In his first extensive U.S. tour in seven years, guitarist John McLaughlin, joined by guitarist Jimmy Herring, will revisit the “pioneering music he introduced with his deeply influential, genre-defying Mahavisnu Orchestra” in “The Meeting of the Spirits” tour scheduled for November and December 2017, backed by his current band the 4th Dimension, featuring drummer Ranjit Barot, keyboardist-drummer Gary Husband and bassist Étienne M’Bappé, according to a press release. McLaughlin and Herring will each perform separate sets before pairing up for a tribute to classic Mahavishnu Orchestra material from albums such as The Inner Mounting Flame, Birds of Fire, Between Nothingness and Eternity and Visions of the Emerald Beyond.
“The music of Mahavishnu is part of my personal and musical history, and as such it is inseparable from me,” McLaughlin said in the release. “To return to these pieces with the experience I’ve had for the past 45 years, since the majority of those pieces were played all those years ago, is very exciting.”
Added Herring in the release, “John’s influence on me is far-reaching. When first hearing him, I was struck by the raw emotion and technical prowess he has. If you listen to John long enough, the layers of of all the things that make him unique will reveal themselves…Inner Mounting Flame changed my life and the way I heard music. By the time I heard it in 1980, John had long since moved on and recreated himself, as he has done many times throughout his career. It is an honor and a privilege to do this tour with John and the 4th Dimension.”
McLaughlin, who celebrates his 75th birthday in 2017, added that “The Meeting of the Spirits” tour, which is set to include surprise special guests, will most likely be his last American performances and is “hoping that all of his friends who have supported him over the years come out to celebrate this tour with him,” according to the release.
