John McLaughlin performs at Dalhousie Institute on November 3

Tickets available online at www.jmkolkata.com
And at the following outlets: Tejas (Mayfair Road) 
Mocha (AJC Bose Road), Caravan (Theatre Road) 
M3 Stores at South City Mall, City Centre I, City Centre II, Dakshinapan and Park Street 
Ticket price: Rs 1,000

On October 6, guitar legend John McLaughlin wowed  a packed house in Perth, Australia, kicking off his Black Light world tour with a bang! After the gig the band members got together for group hugs. A bottle of champagne was popped and passed around. You can get a taste of the McLaughlin magic on November 3 at Dalhousie Institute as John takes the stage at 7pm with his band The 4th Dimension for a Calcutta concert (in association with t2) after 10 years. The gig is organised by Littlei (Calcutta-based event agency). A t2 chat with John over email...  

What does Black Light (the album dropped on September 18) signify?
Black Light is the place inside of me where I can hear music that has never been played, and see images I’ve never seen. How is this possible? When I look inside, or listen inside, it is only “Black” and yet it is full of light and sound. It is very mysterious but lovely. This is Black Light, where light exists with darkness.

You are coming back to Calcutta after 10 years, and the very first time without Shakti. Can you tell us about The 4th Dimension? What are you looking for in your band members?
Yes it is too long to wait to come back to this amazing city. The 4th Dimension is a group that has existed for over 10 years, and the current personnel line-up exists for about 3-4 years. We have made two recordings with this formation, one ‘live’ called The Boston Record, recorded in Boston of course, and the new one Black Light. This group is the greatest I’ve ever had and I’ve had some wonderful bands. The musicians are not only outstanding, but as human beings they are without exception. Because of these two aspects, the group has developed a complicity that I have never experienced prior to this band with the exception of Shakti. Gary (Husband), Ranjit (Barot) and Etienne (M’Bappe) are inspiring players, and I could not ask for more in any musician.

Carlos Santana has announced a new project with you, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter and Cindy Blackman. How did that happen?
Carlos and I meet regularly, for over 40 years and jam together. It happened again in Montreux (Switzerland) in July this year, and afterwards, Carlos expressed this desire to form a band with Herbie, Wayne, Cindy and me for the Montreux festival next year. We will be inviting musicians from all over the world to play with us during the festival.

You’ve played at Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival. Do you have memories when you were both in London during the 1960s?
Of course I remember, how could I forget? Eric and I go back to the 1960s when he was playing with John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers, and I was playing with Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames. The 1960s was an amazing decade with some of the most fantastic music being recorded and played. Innovation was the key word in the 1960s, and I’m very happy to have been a part of that era. I believe it was one of the most creative decades in the history of music.

Who are some of your favourite new guitar players?
My current favourite is Jimmy Herring, who is little-known outside of the US, which is unfortunate, he’s such a great guitarist! Wayne Krantz is another favourite of mine. Recently I sat on the jury of the international guitar competition also in Montreux, and the winner is a young man from Brazil called Pedro Martins. He is only 21 years old but what a marvellous guitarist! He will go very far.

What is a regular day for John McLaughlin in Monaco?
I rise quite early and swim every morning. If I’m in the mood I will go to my meditation spot and contemplate for a while, then take breakfast. These days I am very busy doing interviews either by phone or email, such as this one. In Australia we have five concerts, followed by concerts in Bali, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan and of course India. There is a first on this tour... for the first time in my life we will play in Bangladesh, and I’m looking forward to meeting musical friends there.

I also like to hike, and there are small mountains near our home, so I will go at least once a week to climb up a few hundred metres to get the view of the sea which is magnificent from the top. Of course I am never far from my guitar, so I will play every day. I don’t play for practice necessarily, I just love to play the guitar. I am in constant communication with the musicians — Ranjit, Etienne and Gary — speaking about the new repertory we will play on this tour.

We’ve heard you love to  cook. What are your favourite dishes to cook? If you were a chef, what cuisine would you specialise in?
I love to cook Indian food. I can only cook vegetarian, but this is okay since we are vegetarian at home. But we do enjoy fish that is well-prepared. There is a proverb that says if you eat a fish that is not properly and well-cooked, then its life has been in vain. I like to cook Italian food also and some Asian recipes using sojasauce. I also make very good pancakes...

Considering that you have travelled the world, is there somewhere you’d like to go that you have not? Anywhere you would like to revisit?
I would love to visit the Arctic or the Antarctic. I have never been there. Actually there are many places I’ve never had the opportunity to visit, the world is so big.... We will tour Latin America next spring which makes me very happy since I have not visited there for some years.

Shankar Mahadevan recently said that he is working on a project with you. Could you tell us about it?
I am particularly thrilled about the project we are currently working on which is a completely new departure in east-west collaboration. An orchestra is involved in this project, and not only are there original new compositions from Shankarji and myself, but we will be improvising together within the context of an orchestra also. 

If a young music fan starts listening to you now, which titles would you suggest?
He might as well start with Black Light and work backwards!

Arindam Chatterjee
John McLaughlin is the guru of guitar because.... 
Tell t2@abp.in