Industrial Zen
McLaughlin develops an intensely contemporary take on fusion here, combining with some fresh musicians while paying tribute to his fellow founders of the idiom. Updating his Mahavishnu Orchestra, the guitarist mixes electric jazz and Indian rhythms and scales with current synth and drum programming, creating a. maze of rapid lines that weave through a minefield of percolating electronics and percussion. Along with tributes to Carlos Santana and Michael Brecker, bassist Hadrien Feraud is prominent on "For Jaco," and Ada Novelli's soprano sax invokes Weather Report-era Shorter on "Wayne's Way," but all the music bears McLaughlin's trademark group virtuosity, the musicians moving fluidly in and out of complex patterns. "To Bop or Not To Be" stands out, flying atop the dense rhythmic dialogue of drummers Zakir Hussain and Dennis Chambers and bassist Matthew Garrison. There's a certain electronic sheen here, but strong personalities --McLaughlin, Feraud, and saxophonist Bill Evans--regularly break through to create intense moments.--Stuart Broomer