The Mahavishnu Orchestra was a multinational jazz-rock ensemble headed by English guitarist John McLaughlin, who led two lineups during their original six-album run. The first incarnation was a five-piece band with Czech keyboardist Jan Hammer, Irish bassist Rick Laird, and two Americans: violinist Jerry Goodman and drummer Billy Cobham. They released the 1971–73 Columbia albums […]
Billy Cobham (born May 16, 1944) is a Panamanian-American jazz-rock drummer who played in the bands Dreams, the Mahavishnu Orchestra, and Atmospheres during the early 1970s. Starting with his 1973 solo debut Spectrum, Cobham released eight albums on Atlantic and four on Columbia through 1979, including a live release in partnership with George Duke. He […]
Jerry Goodman (born March 16, 1949) is an American violinist from Chicago who played in jazz-psych pioneers The Flock during the late 1960s. Between 1971 and 1973, he played in the first lineup of the Mahavishnu Orchestra, appearing on the albums The Inner Mounting Flame and Birds of Fire. Discography: Like Children (1974 • Jerry […]
Visions of the Emerald Beyond is an album by the Mahavishnu Orchestra, released in February 1975 on Columbia. The album is the fourth chronological studio release under the Mahavishnu nameplate and the second to feature the mark II lineup with violinist Jean-Luc Ponty and drummer Narada Michael Walden. A1. “Eternity’s Breath – Part 1” (3:10) […]
John McLaughlin (born Jan. 4, 1942) is an English jazz-rock guitarist from Doncaster, South Yorkshire, active on the international jazz scene since the late 1960s. In 1969, he joined Tony Williams Lifetime for three albums and also appeared on the sessions for Miles Davis‘ seminal electrification releases In a Silent Way and Bitches Brew (1970). […]
Birds of Fire is the second studio album by multinational jazz-rock ensemble the Mahavishnu Orchestra, released on March 26, 1973, on Columbia Records. A1. “Birds of Fire” (5:50) The title track opens with a ceremonial gong strike, echoed by a swarm of guitar harmonics and tremolo textures that build immediate intensity. John McLaughlin initiates a […]
Apocalypse is the third studio album by multinational jazz-rock ensemble the Mahavishnu Orchestra, produced by George Martin and released in April 1974 on Columbia Records. A1. “Power of Love” (4:36) The album opens in subdued form as strings from the London Symphony Orchestra establish a slow, pulsing atmosphere. McLaughlin contributes lightly voiced acoustic guitar figures […]
The Inner Mounting Flame is the debut album by multinational jazz-rock ensemble the Mahavishnu Orchestra, released on November 3, 1971, on Columbia Records. 1. “Meeting of the Spirits” – 6:52 “Meeting of the Spirits” opens the album with a sequence of sharply punctuated ensemble hits that establish the piece’s underlying tension. Cobham initiates motion through […]
