John McLaughlin John McLaughlin: The Montreux Years 180g 2LP

TAS Rated 4.5/5 Music, 4.5/5 Sonics in the July/August 2022 Issue of The Absolute Sound!

Curated and compiled by John McLaughlin, this collection of his finest performances from six legendary concerts at the Montreux Jazz Festival includes rare and previously unreleased material from Claude Nobs' private collection. Expertly restored and remastered in superlative HD audio and released on superior audiophile heavy weight vinyl, this 2LP set features liner notes by John McLaughlin.

Montreux Media Ventures (MMV) in partnership with BMG are working together to produce and release a premium series of albums and activities, curated from the unique Montreux Jazz festival archive; one of the finest music collections in the world. As part of this exciting new joint venture MMV and BMG have commenced work to establish a new series of deluxe artist collections under the new official Montreux Jazz records imprint. These initial collections; The Montreux Years will bring together the most iconic performances from the most significant artists to perform in the festival's impressive five decade history. The collaboration is an unprecedented curation project. The most extensive exploration of the official archive in the festival's history.

Expertly curated by the MJF and BMG teams and overseen by Claude Nobs' partner and president of the Claude Nobs foundation, Thierry Amsallem, who will act as executive producer across the series. The Montreux Years series is a celebration of Claude's love of the artists and passion for the festival and are a fitting tribute to his legacy. The BMG and Montreux Jazz music festival design teams will work in partnership to produce new and authentic creative, faithful to the festival's reputation for iconic artwork.

The two-LP collection serves as a fine shortcut into the work of this jazz icon from the mid-'80s onward as it features a late period lineup of the Mahavishnu Orchestra, his ensembles The Free Spirits and the 4th Dimension and two tracks from a 1987 set he played with flamenco artist Paco De Lucia. McLaughlin blazes throughout, landing firm strikes and darting solos no matter if the song was a watery ballad or an electrified funk workout. My favorite side of this set is the one devoted to his performance with De Lucia. McLaughlin possesses audible reverence for his fellow guitarist, often staying out of the way to let his cohort solo and soar. Their chemistry remains unmatched.

A sonic marvel and a must for all McLaughlin fans ... A superlative compilation.