John McLaughlin - Music for Abandoned Heights - Hybrid Stereo SACD

2025

Guitar Maestro's Spectacular 2025 Album on Hybrid SACD.
Mastered by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering.

John McLaughlin has one of the richest artistic legacies in modern music, not only due to his unmatched technique, but also his boundless curiosity. From early masterpieces Extrapolation and Love Devotion Surrender (with Carlos Santana), to the genre-bending invention of Mahavishnu Orchestra and the blistering acoustic explorations with Al Di Meola and Paco de Lucia, John has always sought for the new and transcendent. His work reaches out for a profound spiritual connection. Now, he has brought his singular vision to the world of film music with his score Music for Abandoned Heights.

Compositionally, McLaughlin poured his imagination into the film's script to craft a rich blend of hot fusion and pensive ballads. He describes his writing process: "In my mind I would interact with the different personalities and situations and wait for my imagination to come up with themes, atmospheres and emotional 'colors' that echoed the drama and action." The resulting musical explorations give the album a muscular, turbulent beauty reminiscent of McLaughlin's electric fusion classics Inner World and To the One.

McLaughlin's searing electric and mellifluous acoustic guitar lines are assertively supported by virtuosic performances from frequent collaborators Gary Husband (drums/keyboards), Julian Siegel (saxophone), Misha Mullov-Abbado and Etienne Mbappe (bass). These industry vets gracefully spark fire on heavier tunes like "The Scene" and introspective delicacy on the ballad "Nathaniel and Christine."

Features

    Super Audio CD
    SACD Stereo SACD Layer
    Designed to Play on Standard CD Players, SACD Players & Other SACD-Capable Players
    Playback of DSD Tracks Requires Components That Support the DSD Format
    Full DSD encode for highest-fidelity audio reproduction on SACD players
    Hybrid CD layer plays in all Compact Disc players
    Recorded & Mixed by Grammy® Award Winner George Murphy at Eastcote Studios, London
    Mastered by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering
    Deluxe Booklet with Studio Photography & New Notes by John McLaughlin and Music Journalist Walter Kolosky