Some background for the presentation I am giving at the upcoming AJIRN conference in June 2025 at the University of Auckland.
Guitarist John McLaughlin has built a nearly 50-year career spanning diverse styles, from jazz and fusion to Indian classical music, distinguished by his mastery of complex time signatures and innovative playing techniques. Despite his extensive influence, there is limited scholarly analysis of his music, particularly his fusion of Indian harmonies with the stylistic influences of modern jazz musicians such as Miles Davis, Charles Mingus, and John Coltrane. This paper examines two iconic albums—Electric Guitarist (1978) and Adventures in Radioland (1993)—to explore McLaughlin’s compositional style and its evolution over a 15-year period. Both albums showcase his innovative approach to instrumentation and composition while maintaining a consistent artistic thread. The study highlights the harmonic, rhythmic, and structural elements that connect these works, analysing their significance within McLaughlin’s wider output and their broader implications for jazz and fusion. Additionally, this paper provides new insights by making available charts for compositions that remain outside the standard repertoire, facilitating further study and performance. Through this analysis, the paper aims to illuminate McLaughlin’s contributions to modern music and his role in bridging diverse musical traditions.
To undertake this analysis I have transcribed a number of compositions from both albums. MuseScore format of charts is also available here.
John McLaughlin and Mahavishnu - Adventures in Radioland
The Wait (PDF)
Just Ideas (PDF)
Jozy (For Joe Zawinul) (PDF)
Florianapolis (PDF)
John McLaughlin with the One Truth Band - Electric Dreams
Gardian Angels (PDF)
Miles Davis (PDF)
Electric Dreams, Electric Sighs (PDF)
Love and Understanding (PDF)
The Unknown Dissident (PDF)
This talk explores compositions from both albums to understand John McLaughlin’s overall compositional style and the subtle differences across different time frames. Four ideas underpin the talk:
Different jazz musicians approach time in various ways. For example, Keith Jarrett and late-period John Coltrane often displace notes across the beat to create rhythmic tension. A clear example of this can be heard in Jarrett’s performance of Someday My Prince Will Come (transcription, bar 143).
Another approach involves layering contrasting time feels rather than simply shifting note placement. John McLaughlin uses a multi-layered approach to rhythm, combining complex subdivisions and polyrhythms to create intricate textures.
From Electric Dreams: Gardian Angel, Electric Dreams Electric Sighs, and Unknown Dissident. Gardian Angel shifts between 6/8, 3/8, 5/8, 9/8; Electric Dreams Electric Sighs cycles 8/8 → 7/8 → 7/8; Unknown Dissident inserts 7/8 within 6/8. Florianapolis (Adventures in Radioland) shifts pulse in 4/4 with intro passages in 5/4 and 3/4.
Voice leading creates rapid modulation and ambiguous textures by using voicings with extensions outside the underlying tonality. Example from Electric Dreams Electric Sighs:
E9(sus4 add13) → D9(sus4 add13) → B7#5 → Bbm9(b5) → Ab/Bb
Another from Love and Understanding:
Dm → Am → Dm → Bm7♭5 → Em → A7/C# → Bm → G#m11 → C#m7 → D#m7 → Em7(sus4) → F#m7 → C#m7
From The Wait (Adventures in Radioland):
Am → B/C# → A/B → Bb7#5 → Am → B/C# → A/B → C#m11.
The note A creates ambiguity—functioning as tonic, minor, or dominant.
Ostinato and repetition appear frequently. In Miles Davis (Electric Dreams), a single ostinato supports solos over two tonal centers (C# and G). Variations in repeated melodic phrases are central to McLaughlin’s style, also seen in Jozy (For Joe Zawinul), showing Zawinul’s influence.