John McLaughlin interview in today's WSJ

[mjzee]

There's a nice interview with John McLaughlin in today's Wall St Journal.  Here's the link, but it's behind a paywall: https://www.wsj.com/articles/john-mclaughlin-guitarist-11628611105?mod=searchresults_pos1&page=1  If you can access it, it's worth checking out.  Embedded in the article is a video of his band playing Straight No Chaser.

[mjzee]

This section of the interview may be of interest:

At 16, I left home to play professionally and became a studio shark in London. But after 18 months, I’d had it. I left for Antwerp, Belgium, and got a gig with a band playing free jazz. I also started to play with some really good British musicians. 

That’s when I made a decision to change my life. In the summer of ’68, I jammed with drummer Jack DeJohnette and bassist Dave Holland in London. Jack taped the session. Back in New York, he played it for drummer Tony Williams, who needed a guitarist for his group, Lifetime. He called me.

The night I arrived in New York City, I went to see Tony, who was playing with Miles Davis at Club Baron in Harlem. When Miles came in and passed me, he whispered my name, “Johnnn.” How did he know my name? I was thrilled.

The next day, he invited me to record on his album “In a Silent Way.” Miles called me regularly.