He was clearly the star of the fusion classic Tribute to Jack Johnson with his rave-up electric chords and funky blues inspired licks. Much has been written about McLaughlin's wild abandon on the Davis records. Such an endorsement must have buoyed McLaughlin greatly. Miles claimed John and Jimi Hendrix were his two favorite guitarists. These recordings were to help set the foundation for both fusion music and his own growth as a world class musician. McLaughlin's contributed revelatory performances to several Miles Davis records, including In a Silent Way, Tribute To Jack Johnson, and Bitches Brew В—and, to a lesser degree, Live Evil, On the Corner, Big Fun, and Get Up With It. I promise you, it will be an exciting, ear-opening journey. It is my fervent hope that those of you interested in McLaughlin's music may find useful directions in these words that lead you to discovering some of this music yourself. This essay is an attempt to recount those appearances in order to determine how McLaughlin may have interpreted the music of others, as well as how those contributions may have defined him.

One cannot get a complete picture of John McLaughlin the musician without acknowledging these other performances. Over the years since, McLaughlin has been called to appear as a guest on many important recordings. However, it was not until his historic contributions to several seminal Miles Davis albums, brought about by the generous act of bassist Dave Holland's introduction to Miles, that John McLaughlin came to widespread attention. During this time he also performed with Brian Auger, Graham Bond, Ginger Baker, Kenny Wheeler, Jack Bruce, Gunther Hampel, and many other up and coming European jazz and blues players. John McLaughlin has played in jazz bands since the 1950s, and had appeared on numerous projects as an unnamed studio guitarist throughout the '60s. But like most musicians, he has paid his dues. Guitar great John McLaughlin has been leading his own bands and playing his own compositions for over thirty years.

Mclaughlin miles davis discography