INSTRUMENTAL Inquisition!

Instrumentals have supplied some of music’s most evocative moments. This month: the legendary father of jazz-rock guitar John McLaughlin talks to Jason Sidwell about his milestone new album, Is That So?

- Jason Sidwell

GT : This album was six years in the making and inspired by a Shakti tour with vocalist Shankar Mahadevan. What is it about Shankar’s voice that inspired you?

JMc: Two things: His voice touches me very deeply and he is a marvelous vocal improviser.

GT: You have studied Indian music and the melodic rules of the raga system. Can you explain a little about what this system involves?

JMc: The system of ragas used by Indian musicians both North and South, is a system that goes back many hundreds of years if not, thousands. Moreover, ragas can be related to not only aspects of the human psyche, that is, to a great variety of moods, but also to the times of the day when they can be played or sung. In addition, in order to impose more restrictions which, contrary to general thought, are essential in all music, the raga is played one way ascending and another way descending. The idea behind being that when the musician starts playing or singing, the raga is also exposed firstly, without rhythm, in order for the listener to enter into the mood and atmosphere of the raga.

GT: Discarding the raga system for this album would suggest all you have left is Shankar’s voice and your western harmony sensibilities. Was the creation as clean a slate as that or did you bring new compositional systems into play sooner or later?