Drummer reacts to "You Know, You Know" (Live) by Mahavishnu Orchestra 

One song was all it took to sell me completely on this band. Wow. Such control... and the alterations to the main riff over the song is just genius. I love it. Thank you so much for watching y'all! It means the world to me, it really does. If you want to help support the channel, please consider liking this video and subscribing to the channel. If you would like to make a request or just send a one time donation, here's how! @L33Reacts - PayPal $LeeMann3011 - Cash App WWW.PATREON.COM/L33REACTS Thank you so much. A donation of any amount will get your named added to the supporter video that plays at the end of every video.

I took my girlfriend to see Mahavishnu Orchestra in 1972/3 (she wasn't into rock, let alone jazz/rock!), and I remember turning to her and she had her eyes closed. I assumed she was 'grooving' along to it, which surprised me, but I found she was actually asleep!!! Ha ha.

Mahavishnu Orchestra is the premier jazz-rock group of the 1970s. Simple as that. Billy Cobham is regarded the ultimate jazz-rock drummer. He practically invented jazz-rock drumming. Check out his debut album Spectrum.

You must now react to “Birds of Fire”. Billy Cobham is one the greats!!

Billy is my favorite all time drummer

How is it that you are a drummer and have not heard Billy Cobham? One of the best ever.

That awesome keyboard is a Minimoog! You also saw Rick Wakeman playing one in the outro of South Side of the Sky live. Back in 1971 when Yes was touring in support of Fragile, they were the opening act for The Kinks on a number of dates. At one of those concerts in late November, Mahavishnu Orchestra was added as a supporting act. As Chris and Jon watched them play, Jon said "Chris, we've got to practice more". MO was one of the influences for Close to the Edge, in particular the opening section. Steve was also impressed with MO and John Mclaughlin and it shows in his guitar work in Close to the Edge.

The drummer in Mahavishnu Orchestra (at this time) is Billy Cobham, one of the greatest fusion drummers ever. He can play subtle, funky, or all out over-the-top with equal skill.

Saw them open for Jeff Beck in the 70’s. Really cool band. Jazz fusion. The guitarist John McLaughlin joined Beck during the encore. It was a different world back then.

Saw them with Weather Report 1980 I think... What a concert...Seen Billy Cobham solo on the Stratus tour...As a drummer; Billy gives you a great goal...Few drummers on earth can match his power but; you learn some sweet chops...One Word, From Birds of Fire is a great track to see how intense Mahavishnu is...Best of Billy with the group.

Must do "Eternities Breath" off Visions of the Emerald Beyond! Thanks so much for this! Best to all~

Listen to Miles Davis “Bitches Brew”! Miles picked John to play guitar on the album! Great work! Saw Mahavishnu in Iowa City in 73! Wow!

I got to see this band many times live, all the various incarnations. I'm a drummer also, and when the first album came out, it was like a revelation. We had a violinist so we were playing a few Mahavishu and Zappa tunes. That was in 1974. Boy, time flies.

dance of maya. face-melting.

Top of the heap when it comes to progressive jazz/rock fusion. They were the King Crimson of their genre and time. Had a buddy who was learning to play drums back when we were teens. I'd go to the drum shop with him to watch him drool over drum equipment. I remember they had Billy Cobham endorsed drum sticks. They were THICK. Biggest sticks I ever saw. Cobham had incredible finesse but was also a huge and hard hitter. John McLaughlin stood shoulder to shoulder with guitarists of the time, including Fripp and Howe. You should react to "Birds of Fire". Trust me. Blessings.

Jerry Goodman, the violinist, was in a Chicago band called the Flock back in 69. First album was a very interesting album and help set the groundwork for jazz fusion.

jan hammer played all the music for the television show miami vice,and also played with jeff beck,i saw billy cobham with george duke ,john scofield,and alphonso johnson,who also played the chapman stick,great show

You need to give the person who requested this a million dollars. You have just expanded your world of music by galaxies. Billy Cobham is and has been one of the finest drummers of all time. Never to be replaced.

The Dance Of Maya is pretty great, as are all the other ones the commenters listed.

Improvisation within composed structure. What freedom!

Since you're digging Jan Hammer's keyboard chops, you ought to check out "Bambu Forest" and "Red and Orange" from the Oh Yeah? album. The synth and violin are killer.

jan hammer is a drummer as well ... he and cobham were reading each other so well

Lee, you've been listening to Yes' Relayer album recently. When you read in the comments that keyboard player Patrick Moraz was influenced by Jan Hammer's jazz fusion style -'- this is him. Also a Swiss musician, by the way. Drummer Billy Cobham was an influence on many prog players including Neil Peart, Billy B and Phil Collins. This video also reveals a particular challenge for rock bands in the early 70s (especially those with Minimoogs on stage) -- tuning.

