.
The Heart of Things is McLaughlin’s excursion into electric
jazz, following his all acoustic guitar recording of "The Guitar
Trio" with Paco de Lucia and Al Di Meola which was released last
year.
"(The Heart of Things) was a formation that we hear in my
imagination that really attracted me, and so here it is,"
McLaughlin says. "In art, I suppose, you dedicate your life to
trying to formulate what you imagine."
MUSIC: John McLaughlin and The Heart of Things will play at the
Veterans Wadsworth Theater Sunday at 7 p.m. For more information,
call (310) 825-2101.