right|thumb|John McLaughlin (1986)
thumb|John McLauchlin, Remember Shakti Konzert, 2001
'''John McLaughlin''' [] (* Rockgitarrist sowie als Komponist. 

John McLaughlin arbeitete zunächst im John Stevens und Jeff Clyne bzw. dem Kontrabassisten Miles-Davis-Bassisten Dave Holland in die USA. Dort wirkte er zunächst auf den wichtigen Alben ''„In A Silent Way“'' und ''„Bitches Brew“'' von Miles Davis mit. Anschließend gründete er mit dem ehemaligen Davis-Schlagzeuger Tony Williams und dem Organisten Larry Young (Khalid Yasin) das Trio ''Lifetime'', wirkte aber auch an Carla Bleys richtungweisendem Werk Escalator over the Hill mit.

Der große Erfolg kam für John McLaughlin mit seinem 1971 gegründeten eigenen Rock war wegweisend für die (u.&nbsp;a. von Miles Davis eingeleitete) ''Fusion''-Musik Anfang der 1970er. Im  ''Mahavishnu Orchestra'' <ref>[http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=22802 Power, Passion and Beauty, The Story Of The Legendary Mahavishnu-Orchestra]</ref> konnte McLaughlin (der inzwischen- unter dem Einfluss seines Gurus Sri-Chinmoy- Drogen und Alkohol entsagt hatte) seine unglaubliche Gitarrentechnik sowie sein musikalisches Potential erstmals voll entfalten. Nach der Auflösung des ersten ''Mahavishnu Orchestra'' folgte ein zweites, zu dem u.&nbsp;a. McLaughlins damalige Frau gehörte und Aufnahmen mit Carlos Santana.

Das anschließende - lediglich aus akustischen Instrumenten bestehende und stark an klassischer indischer Musik orientierte - Projekt Shakti mit dem Geiger Zakir Hussain war ein Schub für die Popularität indischer Musik im Westen. Sie hatten 1976 und 1977 legendäre Auftritte auf dem ''Montreux-Jazz-Festival'' und formierten sich 1999 unter dem Namen ''Remember Shakti'' erneut, woraus einige Alben und ein weiterer Auftritt in Montreux hervorgingen.  

1981 nahm er zusammen mit den Gitarristen Al Di Meola und Paco de Lucía das berühmte Live-Album Friday Night in San Francisco auf, welches über zweimillionenmal verkauft wurde. 1982 folgte das Studio-Album ''Passion, Grace & Fire'', das ein Feuerwerk an Kunstfertigkeit und Spielfreude ist und zu den Klassikern der Akustik-Gitarren-Aufnahmen zählen darf. 1996 folgte das Studio-Album ''The Trio'' und eine ''Reunion-Tour'', mit der sie an frühere Erfolge anknüpfen wollten. Ungeachtet des kommerziellen Erfolgs blieb das oft auf bloße publikumswirksame Effekte reduzierte Konzept jedoch von der musikalischen Substanz her deutlich hinter anderen Auftritten McLaughlins zurück.

Zu erwähnen ist auch der glückliche Zusammenschluss von John Mclaughlin mit dem Top-Drummer Dennis Chambers, den er in einem Interview als seinen „brother in arms“ bezeichnete und mit dem er seit Mitte der Neunziger intensiv zusammenarbeitete. So entstand das furiose Trio ''The Free Spirits'' mit dem Hammond-Orgel-Virtuosen Joey DeFrancesco. Sie waren in dieser Formation 1993 und 1995 zu Gast auf dem ''Montreux-Jazz-Festival'', außerdem auf dem Festival ''Jazz à Vienne'', und spielten das Album ''The Free Spirits - Tokyo Live'' ein. Außerdem entstand 1998 das Studio-Album ''The Heart Of Things'', diesmal durfte Dennis Chambers John Mclaughlins Duette mit dem Saxophonisten Gary Thomas unterstützen, im selben Jahr auch auf dem ''Montreux-Jazz-Festival''.