John McLaughlin is actually a Jazz guitarist(check out "SPACES" album by Larry Corryel ) who is a pioneer guitarist also John is a welcomed guest on that session, John showed Rock guitarist how to shred in the 80s, John McLaughlin stated he learned to shred from Jazz saxophonists John Coltrane, the rest of band are highly trained musicians on Jazz, Classical or both, world-class players.they can read anything.

This is jazz-fusion.Other jazz fusion bands would be Return to Forever., Larry Coryell's 11th House and Weather Report.Check out Snarky Puppy's Lingus. Jazz Fusion leans more to being instrumental but shares some of the elements of progressive rock with going a bit out there with use of synthesizers, odd time signatures, and displays of musical virtuosity.

Mahavishnu Orchestra always well regarded...

After this one, One Word will blow your socks off!

Just saw John McLaughlin with Shakti this week in Seattle. John is still killing it. Zakir Hussein is the tabla player and he cooks. Check out Shakti for something very different

Check out the Inner Mounting Flame (their first record)! You know you know is there too! Enjoy!

Thanks

This is no more a "prog" band than Mozart. I first heard JM and the MO with the album "Visions of Emeralds Beyond" one year after graduating from high school. I have yet to be so spiritiually lifted, except for everything that Jeff Beck did, and he collaborated with JM of course. Twin sons of a different mother! They were both giants, and attracted the talent and accompaniment of similar genius. Just look up the list of muscians who joined them. The angels sang, and played their instruments.

Fantastic music, saw Mahavishnu Orchestra in August of 73 & two weeks later combined with Santana to present Love Devotion Surrender album just released. Check out Billy Cobham Spectrum release especially Stratus!

Album called Inner Mounting Flame

Jon's guitar was made Austin Texas I saw the place that makes them

Was a big Mahavishnu/McLaughlin fan in the 70s and saw them at the Metropolitan Opera house in New York in 74 or so. Every palyer was fantastic - this song scratches the surface. And Billy Cobham on drums is one of the all time great fusion performers.

Lee, Mahavishnu Orchestra and all of John McLaughlin's music is world-changing/mind blowing! He was one of the giants for the Fusion Jazz movement! Check out the album -- and I do mean the whole album -- called "Visions of the Emerald Beyond", by Mahavishnu Orchestra. It is PHENOMENAL!! Jean Luc Ponty plays violin and Narrada Michael Walden plays drums (I think he was only 20 or 21 when he recorded with them, at the time), after Jerry Goodman and Billy Cobham left the band. "Visions" is a tour-d-force, and one of my favorites from JM/MO. It's such an amazing experience to listen to it cover-to-cover, as it were. So much happens on that album, musically, with genre-shifting and just incredible musicianship (Jean Luc is a BEAST)! Check it out!

I stood close to Billy Cobham with MO in a club in NY. I have been F'up ever since. Hard to put other drummers in perspective.

Billy Cobham played with John on Tribute to Jack Johnson just a year or two before this. That was where they became friends and was the beginnings of the MO. The difference in both John’s and Billy’s playing between Jack Johnson and MO is quite extraordinary. I think they went woodshedding on another planet!

Welcome to one of the greatest Jazz Fusion bands of the 70s. Others bands of this level were: Tony Williams' Lifetime (Tony Williams, drummer), Weather Report, Return to Forever, Herbie Hancock and the Headhunters. Tony Williams Lifetime Live has just become available on YT. These groups were unique because each group combined different music elements together. Each group had a style which was different than the others. The one thing that they had which was similar was some of the members of each band were from the Miles Davis school. They were the players present when Miles Davis first embraced electric instruments.

Jerry Goodman (Violin) from the US rock band Flock.Try Noonward Race from the Inner Mountain Flame album.

I fist saw The "Vishnuers" when they performed at a CUNY, (Community University of New York) named Hunter College in 1972. My older sister was attending the college, I had never heard the band, and I went with her to keep her company. Saw them a second time, in August 1973, at the Schaefer Music Festival in Central Park in New York City, (Manhattan).

There is a fantastic drum solo you should review, it is Vinny Coliauta from Zappa's band, funkmaster Steve Gadd (Steely Dan, among others), and Dave Weckyl. It's on the tube and just mind blowing. Best of luck with your channel!

