The Michigan Daily-Friday, May 4, 1979-Page 13
McLaughlin loud but
soulful, Coryell fine
By ELEONORA DI LISCIA
The John McLaughlin concert at Hill
Auditorium Wednesday night suffered
both from a lack of contrast between
musicians and from a lack of contrast
between songs. Many of the tunes were
loud, highly energetic, and in-
distinguishable. Except for
McLaughlin, none of the players stood
out from the general melting pot of
electronic sound.
The overwhelming high energy of the
full One Truth Band was relieved at
times by the duets and solos. A duet
between McLaughlin. and pianist Stu
Goldberg, "Comfort and Desire," was
surprisingly mellow and mature. Duets
between the bassist Fernando Sanchez
and drummer Tony Smith were dull,
but quieter.
A percussion solo by Smith displayed
an interesting array of instruments in-
cluding an archer's bow. But despite.
the gimmicks, it too was loud and not
particularly interesting.
THE HIGHLIGHT of the evening was
a duet between McLaughlin and
violinist El Shankar called "Two
Sisters," which used a sort of cat and
mouse technique-McLaughlin would
play and Shankar would answer. The
duet explored the relationship between
sisters, ranging from softer musings to
harsher cacklings, as in an argument.
McLaughlin, who formerly perfor-
med with Miles Davis and his own
Mahavishnu Orchestra, played mostly
his own compositions. It was possible to
detect the influences of his past ex-
perience on his present compositions,
particularly Mahavishnu's effect.
Although he was famed for wearing all
white in Mahavishnu days, tonight
McLaughlin was dressed in all black.
McLaughlin's One Truth Band fuses
rock and jazz with Indian strains, these
last stemming largely from Indian
violinist Shankar and pianist Stu Gold-
berg, another former Mahavishnu
player. But the net result of
McLaughlin's particular brand of
fusion is a sound so loud that my ears
were buzzing long after the concert en-
ded.
THE IDEA of using Larry Coryell as
a warm-up for McLaughlin was as good
in practice as it sounded in theory.
Coryell, playing solo guitar, com-
plemented the One Truth band quite
well.
One similarity between Coryell and
McLaughlin is that Coryell's style also
springs from a variety of musical in-
fluences. Coryell incorporates flamen-
co, jazz, rock and folk motifs
throughout his improvisational work.
One of the nice things about Coryell is
that, unlike some other solo guitarists,
his performance doesn't make you miss
the rest of the band. For instance,
Coryell's version of Chick Corea's
"Spain" managed to do what many
large bands, with all the percussion in-
See McLAUGHLIN, Page 14
Larry Coryell thrilled the Hill Auditorium audience Wednesday night with
his solo guitar work. The guitarist was one half of a bill which John
McLaughlin and his One Truth Band filled out.
Dance Concert This Weekend
JEANNETTE LEENTVAAR
NY dancer in solo concert, accompanied by
Lloyd Mc Neill
Friday and Saturday, May 4 and 5-8 p.m.
Canterbury Loft, 332S. State St., second floor
General admission $2. 50 at the door.