John McLaughlin On The Road

Black Light is due out Sept. 21 via Abstract Logix. The album is the guitarist/composer/bandleader’s third to feature backing band the 4th Dimension – drummer/vocalist Ranjit Barot, keyboardist/drummer Gary Husband, and bassist Étienne M’Bappé.

“I am always excited to play with these musicians,” McLaughlin said. “Not only are they marvelous players, but they are great human beings, and as such we have developed, over the years, a deep complicity that comes through in the music.”

A post on McLaughlin’s website notes that the LP “has opened a portal that is neither jazz nor rock, nor Indian nor blues, and yet all of these: it’s an open door.”

Black Light includes “El Hombre Que Sabia,” a tribute to McLaughlin’s late collaborator, Paco de Lucia, who died last year.

“You cannot imagine how much I miss him,” reflects McLaughlin. “‘El Hombre’ is one of the pieces Paco and I had planned to record on a new studio album last year. He was particularly fond of this piece, although I had not yet given it its current title. I named it as an homage – for my love and admiration for him. In English it means “The Man Who Knew,” because Paco ‘knew.’”

The fall tour begins a few weeks after the album’s release. With more dates to be announced shortly, here’s how the schedule looks today:

Oct. 6 – Perth, Australia, Perth Concert Hall            
Oct. 8 – Sydney, Australia, City Recital Hall – Angel Place
Oct. 10 – Brisbane, Australia, The Tivoli     
Oct. 14 – Melbourne, Australia, Melbourne Recital Centre (Melbourne International Arts Festival)
Oct. 18 – Bali, Indonesia, Arma Museum & Resort  
Oct. 23 – Tokyo, Japan, Blue Note Tokyo    
Oct 24 – Tokyo, Japan, Blue Note Tokyo     
Oct. 25 – Tokyo, Japan, Blue Note Tokyo
Nov. 1 – Bangkok, Thailand, M Theatre      
Nov. 5 – Dhaka, Bangladesh, Army Museum (Jazz & Blues Festival Dhaka)

Visit JohnMcLaughlin.com for more information.