Never heard of them before. Excellent musicians. Not all that familiar with jazz fusion in general. 2 bands , that I do know of in that jazz fusion genre, are Snarky Puppy and Dirty Loops. Can't remember if you have heard of them or not. Heard songs from both, but couldn't name one. Worth looking into, if you aren't yet familiar with them.

Billy Cobham is something special on the drums. Check out his song “Stratus” for some nice live videos of it

Dude, you are locked into the good stuff! Another band I was fortunate enough to see. Virtuosos every one. There was no holding back when this much talent got together. Since you have a spiritual bent, I think you might like Smile of the Beyond and Eternity’s Breath.

Excellent reaction. Check the album of the drummer Billy Cobham Spectrum

Oo! Oo! Saw Mahavishnu in the title, dragged me right in to see what you think of them. One of my favorites in the jazz-fusion biz. John McLaughlin is a guitar demi-god, and surrounds himself with none but the best of fellow musicians. Hope you'll eventually get around to checking out the album Birds of Fire and its title track, Fantastic.

Saw this band in 1973. Billy Cobham- still one of the best drummers around- along with Rick Laird on Bass. In 1973 this music had come from another planet. Jan Hammer on Keys- now famous for US tv themes. Jerry Goodman- Fiddle, from the US rock band Flock. Their leader John McLaughlin on Guitar of course. First two albums- Inner Mountain Flame- react to Noonward Race, second album Birds Of Fire. I'm a Band-Maid fan but so glad that you react this brilliant music from the past. Loved your ELP Tarkus reaction.

DUDE REALLY LIKE YOUR SHOW I HAVE A LONG WEIRD HISTORY WITH MUSIC MY LITTLE TOWN ATLANTA TEXAS HAS SEVERAL BIG TIME MUSIC FOLK. ROSCOE BECK DAD HAD POOL HALL DON HENLEY HUNG OUT AS TEEN

If you like this style of music you must review Return to Forever, Romantic Warrior. Chick Corea, Lenny White, Stanley Clark and Al Dimeola. The pinnacle of Fusion.

...did anyone mention that Bill played in drum corps? St Catherine's Queensmen and Long Island Sunrisers that I know of...

The drummer, Billy Cobham, was like a God back in the day. These Fusion Jazz Musicians were some of the best musicians at the time, they played for the love of music and don't think very many of them ever got rich.

First time I ever saw these guys they were playing live on a TV show called In Concert--blew me away and I have been a big fan ever since. Went out and found the first Mahavishnu album I could find--Birds of Fire--on eight track. Agree with those recommending next you do "One Word" off that album. Has a lot of alternating solos, at times in quick cycles--basically a showcase for their musical virtuosity--and a good long Billy Cobham solo toward the end. This got me into the jazz-rock fusion genre--but having already been a prog rock fan, I pretty much put them into the same category. But you should also check out Weather Report, Return to Forever, Chick Corea and several of the individual band members' solo efforts. Included in that are Blow By Blow and Wired by Jeff Beck--he turned to exploring fusion after hearing Maha. Wired features Maha keyboardist Jan Hammer along with Maha's second drummer Narada Michael Walden--then they did a live album together which is fire. Another song that is an all time fusion classic is Herbie Hancock's "Watermelon Man"--and another timeles classic is "Stratus" off Billy Cobham's Spectrum album. When guitarist John McLaughlin became a devotee of an eastern religion he changed his name to Mahavisnu John McLaughlin. It is some kind of honorific or something but I don't remember the details and don't feel like looking it up. Carlos Santana converted to the same and they made an album together. Michael Walden added the Narada to his name for the same reason. NMW was in the second version of Maha along with Jean Luc Ponty--if you like Jerry Goodman's violin playing, you'll love JLP--made several solo albums but very well known for his first, Enigmatic Ocean. The later Mahavishnus were excellent, just didn't elicit quite the same excitement from me. And hang in there, Lee. Wish I could contribute something for you, but I may be homeless myself pretty soon. Just remember that challenges can also be opportunities.

You didn't listen to the first track they played before this? That was the lead-in to this song! 😂

Check out "one word" from the album birds of fire! It will totally blow your head clear off!

Fantastic musicians, all. This band can complete mind-bending unison passages that seem impossibly difficult. One of my fav jazz-fusion groups. When Phil Collins was not listening to Zappa and Weather Report he was listening to MO. Enough for me. To think when this came out and I was listening to 'Birds of Fire', Collins may have been also. Cobham is a monster on drums. Awesome. (a related tid-bit.....Phil Collins played with Brand X in the mid-70s. Their sound is similar to Mahavishnu with some Weather Report sprinkled in. Worth finding.)

