John McLaughlin has made brilliant and groundbreaking music over many decades, with The Mahavishnu Orchestra, Miles Davis and many more – but arguably it’s his fusion group Shakti that has meant the most to him.
McLaughlin formed Shakti in 1973 with violinist L. Shankar, percussionists Ramnad Raghavan (mridangam) and T.H. Vinayakram (ghatam), and tabla player Zakir Hussain.
Sadly, in 2024, a year after Shakti’s 50th anniversary tour, Zakir Hussain died from complications stemming from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
For McLaughlin, it was a devastating loss. He’s still processing it. But thankfully, several of Shakti’s performances were recorded on that final tour, resulting in Mind Explosion, a live record celebrating the band’s hyper-eclectic, ever-joyous glory.
“I’m thrilled with it,” McLaughlin tells MusicRadar. “And so is everybody in the band.
“We’re deeply saddened because it’s basically the end of Shakti. Without Zakir, who was there at the very beginning, it’s the end.
“You can imagine losing somebody after so much time is hard,” he says. “But we have the record, and that is joyful and beautiful, like Shakti.
“The band was based on the precepts of love, affection, joy, and excitement. And because of that, every night was amazing.”
McLaughlin says of the dynamic in Shakti: “Musicians like that were on my case every night! But that’s exactly what I needed. I needed to be provoked in a nice way – stimulated and inspired. They did that every night. It was magical, and we’ve got that on this record.”
He explains how the group’s final tour came about.
“I planned on retiring,” he says, “but then everyone convinced me, ‘No, we have to say goodbye to everyone.’ I had not planned to do a tour, even though, for my entire life, it was the old school way: make a record, and then tour.
“So we did the tour, recorded some of those nights, and thank goodness we did because we didn’t plan to release a live album after that moment.”
He continues: “When we lost Zakir, it was such a blow. Personally, and to thousands of people, he was unbelievable.
“So we listened to some of the nights that we recorded, and they were really stunning. I’m really happy that we made this album because it’s got Zakir there.
“As you can imagine, when you have a band for 50 years, it’s a long time! And of course, the fact that we lost Zakir Hussain means that this album is dedicated to him.
“It’s a wonderful way to say adios. He’s gone. Gone forever, and we will never forget him. And so we put out this album in his memory.”
McLaughlin ponders Shakti’s legacy and says: “When I look back on it, I’m sad and happy at the same time.
“I’ve loved what we’ve done, and now we’ve got a new recording with Zakir playing and it’s unbelievable. So I’m thrilled, but I’m torn between emotions because I’m still getting used to it.
“We never really get over the loss of somebody that we love. It could be your brother, your sister, your dad, or whatever – you just learn to live with that loss.
“It’s taking time for most of us in the band. But to have that live recording before he passed away is great. I’m thrilled. It’s live and in your face. That’s it.”
Asked what Shakti means to him personally, McLaughlin smiles: “What a lovely band. What a joyful band.
“I’m retired now. Well, I’m retired from touring but not playing. Musicians never die – we just decompose! So I’m still playing – but Shakti, in general, changed my life.
“And Zakir, in particular, without him Shakti never would have been made. We never would have formed.
“So, it’s earth-shaking when I think about it. If I had never met him, where would my life have gone?
“It’s inconceivable. If I would have never met him… just the thought of that, it’s unimaginable. We’ve got so many crazy stories about things that happened with the beautiful music on top of it.
He concludes: “Zakir had a wonderful effect on my life. The band Shakti greatly impacted my life in every way – intellectually, musically, spiritually.”
