John Mclaughlin - 2000 Live in Paris - "The Heart Of Things"

The Heart of Things: Live in Paris is a live album by John McLaughlin, released in 2000 through the record label PolyGram. The album reached number 25 on Billboard's Top Jazz Albums chart.

John McLaughlin's 1997 The Heart of Things studio album and subsequent tour saw him returning to the sort of electric band format that most listeners associated with his days in the Mahavishnu Orchestra of the 1970s. This live album features the same group, with the exception of the keyboard player, as Otmaro Ruiz replaces Jim Beard, and three of the selections are drawn from the studio release. "Seven Sisters," which is actually shorter than the studio version, makes for a fairly mellow opening, while the new "Mother Tongue" is full of extremely rapid solos by McLaughlin, Ruiz, bass player Matthew Garrison, and Gary Thomas, who switches saxophones during the course of the nearly 13-minute tune. "Fallen Angels," another song from the studio release, is a slow, contemplative work, while "Divide" makes use of funk rhythms to support some noisy guitar work from McLaughlin and a solo full of electronic burps from Ruiz. 

The album's showpiece song is "Tony," a stately tribute to the late drummer Tony Williams that, appropriately enough gives drummer Dennis Chambers his chance to shine. One might complain that "Acid Jazz," the fiery closer, has nothing to do with the musical style that goes by that name, but McLaughlin obviously means to suggest an evolution of 1960s acid rock by the title, and he deliberately evokes Jimi Hendrix in playing that brings him as close to the Mahavishnu Orchestra sound as he has been in many years. It makes a powerful ending to an album that should be welcomed by long-time fans. (As if to emphasize that this was only one of his interests, however, McLaughlin simultaneously released both this disc and The Believer, an album with his Indian unit Remember Shakti, on October 3, 2000.)

On the self-titled 1997 studio record from his electric fusion bandThe Heart of Things, John McLaughlin's songwriting ranged from pensive ebb to wild clamor, played with melody and passion by the five piece band, while McLaughlin assumed the background role of a mentor. Some McLaughlin fans maligned the music as sterile and dry, lacking the spark found in his classic electric work like Mahavishnu Orchestra. However, The Heart of Things - Live in Paris shows this band with considerable creativity and interaction as they reinterpret some of the studio record songs and other material on stage. The live lineup includes McLaughlin on guitar, Gary Thomas on sax, Dennis Chambers on drums, Matthew Garrison on bass, Otmaro Ruiz replacing Jim Beard on keyboards, and Victor Williams on percussion.

McLaughlin's songwriting shifts through smooth odd meter grooves with angular melodic lines, not unlike the basic framework of early Mahavishnu, but the smoother instrumentation and execution of The Heart of Things band gives the music a wider dynamic range and a seasoned maturity. Guitar and sax play most of the melody lines in unison, further reinforcing the group approach. In "Tony," a moving and musically ideal tribute to Tony Williams, Chambers perfectly and appropriately executes the drum solo. Dynamics range skillfully in "Seven Sisters," despite a truncated feel at under 9 minutes. "Acid Jazz" triumphantly closes the live set and the album, surging from a quiet opening to a raucous guitar and drum duet.

Matthew Garrison's snappy yet supportive bass work impresses, perhaps highlighted by the strong low sound of the mix. Chambers as always is a master on the drums, from barely audible cymbal work to pounding double bass, and William's percussion thankfully does not drown out Chambers' subtleties. Ruiz's minimalist solo in "The Divide" grows tiresome quickly, but McLaughlin's playing shows supreme maturity and restraint as he cedes center stage to the younger players. But when he does take the spotlight, like the frantic guitar and drum duet in "Acid Jazz," he shows that the fire of his previous electric days remains.

Track listing:

All tracks composed by John McLaughlin; except where indicated

"Seven Sisters" – 8:30

"Mother Tongues" – 12:57

"Fallen Angels" – 10:33

"Divide" (Gary Thomas) – 16:41

"Tony" – 13:56

"Acid Jazz" – 14:53

Personnel:

Dennis Chambers – drums

Matthew Garrison – bass guitar

John McLaughlin – electric guitar

Otmaro Ruíz – keyboards

Gary Thomas – soprano sax, tenor sax

Victor Williams – percussion