Search - John McLaughlin :: Extrapolation

My Top 20, #1

J. Shea | 11/26/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"As I continue giving away my vinyl to family, friends, students, and other interested parties, I will add my reviews for the 20 I will keep for sentimental value. These had initial and lasting impact on my own musical development. This is the one I would keep, if I could only keep one.



James Taylor made me want to play guitar. The first song I played for an audience, at the age of 7, was "Sweet Baby James". Then I heard Clapton (Disraeli Gears), and decided electric guitar was for me. Then Hendrix, "Are you Experienced", made me wonder if I should just chuck it...but when I heard "Extrapolation" I changed my mind. Having heard the work of so many excellent guitarists, from Abercrombie to Zoller, I still find McLaughlin's work the most compelling. I have all of his recordings, and his instructional stuff too. He inspired me to look back into the blues and jazz traditions, but also into eastern music and rhythm. Nobody wanted to hear me play his stuff in my midwestern digs, but I figured if I could learn how to play like him I could play anything, and that has proven to be the case. But that's just my own experience. This is John at his peak, imho.



You will either love or hate this recording. It is raw, and rough around the edges. But it is musical dialogue at a very high level. I enjoy most of McLaughlin's work, but his acoustic playing is the most inspiring for me. There is no highlight reel for this one. It starts with strong swing, moves into mellow grooves, and then alternates between intense improvisation and sweet soulful lyricism. This album also introduced me to John Surman, which was a bonus. I can't recommend it highly enough for guitarists, jazz musicians, people who enjoy musical adventures, and other like-minded spirits."