Guitarist John McLaughlin’s career has been long and winding. From his early solo records and work with Miles Davis, he possessed a unique approach to the guitar that encompassed jazz and rock vocabulary, played with a biting tone and stellar, virtuosic technique. He’s never stopped developing, and we’re covering our favorite highlights of McLaughlin’s career: his acoustic (and later electric) take on Indian music with Shakti, his more traditional jazz projects, and much more.

There are lots of listening highlights in this episode and we’ve covered as much as we can: Mahavishnu Orchestra’s first two records are undisputable; Tony Williams Lifetime’s Emergency may be the birth of fusion guitar; McLaughlin’s mid-career studies in Indian music are inspiring; his take on Coltrane in an organ-jazz setting is monumental. But we could still cover a whole other episode’s worth.

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Across Frank Zappa’s monumental body of work, he injected rock-based music with compositional techniques straight out of the modern classical handbook, as well as groundbreaking studio trickery and a teenager’s wit. To match his untamable creativity, he famously demanded an unmatched level of musical dedication from his players, and his own guitar playing balanced that discipline with off-the-rails experimentation.

When considering Zappa’s legacy as a guitarist, we can’t separate it from his work as a composer, songwriter, producer, and all-around big personality. As a listener, you can love Zappa’s chamber music and simultaneously not be able to handle his lyrics; you can adore his guitar playing but prefer he keep his opinions to himself. Our list of favorite Zappa guitar-centric recordings covers a lot of musical ground but keeps it all about his playing.

Is Frank Zappa to blame for the sound of jam bands? When was Zappa’s best decade? And we’re looking at the connection between Zappa and Phish (who one of us calls “Zappa lite”). In a bonus segment, we’re playing “Did They Get It Right?” and examining the Grammys’ former category for Best Rock Instrumental Performance.

This episode is brought to you by the Dunlop Cry Baby Wah. Visit http://jimdunlop.com for more info.

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Get at us: 100guitarists@premierguitar.com

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Here at 100 Guitarists, we thought we knew a lot about Allan Holdsworth. But after we did our deepest of dives, we only emerged with more questions: Was Holdsworth the John Coltrane of the guitar? Was he the quintessential fusion guitarist? Why isn’t there a Holdsworth signature Synthaxe? And how do you read his weird chord charts?

We might not have all the answers—and when it comes to his chord charts, we definitely do not—but we’re taking some big swings. We also share our top picks, which includes Tony Williams rippers, slick Ted Templeman-production, and a Beatles cover.

In our current listening segment, we’re talking about a Wayne Horvitz/Bill Frisell archival release and Jersey Boys.

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Follow Nick: https://www.instagram.com/nickmillevoi

Follow Jason: https://www.instagram.com/jasonshadrick

Get at us: 100guitarists@premierguitar.com

Call/Text: 319-423-9734

Podcast powered by Sweetwater. Get your podcast set up here! - https://sweetwater.sjv.io/75rE0d

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