Stretching the Limits of Music: The Mahavishnu Orchestra—the Inner Mounting Flame.

By James Zaworski


The Mahavishnu Orchestra was the supreme and all encompassing innovative brainchild of the legendary guitarist, John Mclaughlin. John Mclaughlin, British by birth, was heavily influenced by Miles Davis and John Coltrane in the realms of jazz and the new frontiers that music was going in the late 1960s/early 1970s. In this fertile field of musical possibilities, Miles Davis came up with a recording called “B*tches Brew”, and it was musical experimentation at its best. The personnel Miles had on that album were such remarkable musicians as Chick Corea, Joseph Zawinul, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, Jack de Johnette, Billy Cobham, Lenny White, Airto Moreira, Dave Holland, and John Mclaughlin. The personnel employed on this 1970 release became a who’s who of musicians who would found or participate in the “fusion” groups of the 1970s onward: Chick Corea formed “Return to Forever”, Herbie Hancock formed his “Headhunters” group, and John Mclaughlin formed “The Mahavishnu Orchestra”.
Fusion music is essentially the combination of various types of music, especially jazz, rock, and classical musical influences, but it isn’t limited to these three possible combinations. In the case of Mclaughlin and Mahavishnu, fusion was all of the aforementioned musical types combined, but with some Indian musical influence thrown in as well. It made for a remarkable combination. The Mahavishnu Orchestra’s original lineup was composed of John Mclaughlin, Billy Cobham, Jan Hammer, Rick Laird, and Jerry Goodman. The “sound” that The Mahavishnu Orchestra made was loud, and electronically oriented to the maximum. Jazz purists have likened the sound to “music that gets into your stomach, and wrenches round and round”. I don’t subscribe to that view at all, and what follows is a table of information on this recording followed by a review of what I consider to be its highlights.


Information on “The Inner Mounting Flame”.

Artist name: The Mahavishnu Orchestra
Record Label:
Original Release Date:
Personnel:
John Mclaughlin—all guitars
Rick Laird—bass
Jan Hammer—keyboards
Billy Cobham—drums and percussion
Jerry Goodman—violin and electric violin
Track List:
1. Meeting of the Spirits
2. Dawn
3. Noonward Race, The
4. Lotus on Irish Streams, A
5. Vital Transformation
6. Dance of Maya, The
7. You Know You Know
8. Awakening
Review/Highlights.

“Meeting of the Spirits.”

This track starts the CD and the best description of the music that I can think of is “raw energy and power”. This instrumental track begins with a sort of cataclysmic musical earthquake, with the five band members playing dramatic single note arpeggios, with Billy Cobham going wild on the drums. This happens for the first forty seconds, and then the main theme then begins with John Mclaughlin, on his Gibson electric guitar coming in at first with a simple harmonic riff, with the rhythm section backing him up, that is Jerry Goodman on violin, Rick Laird on bass guitar, and Jan Hammer on keys. Then a change occurs with Mclaughlin turning to one blistering lead guitar solo. In this solo, which lasts for the bulk of the middle of this track, he hits numerous flurries of 64th notes, or hemi demisemiquavers. There is a raw energy and power, and majestic beauty involved in the authority and virtuosity in which Mclaughlin plays the guitar. His technical skill and speed are incredible. One can imagine him sitting in the yoga position and playing these blistering and blinding flurries. After a respite in the tune there is a small Jan Hammer solo on electric piano. The main theme is then repeated, with violin shadowing the guitar the whole time, giving an ethereal feel to the atmosphere that is the “Meeting of the Spirits”. Goodman solos towards the end.

“Dawn”.

This is the second track on the CD. “Dawn” is also my favorite track on the CD, tied perhaps with “Dance of Maya” and “Vital Transformation”. This one, as its name implies, is a quieter instrumental composition. It begins with Jan Hammer on soft electric piano accompanied by Billy Cobham on soft cymbals and drums, and then in comes a combination of guitar and violin playing simultaneously, and beautifully. The harmony and feeling created by the two instruments playing in synchronization is beautiful. Then, John goes off onto a brilliant and “textured” guitar solo on his electric guitar. I say “textured” to describe the feeling of the sound, as it is something that is very tangible, and in a way, you feel you can reach out and grasp the beautiful sound. He again, goes from the sublime and mellow to a blinding and wickedly blistering flurry of 64th notes, ending in the whole band joining him in a moment or two of counterpoint. The counterpoint theme then takes over, as the volume is amplified, and Jerry Goodman then solos on his violin. The counterpoint theme, now amplified, becomes dominant, just as when at dawn, the sun rises softly over the horizon, then dramatically, the day is bright, the song goes from mellow to amplified sound, and then back to the original theme, as if a cloud went over the sun. And the track then fades out as it has originally faded in with repeated theme.
“The Noonward Race”.


