Mahavishnu Orchestra
The Mahavishnu Orchestra was an American jazz fusion band from New York City, whose music combined jazz, classical music, rock and Indian classical/traditional music. They were founded by John McLaughlin and active between 1971 and 1976, and again between 1984 and 1987 in different line-ups. Ralphe Armstrong and Jean-Luc Ponty also once played with the Mahavishnu Orchestra.
The track Planetary Citizen by Mahavishnu Orchestra was sampled by Massive Attack in their song Unfinished Sympathy (1991) and sued by the group, resulting in an out-of-court settlement.
Frank Zappa
The Mahavishnu Orchestra was opening act for Frank Zappa in the spring of 1973. Ralphe Armstrong played with Zappa twice, in 1975 and 1976.
In The Drummers Of Frank Zappa, Ruth Underwood recalled Zappa being visibly impressed with the sound of the Mahavishnu Orchestra during a concert.
-"After disbanding the Mothers of Invention in 1969, Zappa went on the road every couple of months, putting together different ensembles each time. Notable acts did open the odd show, including J. Geils Band, Humble Pie, Chuck Berry, Fleetwood Mac, Foghat, Steely Dan… According to some fans, one of the best concert experiences they had was when the Mahavishnu Orchestra, led by John McLaughlin, opened eight shows for Zappa in the spring of 1973. Fans that I spoke to have never forgotten the impact that musical combination had on them. (...) Zappa did not want to be outdone, so he changed his set to include more long-form pieces, with lots of room for him to improvise." - Frank Zappa FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the Father of Invention, John Corcelli (2016). [1]
In issue #64 of the fanzine T’Mershi Duween, bass player Tom Fowler reported that Zappa often wrote tunes on the spot, inspired by Mahavishnu’s challenging time signatures. "I remember we were playing at the Spectrum in Philadelphia which is a basketball arena with the dressing rooms upstairs. I was down there listening to the Mahavishnu and I go upstairs and there’s Frank writing odd-metered tunes that were heavily influenced by McLaughlin’s stuff.'"'
"It was an era of discovery. We did a tour with the Mahavishnu Orchestra and Frank started thinking in odd meters a lot more after that. We would rehearse and perfect it and memorize as much as we could – it was amazing and he kept you on your toes." - Tom Fowler in What Can You Do That's Fantastic?, DownBeat, January 2004.
Frank Zappa about the Mahavishnu Orchestra
"Well, I don't find too much in common melodically between what we do and what the Mahavishnu does." - Frank Zappa, Zappa: An Interview, New Times, 18 April 1973.[2]
