'John McLaughlin: The Montreux Years' Live Album Announced
Collecting the best of the guitar master's performances at the Montreux Jazz Festival between 1978 and 2016, the album is set for a March 4 release.
A live album collecting John McLaughlin's finest performances at the Montreux Jazz Festival over the decades has been announced.
Curated and compiled by McLaughlin himself, John McLaughlin: The Montreux Years is set for a March 4 release via BMG. Collected from six performances between 1978 to 2016, the album features McLaughlin with the Mahavishnu Orchestra, The Free Spirits, The 4th Dimension, and Paco de Lucía.
Though no singles from the album have been released as of yet, you can check out a brief trailer for the album below.
“To speak about The Montreux Jazz Festival brings back so many wonderful memories. But since my association goes back to 1971, we are looking at 50 years of history!" McLaughlin said in a statement.
"Whether it’s the different incarnations of the Mahavishnu Orchestra, Shakti, The One Truth Band, The Free Spirits, The Heart of Things, Carlos Santana, or with the late great Paco de Lucía, the list goes on and on.
"Not only all my musical performances at Montreux, but all my other visits to see my dear friend Claude Nobs – the founder – my friends of the festival, join[ing] jam sessions, [and] hiking in the fabulous countryside around that lovely town," he continued. "Montreux is a big part of my life’s musical and personal history and to share this selection of my performances on this recording makes me truly happy.”
You can check out the cover art and tracklist of John McLaughlin: The Montreux Years – which features liner notes by McLaughlin and previously unseen photography – below.
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John McLaughlin – The Montreux Years
1. "Radio Activity" (Live – Montreux Jazz Festival 1984)
2. "Nostalgia" (Live – Montreux Jazz Festival 1984)
3. "Acid Jazz" (Live - Montreux Jazz Festival 1998)
4. "David" (Live – Montreux Jazz Festival 1987)
5. "Sing Me Softly of the Blues" (Live – Montreux Jazz Festival 1995)
6. "Florianapolis" (Live - Montreux Jazz Festival 1987)
7. "El Hombre Que Sabià" (Live – Montreux Jazz Festival 2016)
Jackson is an Associate Editor at GuitarWorld.com and GuitarPlayer.com. He’s been writing and editing stories about new gear, technique and guitar-driven music both old and new since 2014, and has also written extensively on the same topics for Guitar Player. Elsewhere, his album reviews and essays have appeared in Louder and Unrecorded. Though open to music of all kinds, his greatest love has always been indie, and everything that falls under its massive umbrella. To that end, you can find him on Twitter crowing about whatever great new guitar band you need to drop everything to hear right now.