FANS GUITAR LEGEND JOHN MCLAUGHLIN HAVE SEEN HIS MUSIC TAKEN THE FORMS OF PLUGGED IN ROCK AS WELL AS ACOUSTIC INDIAN TRADITIONAL TONES. HIS LATEST ALBUM, IS THAT SO?, IS A STEP IN A WHOLE NEW DIRECTION.
WHILE STILL PLAYING WITH LONG TIME FRIEND AND PERCUSSIONIST ZAKIR HUSSAIN, MCLAUGHLIN HAS PUT AWAY HIS PYROTECHNIC CHOPS AND HAS TAKEN THE ROLE OF CREATING “SYNTH ORCHESTRATIONS” AS WELL AS BRINGING IN THE RICH VOICE OF FAMED INDIAN SINGER SHANKAR MAHADEVAN.
THE CHANGE OF DIRECTION, COMBINED WITH HIS CESSATION OF TOURING THE US HAS CAUSED MANY FANS TO WONDER IF HIS ARTHRITIC CONDITION IS SLOWLY SIDELINING HIS CAREER, AND CREATING A SITUATION TO CHANGE MUSICAL ROLES.
WE HAD A CHANCE TO ASK MR. MCLAUGHLIN THIS AND OTHER QUESTIONS CONCERNING HIS HEALTH, HIS RECENT COLLABORATION AND HIS IDENTITY AS ONE OF THE LEADING VOICES IN MUSIC.
THIS RECENT ALBUM GOES TO NEW WATERS, WITH VOCALIST SHANKAR MAHADEVAN. DID YOUR ROLE ON THIS ALBUM COME ABOUT BECAUSE OF THE CHANGE IN YOUR PLAYING DUE TO THE ARTHRITIS, OR WAS THIS PART OF THE OVERALL IDEA TO USE ‘ORCHESTRATIONS’ IN THIS CONTEXT?
I should remind you that the arthritis I was suffering from several years ago is completely under control. Now while I may not be able to unscrew a cap from a bottle, musically I’ve never been better and this includes my guitar playing. I have zero problems playing the guitar, fortunately!So, this album also has nothing to do with arthritis. The idea for it appeared over 6 years ago, and is a milestone in my life both musically and personally.The idea of ‘orchestrating’ the voice of Shankar Mahadevan came about from an inspirational idea that abandons the musical rules of the East and the West. Harmony doesn’t exist in Indian music, so it was a monumental challenge for us, but we are absolutely thrilled with the result.–“The music on my albums has the same emotion that enters the music every time I play”–WHAT IS REQUIRED IN THE TERM “ORCHESTRATIONS”? THE TERM SOUNDS VERY MILES DAVISY!–I’m not sure what you mean about ‘Miles Davisy’, but I have written two concerti for guitar and orchestra, so you can imagine there is a great deal of work involved. The Orchestral part: Harmony, Texture, distribution of instruments and the different qualities of harmony be they, soft consonance, hard consonance, soft dissonance etc. are also all part of the orchestrations behind the voice of Shankar Mahadevan.–WHAT WERE THE FIRST CIRCUMSTANCES WHEN YOU BEGAN THIS EXPERIMENTATION WITH OSCILLATORS, FILTERS, ETC?–I began experimenting with synthesizers in 1974. With an interface connecting the guitar, to a computer, one has access to the world of sound design.–WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE TO DO IT WITH THIS ALBUM?–Working with the marvelous voice of Shankar, I felt the desire to have a new ‘voice’ to accompany him. The particular sound you are hearing from my guitar is the result of 20 years work with the filters and oscillators. To me it has a more vocal sound and as a consequence is more appropriate on this recording.–WAS THE FACT THAT YOU ‘SLOWED DOWN’ IN YOUR TECHNIQUE MAKE YOU FEEL THAT THIS MUSIC WAS MORE EMOTIONAL THAN PREVIOUS RECORDINGS?–I think you misunderstand. I haven’t slowed down my technique because of emotion. The music on my albums has the same emotion that enters the music every time I play. The ‘instrument’ I’m playing on the recording obliges me to approach improvisation in a completely new way. I really enjoy this obligation because it knocks me out of my normal way of playing.–ZAKIR HUSSAIN SEEMS TO HAVE BEEN A FAITHFUL COMPANION SINCE YOUR EARLY DAYS WITH SHAKTI BACK IN THE 1970S. HOW MUCH ENCOURAGEMENT AND INPUT HAS HE GIVEN YOU FOR THIS MOST RECENT ALBUM?–He also feels honored to be part of this ‘experiment’. We were all obliged to move out of our ‘normal’ way of approaching music. As human beings, we all adopt habits. Musicians are no exception to this rule. However, all artists need to be aware that while habits are useful, they need to be constantly vigilant in order to avoid complacency, hence, they need to be thrown away quite regularly or least, thoroughly revised.–“All artists need to be aware that while habits are useful, they need to be constantly vigilant in order to avoid complacency, hence, they need to be thrown away quite regularly or least, thoroughly revised”–WHAT DO YOU THINK A 30 YEAR OLD JOHN MCLAUGHLIN WOULD THINK IF SOMEONE GAVE HIM THIS ALBUM OF HIS FUTURE? (BTW-I LIKE THE ALBUM A LOT)–I would be extremely proud which is what I am all these years later!–DID YOU HAVE TO GO THROUGH ANY SOUL SEARCHING IN TERMS OF ASKING YOURSELF WHAT YOUR IDENTITY IS AS A MUSICIAN AFTER YOUR ARTHRITIC CONDITION?–Absolutely not. I know who I am in every sense of the word, and especially as a musician.–IT IS ENCOURAGING TO SEE A MASTER IN HIS CRAFT SEEING SOMETHING THAT WE WOULD THINK OF AS A “PROBLEM” AS MORE OF AN “OPPORTUNITY”. WHILE THE BRUSHES HAVE BEEN CHANGED, JOHN MCLAUGHLIN CONTINUES TO BE ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT MUSICAL PAINTER OF SONIC LANDSCAPES OF THIS GENERATION. ENJOY THE NEW PORTRAITS!