This one is incredible! Raw and violent, with a sense of urgency, this one starts out fast and furious. “The Noonward Race” is characterized from the beginning by great disharmony, but it is structured. Mclaughlin performs brilliantly again on his guitar as he “chop solos”, with lots of mutes and dramatic pauses. And after the initial introduction theme, a new theme takes over. Bass and drums and keyboards form the background as Jerry Goodman takes over on a lovely violin solo. The tempo is fast and the musical urgency builds and builds as he solos. Then, as if wanting to show his stuff, Jan Hammer gets a chance to solo, almost starting before the violin solo ends. All the while, the drums are going wild, with Billy Cobham doing some magnificent and tireless work. There is a counterpoint theme that joins all of this together, and it is repeated three or four times between each solo. The third solo is John on his guitar, and again his solo is performed with brilliant energy and a dramatic flare, with technical speed that up until that time had not been heard on an electric guitar. Remember, this was recorded in 1971. The final solo is all Billy Cobham on the drums. The only guy who doesn’t solo is the bass player. This is a brilliant instrumental track and is another of my favorites on this CD. I love the counterpoint in this one!

“A Lotus on Irish Stream”.

“A Lotus on Irish Stream” is a complete turn around musically on the CD. This one is acoustic and very mellow and classical in style. John is on acoustic guitar, the violin is now an acoustic violin, there is a piano, and a standup bass fiddle. It is at once beautiful and ethereal, and the title is very apt, as one can envision the lotus floating on the surface of the stream. Images of loveliness and beauty are conjured up in the mind’s eye. This is a short tune, and is one of the most beautiful pieces of music you will be treated to. Again, it’s another highlight of the music on this CD. It is also one of the longer tracks, at over five minutes in length.

“Vital Transformation”.

This is my other favorite track on this CD. It’s another one with power, grace and majesty and raw energy. Filled with some wonderful solos and some fantastic music, “Vital Transformation” is in fitting with the musical themes as set forth on all of the other tracks and compositions on the CD.

“The Dance of Maya”.

“The Dance of Maya” is my third “tied for favorite” track and composition on this CD. It is slower in tempo, with John starting on a gut wrenching and slow theme that will dominate this instrumental track. One conjures up a Hindu deity, Maya, in a beautiful and terrible dance of creation and destruction, at once responsible for the cyclical changes that happen in the world and in the universe, and in life. The main theme goes on and is repeated over and over, but there are subtle changes to the theme as the track progresses. Soon, almost imperceptibly, another theme is put over the top of this theme, and eventually it becomes a counterpoint filled blues theme with rock overtones. It is at once lovely and terrible to behold.

“You Know You Know”.

This one’s title is also very apt, and is in the musical tradition of jazz more than the raw power of the previous fusion and classical themes we have heard. It is mellower in tone, and slower, but has plenty of counterpoint. The progression of the theme is three notes, descending three notes, then three more descending notes. In between, there is room to improvise and throw in more counterpoint. Subtle changes musically are thrown your way as the theme progresses. The violin is beautiful here, and Jan Hammer does a lovely job on keyboards too. It works very well.

“Awakening”.

This is the final track on this CD, and it is a blistering and wickedly violent tune. It is reminiscent of “the noonward race” but is more intense perhaps, if that is possible. Dramatic and grand, “Awakening” is the metaphor for a spiritual awakening or epiphany, gleaned from the “vital transformations” that one has undergone in the adversities and suffering of this life, and past lives, as it were. I like how the themes are all joined together through their titles and through the music. “Awakening” is another great track composed by John, as all of the tunes here are.

One would expect that with a name such as “Mahavishnu”, “the great vehicle”, that John Mclaughlin was influenced by the culture of India. Indeed, he was and had been studying the Vina with an Indian master in the United States. He was, like the Beatles, influenced by a guru. The thematic titles here are very evidently influenced by Sri Chinmoy. Sri Chinmoy is quoted on the liner notes in a piece called Aspiration on the CD, and I think it is worth quoting here”

Aspiration

“Aspiration, in its simplest definition, is a lovely flame climbing heavenward.
True aspiration can and does make us feel that if God is for us, who can eventually stand against us?
We feel a desire to have God on our side. But we need the aspiration to throw ourselves on God’s side.
The sun is the only remedy, for dark clouds in the sky. Similarly, there is no other medicine than aspiration for our troubled hearts.
Aspiration is the first run of the sky kissing ladder; Realization is the last.
True human aspiration has three intimate friends” Purification, Quietude and Intensity. Aspiration has an enemy called impatience.
Aspiration is the mounting flame of our divine wish to raise ourselves to the crest and crowning of Divine Perfection.
The body aspires through action.
The vital aspires through struggles.
The mind aspires through self-search.
The heart aspires through the feeling of unison.
The soul aspires through the perfection of God’s manifestation.”


“Inner Mounting Flame” is one of my all-time favorite fusion recordings. It gained some good critical success and also enjoyed some degree of commercial success. The Mahavishnu Orchestra with this lineup put out “Birds of Fire” after this one, and it actually went gold in sales, which is saying something for a fusion record! They put out one more album, called “Between Nothingness and Eternity” in 1973, a live concert performed for free in Central Park of New York City. Recently, a fourth recording was “discovered” in the musical vaults of Columbia Records, which was recorded in 1973. Another incarnation of Mahavishnu came about with two more records in 1975 and 1976, “Apocalypse” and “Visions of the Emerald Beyond”. I will review each and every one of these in order, so look for more Mahavishnu Orchestra reviews coming soon from this reviewer.

All in all, “The Inner Mounting Flame” is a must have CD for lovers of jazz/fusion music, for fans of John Mclaughlin and the Mahavishnu Orchestra in particular, and for those adventurous souls who just can’t get enough music, and like to dabble and experiment in the true experience of musical creativity. Cheers.





Recommended: Yes

Great Music to Play While: Driving