SHAKTI WITH JOHN MCLAUGHLIN

Shakti is the band that arose from the dissolution John McLaughlin's Mahavishnu Orchestra, a band that burst onto the fusion scene with tremendous fiery technicality only to implode upon itself soon thereafter. Technical based bands seem to only sustain themselves for so long. So, McLaughlin decides to take part in the raga music of India, and he assembles a team of Indian musicians to help him achieve his vision of his guitar skills in raga.

In a way, we have the end result of what the Mahavishnu Orchestra would sound like if it was a raga band with solely acoustic instruments. The main attraction is the speed-of-light dexterity from both McLaughlin and violinist L. Shankar (not sure if he's related to the late Ravi) that harkens back to the McLaughlin-Goodman trade-off solos of MO. Yes, these two instrumentalists are intended to be the main attraction here, but the percussionists are the ones that really shine in that they pin the rhythm down for the soloists to do their work, and their constant drive is what seals the good quality of this record.

However, this is essentially an acoustic MO as a raga band. And the fact that only ''Lotus Feet'' is under fifteen minutes is daunting to the minds of those who listen. The long runtimes kill the excitement of the music here, and the percussionists can only do so much before my mind starts drifting. There's only so much trade-off violin and guitar before everything bleeds into itself. I never was fond of MO going over ten minutes, and similar problems that plague long MO songs can be heard here.

(A note to readers of my reviews, you will note a change in my reviewing style starting with this album) Indo prog is certainly known as the weird cousin to prog that no one really talks about, but is one of the most interesting of its family. Indo prog, as the name suggests is the fusion of Indian ethnic music with progressive music. This fusion makes for one very interesting sound, as Shakti, easily one of the more popular Indo groups, shows. With John McLaughlin leading the way in this quartet of musicians, the band paves an extremely creative path, with intense ethnic jamming contrasting mellow passages of melodic bliss, the album, Natural Elements, has no shortage of incredible atmospheres, feels, and themes to lean on.

There is no doubt the skill of these musicians either. Each song, the opener Mind Ecology especially, has an incredible sense of communication between each player, with an infectious jam feel throughout the music. The harmonies between McLaughlin's acoustic prowess and Shankar's violin grace is purely fluid, creating a sublime atmosphere for the album to dance in. The music rises into the upper echelons of sonic grace easily, flying like an eagle through the airwaves and filling the listener's ears with ecstasy no traditional music could accomplish. Easily one of the most inventive types of music out there, there really is no competition to achieve the excellence this album has. From placid pastures of sound like Face to Face to the jovial and lighthearted soundspheres like Come on Baby Dance with Me, the album has no shortage of dynamic pep and compositional genius.

Through all this fantasizing about the band's prowess, I can't say this album is a pure masterpiece. The music can get redundant and even at times dull. Of course, redundancy of incredible music is never a bad thing, but I would rather have more original music than more of the same. Away from this, however, there really are no flaws in this music. The band has woven a tapestry if pure joy; the aura of incredible sonic mastery that wraps around this album is purely sublime. It really is sad that the genre doesn't get as much recognition as some of the more popular genres, because it truly deserves it.

Of course indo prog isn't for everyone. Without a closer look and careful analysis, one could easily dismiss this music as weird, even when progressive music tends to be weird anyway. The lack of structure, outlandish instruments used, and the overall different sound the music has is not something that the average music listener expects from an album. However, these odd characteristics only heighten my infatuation with the music; the album really fleshes out the pure genius this group of musicians have.

In the end, I really can't stop saying how much I love this album. The amount of pure creativity put into its production is massive. The atmosphere of the music is sublime, with such an elevated sense of sonic grace bringing this album into the wind with fervor. Sonically, the album truly does wave like a daffodil; in the wind it sways with a beautiful grace, acting like a flower kissed by the breeze. It flies into the atmosphere with the power of an eagle; there is no doubt in my mind the power these musicians carry in their instruments, with intense skill going into rapid solo sections complimenting the slower, more mellow and graceful sections of other sections. Overall, this album is incredible, and although it has very minor flaws, it is very highly recommended. 4+ stars.

(I would love to get feedback on my new style; PM me if you have comments. Thanks!)

The group was borne from an interesting idea. I just wish they could have added a little bit more variation to the music.

And 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 is just one of the cheesiest song titles of all time.

This collection, taken from the two original Shakti albums, plus their first live record, pretty much captures all you need to know about the band. The solos are fast and furious. The players are virtuosos. But the music does not transport.

I will say that the one departure, Happiness Is Being Together, a latin jazz piece, does provide a bit of diversion by this group.

"Mind Ecology" is an amazing start as we get hit with this intricate yet powerful sound.Violin to the fore after 2 minutes. So much going on here. "Face To Face" is another favourite as it opens in a pastoral manner with sparse sounds. It kicks in with percussion and guitar before a minute with violin coming in quickly as well. "Come On Baby Dance With Me" has lots of tablas and percussion.This sounds so cool. Guitar and violin also help out in this intense track. "The Daffodil And The Eagle" is more laid back. I like the guitar and percussion sounds after 2 1/2 minutes. So impressive. Lots of passion here too.

"Happiness Is Being Together" is percussion and violin led early.The violin is almost screaming 1 1/2 minutes in. Some vocal melodies follow bringing SANTANA to mind. "Bridge Of Sighs" is where they get room to actually breathe. "Get Down And Struti" opens with percussion but the guitar and violin join in quickly. Percussion is more the focus here though. Some vocal expressions after 6 minutes. "Peace Of Mind" is the mellow closer with guitar and violin standing out.

