Monday, November 16, 2015

THE INNER MOUNTING FLAME

The Mahavishnu Orchestra's 1971 debut album, The Inner Mounting Flame, is rhythmically complex and involved jazz-inflected rock made accessible.




Guitarist John McLaughlin had worked with Miles Davis not too long before this album came together, and virtuosic musicianship abounds.

To my ears, it leans closer to progressive rock than to jazz, but maybe that's what fusion is all about. Take a listen and see what you think.




If you have the Vault combination, you can hear the whole album.

If you don't have the combination, all you gotta do is ask...


3 comments:

  1. I agree that this is more like prog rock than jazz. I've always liked M. Orchestra and John M. I have a few of their albums.

    Arlee Bird
    Tossing It Out

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  2. I went to listen to this thinking you just plain called it jazz, and then thought, "This really sounds like progressive rock." Then I see you mentioned that too. Yeah, I confirm. It's a great sound, though.

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  3. I had one of their albums once upon a time. It wasn't this LP, but whatever it was, I could never really get into it.

    For me, Fusion is really hit and miss. Some of it I really love, and some just makes me feel agitated (much like ProgRock does). And The Mahavishnu Orchestra has always fallen into the latter category.

    It's chaotic noodling to my ears, and I don't even like the guitar tone that McLaughlin had.

    Now Brian Auger, that's a whole different thing. That's Fusion that I absolutely love.

    ~ D-FensDogG
    'Loyal American Underground'

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HOBBY OR ADDICTION?

HOBBY OR ADDICTION?