== Wichtige Alben (Auszug) ==

* ''Extrapolation'' (mit Tony Oxley und John Surman)
* ''Electric Guitarist'' 
* ''Electric Dreams'' 
* ''Emergency'' (mit Lifetime)
* ''Where Fortune Smiles'' (mit Surman, Karl Berger, Dave Holland und Stu Martin)
* ''The Inner Mounting Flame'' (1972;mit dem Mahavishnu Orchestra)
* ''Natural Elements'' 
* ''Birds Of Fire'' (1973)
* ''Devotion (1984)
* ''Between Nothingness And Eternity'' (dto. live)
* ''Remember Shakti'' (mit der gleichnamigen Gruppe)
* ''The Free Spirits - Tokyo Live'' (Joey DeFrancesco, Dennis Chambers)
* ''The Heart Of Things'' (u.a. Gary Thomas, Dennis Chambers)
* ''The Mediterranean'' (Klassik mit dem London Symphony Orchestra)
* ''Industrial Zen'' 2006 (u.a. mit Hadrien Feraud, Gary Husband, Bill Evans, Vinnie Colaiuta, Mark Mondesir)
* ''Floating Point'' 2008 (u.a. mit Hadrien Feraud)

== Gitarren (Auswahl) ==

{{Infobox musical artist 
| Background  = non_vocal_instrumentalist 
| Instrument = Guitar
| Name             = John McLaughlin
| Img              = Johnmclcrop2.jpg|200px
| Img_capt         = John McLaughlin performing in 2008
| Born             = January 4, 1942 (age 66)<br/>in Doncaster, Yorkshire England
| Died             = 
| Alias            = Mahavishnu John McLaughlin
| Genre            = World fusion<br/>Classical
| Associated_acts  = Tony Williams Lifetime<br/>Mahavishnu Orchestra<br/>Shakti (band)<br/>Paco de Lucía<br/>Carlos Santana<br/>Katia Labèque
| Label            = 
| Notable_instruments = Double Rainbow<br/>Shakti Guitar<br/> Glissentar-Abe Wechter
| Years_active     = 1963-present
| URL              = [http://www.johnmclaughlin.com Official website]
}}
'''John McLaughlin''' (born Lifetime and then played with The Mahavishnu Orchestra performed a technically virtuosic and complex style of music that fused eclectic jazz and rock with eastern and Indian influences. His guitar playing, includes a range of styles and genres, including fusion and Western Classical music, has influenced many other guitarists. He has also incorporated Flamenco music in some of his acoustic recordings. The Indian Tabla maestro Zakir Hussain often refers to John McLaughlin as being "one of the greatest and most important musicians of our times".

==Musical career==
===1960s===
Before moving to the  U.S., McLaughlin recorded ''Extrapolation'' (with Lifetime.  He subsequently played with Big Fun'' (where he is featured soloist on ''Go Ahead John'') and ''A Tribute to Jack Johnson'' — Davis paid tribute to him in the liner notes to ''Jack Johnson'', calling McLaughlin's playing "far in". McLaughlin returned to the Davis band for one recorded night of a week-long club date, which was released as part of the album ''Live-Evil'' and as part of the Cellar Door boxed set.

His reputation as a "first-call"  session player grew, resulting in recordings as a sideman with Miroslav Vitous, Larry Coryell, Joe Farrell, Wayne Shorter, Carla Bley, The Rolling Stones and others.

===1970s===
He recorded ''Devotion'' in early 1970 on Douglas Records (run by  R&B drummer Buddy Miles (who had played with Jimi Hendrix).  ''Devotion'' was the first of two albums he released on Douglas.  

On the second Douglas album, however, McLaughlin went in a different direction in 1971 when he released ''My Goal's Beyond'' in the U.S., an amazing collection of unamplified acoustic works, including extended performances on side A of "Peace One" and "Peace Two," offering a fusion blend of jazz and Indian classical forms.  Side B features some of the most melodic acoustic playing McLaughlin ever recorded, including such standards as "Goodbye Pork-Pie Hat," by Charles Mingus whom McLaughlin considered an important influence on his own development. Other tracks that expressed some of McLaughlin's other influences include "Something Spiritual" (Dave Herman), "Hearts and Flowers" (P.D. Bob Cornford), "Phillip Lane," "Waltz for Bill Evans" (Chick Corea), "Follow Your Heart," "Song for My Mother" and "Blue in Green" (Miles Davis). "Follow Your Heart" had been released earlier on ''Extrapolation'' under the title "Arjen's Bag". 

