I'm sure most fusion fans will no doubt read the title of this release and instantly recognize it as a tribute to the great 70's band The Mahavishnu Orchestra and especially guitarist John McLaughlin. Tone Center has developed a nice series over the last few years which has brought together many of today's hottest guitar players and session musicians paying tribute to many classic bands and artists of yesteryear. For this set, the core group consists of drummer Vinnie Colaiuta, bassist Kai Eckhardt, Mitchel Forman on keyboards, and guitarist Jef Richman. Together, they join up with a stellar host of guest stars to cover some of McLaughlin and Mahavishnu's hottest songs.
Toto's Steve Lukather and his muscular rock firepower fuel the searing "Birds of Fire", and Deep Pueple/Dixie Dregs legend Steve Morse adds his blazing & acrobatic style to the scorcher "Celestial-Terrestrial Commuters". While Mike Stern is one of the most respected jazz guitarists of this era, his solo on "Can't Stand Your Funk", even though it is brilliant, really doesn't fit in with the song and sort of sounds simply edited in. Not the case with Jimmy Herring's white hot riffs and solos on "Meeting of the Spirits", a real Mahavishnu Orchestra classic that Herring does a great job getting McLaughlin's tone and style on the piece. Other highlights include Frank Gambale's duel with Jerry Goodman's violin on "Dawn", Warren Haynes' rumbling funk licks on "Lila's Dance", Richman's intense grooves on "Jazz", and the interplay of "Dance of the Maya", which sees Greg Howe playing off Goodman and Colaiuta quite nicely. In fact, the "house" band of Colaiuta, Richman, Forman, and Eckhardt do a fine job of keeping the Mahavishnu spirit alive on these songs.
Overall this is a fun release and a reminder of just how great a band The Mahavishnu Orchestra was, and how influential John McLaughlin was and still is among many musicians today.
Track Listing
1. Birds Of Fire -Steve Lukather
2. Can't Stand Your Funk -Mike Stern/Jerry Goodman
3. Celestial Terrestrial -Steve Morse
4. Meeting Of The Spirits -Jimmy Herring
5. Jazz -Jeff Richman
6. Dawn -Frank Gambale/Jerry Goodman
7. Lila's Dance -Warren Haynes/Jerry Goodman
8. Faith - David Ficzynski
9. Dance Of Maya -Greg Howe/Jerry Goodman
10. Follow Your Heart - John Abercrombie
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