That composer named Doug something said he'd looked at the score and it's in 4/4 but gets that odd feel because the repeating phrase begins and ends on an upbeat with the downbeat an 8th note after that first upbeat. Much of the rest of their music is decidedly not in 4/4. I saw them in 1973, not long before this lineup dissolved.

Maybe you can understand why we old guys who found this in our teens are now grooving to Bandmaid, because they set the bar that high and turn it into four minutes of song form hard rock outrage. I remember age around 15 walking to the wood shop for class with another kid and our cool teacher and he says "Hey I just heard this band who make the Allman Bros sound like the Dave Clarke Five. You are too young to get the references probably but that was this band. Some of their stuff is really fast and you can just imagine kanami and Akane seeing it all as a score in their heads and coming back with a banger in their own style riffing and twisting it all. There are only a few old bands you can listen back to back with the maids, most just didn't try hard enough, nor grab your adhd attention and hold onto it with overwhelming detail. But of course this is just based around one riff, Kanami weaves in at least three. Unless you are out of this tradition (or classical) you can love bandmaid but not really understand why. They're doing this to your head in 4:4 (more or less) time over four minutes. With lesser skill it would be garbage. Weather Report are another old band who have that level of "go for it". But none of them have a couple of singers who make it "just so". This is why so many old guys (I'm 67) are so thrilled about what is coming out of Japan and that kids are finding them and wanting to play that well. King Crimson in their best lineup are also up there. You need to search "bandmaid Lopalooza" it ripped from hulu with great quality and an hour of proof that I'm not bullshiting. The Rolling stone reviewer said "This is what the guys in the guitar center imagine they sound like".

A brave choice and entry into 70s fusion jazz Lee! Fantastic. Seminal band indeed. And McLaughlin is a master guitarist (which wasn't shown in this clip), composer and bandleader so I'd recommend perhaps checking out a few of the studio versions of Mahavishnu Orch records (Noonward Race and Vital Transformation will do the job)! The live versions are intense, to say the least. The album Birds of Prey shows a different side of MO, while the amazing opener, Inner Mounting Flame, cannot be missed. This is way beyond a rabbit hole - more like Pre-Mahavishnu music and POST Mahavishnu music.

Excellent, been a while though, you should listen to "Vital Transformation" by them. Thanks!

Mini Moog... synth of the 70s

These are aliens from another planet.

I attended a Mahavishnu Orchestra concert in Chicago in the late 70's and the performers came out and sat on a large carpet and played everything from there. Totally acoustic. Not what I was expecting, but it was a mind-blowing experience. Here's a link to a performance with Carlos Santana, who recorded at least one album with John McLaughlin: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-83ddjtnT7KU.html

❤❤❤

Not so much a song more of an exhibition. Interesting to hear your reaction. Jazz-rock can sometimes come across as being just an opportunity to show off and sometimes seems to lack coherence or narrative. The musicianship is always sublime. It's a joy to hear them play so fluently. Check out Return to Forever or Al DiMeola.

ma-HA-vish-nu

MA- HA- VISH-NU........

I hoped you'd check them out. The guitarist still is killing it. He doesn't do much on this but check him out. John McLaughlin.

There's a 14:35 minute live version of The Dance of Maya from 1972 on YT that will absolutely blow your mind. Here's a link: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Txq5I15bAlY.html Musician's musicians at the absolute top of their game, and thoroughly enjoying every second of it. If this one doesn't put a smile on your face, check your pulse. Fun fact - Keyboardist Jan Hammer had a hit single a decade or so later, with the theme from Miami Vice.

Check out The Noonward Race

MaHa Musicians Musicians

For about 40 years I thought this was three bars of 3/4 and then a 5/4 and some 4/4. 😂 actually it’s 4/4 all the way through.

You're young...and that's okay. You should know by now that you are watching one of the 3 GREATEST FUSION bands EVER. (The other two would be RETURN TO FOREVER and WEATHER REPORT)

mashavishnu, lol

Mostly refugees from Miles Davis Band.

Ps it’s MAHA vishnu😊

Let's not go anyhwere near the pants question...!!

Lee, it's MAHA-vishnu, not "Mashavishnu"

Never got into them. Its easier to play than prog bands. Based on a repeating riff. I was far more impressed b with the individual musicians solo works. Far more musical.

You pronounce the name of the band wrong n it's not a prog band. But good reaction.

And as a drummer I guess you are well aware of The Black Page?

Dude, turn in your musician's card until you learn how to properly pronounce ma · huh · vish · noo. Then go listen to Birds of Fire. You're a drummer it's required listening to listen to Billy Cobham. And while you're at it go find some Al di Meola with Steve Gadd on drums.

A pointless and inane commentary