This might be the best place to start if your thinking about Indo-Prog.

This live album consists of three tracks only. "Joy" takes 18 minutes which contain all the above. I have to say that McLaughlin is not the only sjkilled player. Zakir Hussain at the tablas is a great percussioninst that I have suggested for inclusion time ago, and Shankar at the violin is as fast as McLaughlin. The two additional percussioninsts complete the totally acoustic, not just unplugged, quintet.

"Lotus Feet" doesn't have the obsessive percussions of the first track. The bass note below the guitar and the violin is probably a string instrument, but I'm not so expert of Indian music to know which one. This is a "western" track, with just few tablas at the end when it unfortunately fades out. A very bad thing for a live album.

The third track of this album, with its impossible title has a length of "Neal Morse's proportions". 30 miutes which start similar to Lotus Feet, with the bass note in the background and acoustic guitar virtuosisms. Remove the bass note and it won't be much different from "Friday Night in SF". About 4 minutes of guitar and it's time for the violin. Since now the tablas are present throughout the track. Other four minutes and it's guitar time again. Some stops in the percussions and guitar are here to demonstrate that it's not all improvised. How many fingers does McLaughlin have? At 1/3 of the track the full ensemble is playing. Guitar and violin alternate a part each separated by interludes of unison played notes. This can't be improvised. The central part of this suite is the most complex and all the musicians have room to show what they are able to do. The guitar and violin duo exactly in the middle of the track is the most western part even with tablas, ghatam and mridangam (indian percussions) behind. Do you want to know what an acoustic guitar can do? Wait for minute17. After this it's time for Zakir Hussain to place a solo. This is when the crowd participates with claps. An explosion of applauses after 5 minutes but the solo continues. Now all the three percussionists are at work. After this long solo there are two minutes left for guitar and violin to close the track as an ensemble.

Even if this can be not everybody's genre, every progger that's enough open-minded can really like this album, so 4 stars.

1. "Mind Ecology" (10/10) blasts you away with its amazing sonic onslaught--which seems to beckon one to take up Sufi trance dancing (the whirling dervish).

2. "Face to Face" (11/10) is without question one of the most beautiful and technically stunning songs I've ever heard. McLaughlin's strumming, alone, takes one to another dimension! Music in absolute perfection!

3. "Come on Baby, Dance with Me" (9/10) is a lot like a brief jazz rondo piece where each of the instruments takes turns carrying the main melody line before gelling to repeat it as an ensemble. Amazing technical feat!

4. "The Daffodil and the Eagle" (8/10) feels as if some Indian musicians are laying around in the shade on a scaldingly hot day playing some lazy blues, then getting revved up, they take each other to task, first picking up the pace, then really sitting up and trying to out do one another. Very bluesy, very McLaughlin-like. Shankar really blazes on this one. Really fun!

5. "Happiness Is Being Together" (8/10) begins like something out of a Santana or South American song catalogue--a mariachi, perhaps? I get so mesmerized when John McLaughlin is strumming! Another Shankar showpiece. Or is that Itzhak Pehrlman? Wow! John, in turn, is so cool and at ease--and so Spanish!

6. "Bridge of Sighs" (7/10) slows it down to a very emotional pace with a very JONI MITCHELL feel. The space in this song is its most beautiful part, where its emotion really presents itself. The musicians get to show off their instruments' subtle dynamics on this one.

7. "Get Down and Sruti" (7/10) is the showpiece for Zakir Hussein--one of the preeminent percussionists of the past 50 years. It also introduces the vocalese call-and-response and rhythmic repetions that become much more prominent in future SHAKTI and even John McLaughlin works (especially their concerts--of which I have had the privilege of seeing a few).

8. "Peace of Mind" (10/10) is an absolutely gorgeous song which seems to truly capture the astounding Beauty of true Peace.

Bravo, Mr. McLaughlin and crew. Thank you for this album.

It is hard and beautiful to remember that this is an all-acoustic album and could, therefore, be repeated in concert without the aid of electricity. Something I can't help but think about in these dangerous times: What will my favorite musics sound like in a post-petroleum world? The musicians of India and artists like John McLaughlin, Mickey Hart, Ry Cooder have already provided us with some clues to what that might be like. But rarely with the combination of beauty, joy, and astounding virtuosity of SHAKTI.

Rating: 9/10

"5 in the morning 6 in the Afternoon" has a rhytmic bas of tablas, but McLaughlin's guitar sounds as in Friday night in SF. A very clean jazz sound and virtuosism. What's remarkable is the perfect synchronism between percussions and guitar.

"Ma No Pa" is slightly different from the previous track. It's more athmospheric and all the four instruments are present here, not just a Laughlin-Hussein performance.

"Lotus Feet" has a slow guitar intro, very melodic, almost classical. Music for a summer night (and my fovourite, too).

"Maya" is another slow piece mainly made of guitar. Four minutes of relaxing music, then percussions become parossistic. The nice thing is that even if Zakir and John play a lot of notes, they are able to retain the same athmpsphere. The second part of the track is more ethnic.

"Anna" has this parossistic high number of notes but with a relaxing effect. This time fast and slow parts are alternated.

"Finding the Way", which closes the album, has an attractive rhythm. There are pauses which give the possibility to applaude. There's also a long ghatam solo. This looks more like a medley than a single song, but this is jazz and it makes no difference.

An excellent live album.