“I have had quite a number of musical formations, some of them truly outstanding in my career,” McLaughlin reflects – looking back on a journey that includes not only his own classic solo albums and epochal recordings and performances with his Mahavishnu Orchestra but also trajectory-altering forays alongside Miles Davis, Tony Williams, Carlos Santana, Al Di Meola, Paco De Lucia, and others. “But,” he concludes, “Shakti stands above all of them.” - John McLaughlin #GRAMMYs #GlobalMusic #JohnMcLa

When Shakti co-founders John McLaughlin (guitar) and Zakir Hussain (tabla) first directed their virtuosity towards exploring common ground between Eastern and Western musical traditions – starting in private sessions, then on their 1975 debut album – the notion of such a hybrid was so novel that fans, industry executives, and even the media expressed concerned bafflement. Is McLaughlin, former collaborator with the likes of Miles Davis and Tony Williams and the leader of the titanic jazz-rock ju