Recorded in concert at the June 2013 Berklee Performance Center, this album by fusion founder John McLaughlin shows once again who the reigning champ of chops was, is and will be. He’s with the hard hitting team of Etienne M’Bappe/b, Ranjit Barot/d-voc and Gary Husband/dr-key, but the sound and power makes it feel like there has to be a half dozen other guys on stage. In your face jazz/rock pieces such as “Raju” and “Hijacked” are as macho as you can get, with M’Bappe’s bass work on the latter a thrown down gauntlet. Everyone is off to the races on “”Call and Answer” as McLaughlin and Husband arm wrestle with veins sticking out of the biceps as they take turns tag-teaming with Barot. Funky blues make the neck shuck and jive on “Little Miss Valley” while dynamics ebb and flow like a thunderstorm on the nimble “Abbaji” which includes hip vocals by the drummer, while subtle interplay between guitar and piano are delicately displayed on the lyrical “Maharina.” Guitar fans are going to love the rocking riffs on “echos from Then” as well as the jaw dropping nimble fingers on “You Know You Know.” McLaughlin shows, through chops, style and even power chords, that he’s still the champ at Muscle Beach
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