Exploring musical connections one track at a time…
Category is: skull-crushing breakbeats. Enter the Mahavishnu Orchestra, whose high-intensity fusion of psychedelia, prog and jazz took the rock world by storm with its explosive debut The Inner Mounting Flame in 1971, which according to critic Richard S. Ginell “may have been the cause of more blown-out home amplifiers than any other record this side of Deep Purple.”
Continue reading “Mahavishnu Orchestra – Vital Transformation”
Following on from Herbie Hancock’s jazz-robotics on ‘Rain Dance‘, we turn to another album that was Miles ahead of its time, and features three of the musicians who would go on to appear on Sextant: Herbie Hancock (keys), Bennie Maupin (bass clarinet) and Billy Hart (drums).
Continue reading “Miles Davis – Black Satin”
When people hear the name Santana, depending on their generation they’ll probably either think of the ’60s heyday of ‘Black Magic Woman’ or their turn-of-the-century comeback hits like ‘Smooth’. Arguably though, the band’s most creatively fertile period was in the ’70s, when Carlos and co. were experimenting with jazz, spirituality and collaborating not with pop stars (no offence to Rob Thomas – I like Veronica Mars as much as the next guy) but with such virtuosos as Alice Coltrane and John McLaughlin.
Continue reading “Santana – Going Home”