50 years of Shakti

As the latest avatar of the legendary Indo-jazz fusion band kicks off its 50th-anniversary Indian tour this month, we spoke to John McLaughlin and Zakir Hussain about their five-decade-long journey

- NARENDRA KUSNUR

When British guitarist John McLaughlin first met young tabla player Zakir Hussain in New York in 1969, he felt a connection, but never imagined that they would be musically associated for five decades. "I felt an immediate affinity with him, and we stayed in touch even though he lived on the West Coast and I on the East Coast," he recalls.

The two musicians first played together at sarod maestro Ustad Ali Akbar Khan's residence in California in 1972. Zakir was 21 years old, a child prodigy who had been touring with his father, the legendary Ustad Alla Rakha, since he was twelve. His rising fame meant that he was already friends with the likes of George Harrison and Mickey Hart. McLaughlin was 30, and was by then considered one of the great electric guitarists of the era.

Born in Doncaster, England, he had given guitar lessons to Jimmy Page, played in a band with Ginger Baker and moved to America in 1969, where his talent was appreciated very early. He had jammed with Jimi Hendrix at his Electric Lady studios, and had played on six Miles Davis albums. Davis had even named a song "Go Ahead John" on the album Big Fun after him. McLaughlin was also famous for setting up The Mahavishnu Orchestra, iconic Indian music-influenced jazz fusion band that he set up in 1971 with drummer Billy Cobham, keyboardist Jan Hammer, violinist Jerry Goodman and bassist Rick Laird.