CARLOS SANTANA & JOHN MCLAUGHLIN: LOVE DEVOTION SURRENDER

Welcome to a guitar lover's paradise !! SANTANA meets MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA. These two lead guitar virtuosos, Carlos Santana and John McLaughlin, put together this tremendous album in respect to John Coltrane and their very own religious beliefs. Along for the ride are some members from their respective bands, Billy Cobham, Don Alias and Jan Hammer (all on the drums !!), Larry Young (organ) Armando Peraza and James (Mingo) Lewis (perc.) and Doug Rauch (bass). The album features 3 blistering extended jams - Coltrane's 'A Love Supreme', McLaughlin's 'The Life Divine' and a traditional piece 'Let Us Go Into The House Of The Lord', as well as 2 shorter acoustic pieces - another Coltrane piece with 'Naima', and McLaughlin's 'Meditation'. One thing I admire is how these talented musicians have transcribed traditional Jazz works into rocking balls of fire. Vocals are sparsely used, mainly repetitive chanting, but subtle. The double whammy of the guitarists, with their own distinctive sound and stylings, shine brightly throughout, but it's the effervescent rhythm work that lays the precisely textured groundwork which allows the dynamic duo to trade licks in a most carefree, and dare I say it, indulgent, fashion that doesn't outstay its welcome. They must've had a truly spiritual experience doing this recording. Young's tastefully tonal Hammond work adds a beautiful dimension to all this, resulting in an album that's always a pleasure to return to. Highly recommended.