''My Goal's Beyond'' was inspired by McLaughlin's decision to follow the Indian spiritual leader  guru's poems printed on the  took the name "Mahavishnu."

====Mahavishnu Orchestra====
McLaughlin's 1970s electric band, The Mahavishnu Orchestra <ref>[http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=22802 Power, Passion and Beauty, The Story Of The Legendary Mahavishnu-Orchestra]</ref> included violinist Jerry Goodman (later Jean-Luc Ponty), keyboardist Jan Hammer (later Gayle Moran and Stu Goldberg), bassist Rick Laird (later Ralphe Armstrong), and drummer Billy Cobham (later Narada Michael Walden). The band performed a technically virtuosic and complex style of music that fused eclectic jazz and rock with eastern and Indian influences. This band established fusion as a new and growing style within the jazz and rock worlds.  McLaughlin's playing at this time was distinguished by fast solos and exotic musical scales. 

In 1973, McLaughlin collaborated with Coltrane compositions including ''A Love Supreme''. He has also worked with the jazz composers Carla Bley and Gil Evans.

The Mahavishnu Orchestra's personality clashes were as explosive as their performances and consequently the first incarnation of the group split in late 1973 after just two years and three albums, one of which was a live recording "Between Nothingness and Eternity". In 2001 the "Lost Trident Sessions" album was released, recorded in 1973 but shelved when the group disbanded. Mclaughlin then reformed the group with School Days album, among a host of other musicians.

====Other activities====
After the first reincarnation of the Mahavishnu Orchestra split, McLaughlin worked with the far more low-key, acoustic group Shakti. This group combined Zakir Hussain ( westerner to attain any acclaim performing Indian music for Indian audiences.

In this group, Mclaughlin played a custom made steel string acoustic guitar made by Gibson guitar company, which featured two tiers of strings over the soundhole: a conventional six string configuration with an additional seven strings strung underneath on a forty-five degree angle - these were independently tunable and were played as "sympathetic strings" much like a sitar or veena. The instrument also featured a scalloped fretboard along the full length of the neck which enabled Mclaughlin to play bends far beyond the reach of a conventional fretboard. 

In 1979, he teamed up with flamenco guitarist Paco de Lucía and jazz guitarist Larry Coryell (replaced by Al Di Meola in the early 1980s) as the Guitar Trio. For the fall tour of 1983, they were joined by Dixie Dregs guitarist Steve Morse, who opened the show as a soloist and participated with The Trio in the closing numbers. The Trio, again featuring McLaughlin along with de Lucía and Di Meola, reunited in 1996 for a second recording session and a world tour. In 1979, Mclaughlin recorded the album "Johnny Mclaughlin: Electric Guitarist". This was the title on Mclaughlin's first business cards as a teenager in Yorkshire. This recording was a return to more mainstream Jazz/Rock fusion and to the electric instrument after three years of playing acoustic guitars, particularly his Gibson 2-tier custom-made steel string with the Shakti group. Mclaughlin was so used to the scalloped fretboard from his Shakti days and so accustomed to the freedom it provided him that he had the fretboard scalloped on his Gibson Byrdland Electric hollowbody. 

He also formed the short-lived One Truth Band who recorded one studio album: "Electric Dreams, Electric Sighs". The group had L. Shankar on violins, Stu Goldberg on keyboards, Fernando Saunders on electric bass and Tony Smith on drums. 1979 also saw the formation of the very short-lived U.S. on March 8 1979.

===1980s===

thumb|John McLaughlin performing in 1986 [[Hollabrunn, right|200px

In the late '80s and early '90s Mclaughlin recorded and performed live with a trio including bassist Kai Eckhardt and phenomenal percussionist Trilok Gurtu. The group recorded two albums: "Live at The Royal Festival Hall" and "Que Alegria", with latter featuring Dominique DiPiazza on bass for all but two tracks. These recordings saw a return to acoustic instruments for McLaughlin, performing on nylon-string guitar. On "Live at the Royal Festival Hall" McLaughlin utilised a unique guitar synth which enabled him to effectively "loop" guitar parts and play over them live. The synth also featured a pedal which provided sustain when pressed. McLaughlin played parts which sound overdubbed and creating lush soundscapes, aided by Gurtu's unique percussive sounds. This approach is used to great effect in the track "Florianapolis", amongst others.   