John McLaughlin: Electric Dreams/Electric Sighs
Track
Electric Dreams/Electric Sighs
Group
John McLaughlin and the One Truth Band
CD
Electric Dreams (Columbia/Legacy CK 48892)
Musicians:
John McLaughlin (guitar),
L. Shankar (violin), Stu Goldberg (keyboards), Fernando Saunders (bass), Tony Smith (drums), Alyrio Lima (percussion)
.Composed by John McLaughlin
.Recorded: New York, November 1978
Rating: 94/100 (learn more)
"Electric Dreams/Electric Sighs" finds John McLaughlin's One Truth Band at its best. McLaughlin opens the song with an absolutely gorgeous demonstration of melodic control. The theme is simultaneously Spanish and Indian. He is playing a Gibson electric outfitted with a scalloped fretboard that allowed him to control all means of expression through the creative bending of strings. But he also got a unique and lovely sound out of that guitar. It is crisp and clear but very slightly muffled, as if his notes were recorded into a pail and then dumped out. The rhythm steadily builds tension as McLaughlin solos. Violinist L. Shankar adds shading. McLaughlin then brings out a banjo and plays it like McLaughlin would play a guitar. That is an unusual sound. The band then punches up the number even more with staccato embellishments. The One Truth Band was a much more rhythmic unit than any of McLaughlin's previous bands. When that superior element is combined with one of the best tunes McLaughlin has written, you get something really special.
Reviewer: Walter Kolosky
Tags: 1970s jazz · fusion · guitar
Comments are closed.