Jerry Goodman was 23years old at the time, Jan was 24 and John 30 years old. It is still simply beautiful music which has spanned nearly 50 years from its inception, ...it never gets old or sounds dated.
Hard to believe that it was one and the same John McLaughlin who composed and recorded (on The Inner Mountain Flame) such completely different pieces as "Lotus On Irish Streams" and "Vital Transformation". But as different as they are, they are an expression of the same intensity, spirituality and technical mastery of McLauglin.His next step after the MO to "Indian" music with "Shakti" seems less of a break than a bridge to another dimension of musicality. Thanks for posting this gem!
Just started listening to this group ,I'm blown away by how good they are , I knew of this group ,just got round to listening to it 40 years to late 👍👍👍
I'm biased, this is my favorite band ever. But I'll be goddamned, I've never heard anything more profound and beautiful than Jan Hammer's piano from 6:00 to 7:15ish. Unreal.
Totally, TOTALLY, concur! Jan Hammer is not only my favorite keyboardist of all time (yes, I am a keyboardist, 50 yrs +...) But my favorite musician of all time!
I am always amazed when this song ends to realize how long it really is. It is in many ways so simple, yet so innovative in complexity that it keeps the mind engaged and delighted through the full eight minutes.
@@garnetnewton-wade6254, saw them in Central Park at the end of this incarnation, August ‘73 and we were stoned but the music was transfixing besides. They didn’t play this…a small theatre would have been amazing. Saw Carlos and John, cold spring day in Central Park (@ the bandshell?) and there was hardly anyone there. Sad.
These guys express their feelings and music so beautifully and I have been a fan since about 1971 and am excited to see them play on video like this,it really is a treat for me and thank you whoever produced this great music!!!!
An absolute classic. I was lucky enough to attend their "Birds of Fire" performance. After all these years I now want to see if any of the Orchestra still perform. Fusion was a very special period for me.
The skill and musical genius needed to put this piece together is beyond me. I got to see John McLaughlin in Shakti in 1976 with Jan Hammer opening. I saw John McLaughlin again a couple of years ago in Nashville and he blew us all away. I am so blessed to have heard his music. ElZorro99 is absolutely right.
Indeed, if I didn't know better, I might say that "a divine entity shows compassion with human existence proving that man can rise above the trivial to a level where spirituality, harmony, and perfection merge in synergy to shine as a beacon of the potential resting in the human race".
@logochrysalis I'm with you 100%! Nearly identical testimony too. My friends came with me to hear them in D.C. but they never listened at home. I sure did. It was so intriguing, so technically & artistically innovative, I had to hear it again and again until memorized. A funny moment: when John requested a minute of silence, 10 seconds into it a guy yelled "times up!"
U may want to look at: the classic Charlie Parker bands consisting of Bird, Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis and Max Roach; Miles' "Kind of Blue" band w John Coltrane(!) Bill Evans, Cannonball Adderley among others; the "ESP" lineup w Tony Williams, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter; "Bitches Brew" w Chick Corea, Jack DeJohnette, Dave Holland, Lenny White; or the classic Coltrane Quartet w McCoy Tyner & Elvin Jones. I don't go for "greatest ever" lists when it comes to music, but...
holy music I used to meditate to till the Light of God Itself came into the crown chakra per dropping the mind, followed by Sound, or music of the spheres. HU best overriding mantra--leads to Divine Love & experiences in higher dimensions or planes or heavens
I met john Mclaughlin at the blue note in novemver 2011 during the Chick corea festival. They performed karma and he was back to Mahavishnu burning some fast solos,. He was very kind buy he is still Mahavishnu. John mclauglin
@odolany As much as I loved this version of the Orchestra, Weather Report was the penultimate fusion/world music band ever formed. There was more depth in terms of the mix of sound whereas the Orchestra was more of an energy force of sound. Wayne Shorter is one of our greatest living legends today and his composing skills are unmatched. So was Joe Zawinul. Innovators of music.They also lasted much longer than the Orchestra giving it the time to evolve into what was the greatest fusion band ever.
classical chamber music with a twist. three talking to each other. a hymn to life, more needed of them 50 years (times 40 and we would have been in Jesus time) needed
