Recently Heard: Belo Horizonte by John McLaughlin

[ellyssian]

John McLaughlin: Belo Horizonte

Other than the Soundpage in Guitar Player magazine (mentioned in an earlier review,) my first real exposure to John's playing was in his Mediterranean Concerto - a work for guitar and orchestra. This album predates that longer work, but has some of the same spirit, although applied to a jazz ensemble instead of a classical orchestra.

The guitar is nylon string most definitely, and, quite possibly, one of the custom Wechters he played in later years. I've played one of John's guitars - I allowed myself a short run on it as I was unpacking it and verifying that it hadn't been damaged in our move from Woburn to Wilmington. I have never played as beautifully as I did on that guitar, so I can understand in part how John can play such beautiful, intricate, and out-and-out fast pieces on it. Of course, in his case, talent has a lot more to do with it!

I was going to start picking out certain tracks for having impossibly fast little gems and other neat bits, but I'd just be doing an entire track listing. There are a variety of other performers taking solo turns on this, including John's wife Katia Labeque and Paco de Lucia.