MIROSLAV VITOUS/Universal Syncopations (ECM)
JOHN MCLAUGHLIN/Thieves and Poets (Verve)

Miroslav Vitous/Universal Syncopations	John McLaughlin/Thieves and Poets

It’s very strange, having been at the cutting edge of musical history, a truly prescient moment, and then to still be here, some thirty years later, and realize that you are now the old guard. Only not that much has come along to replace the work you did all that time ago. Suddenly, though, the music you make is part of what defines modern jazz, not a blazing new movement seen as outside the tradition.

It’s odd the way that some reviewers and casual listeners have seen two recent releases, Miroslav Vitous’ Universal Syncopations and John McLaughlin’s Thieves and Poets as the overly restrained work of their erstwhile fusion heroes. First, it’s been many years since either of these guys was tearing up the concert halls with electric jazz/rock—it’s scarcely the only thing their reputation rests on. Vitous recorded the exquisite album Mountain In the Clouds (also released as Infinite Search) and worked with the sublime trio that included Chick Corea and Roy Haynes. Mountain in the Clouds featured Vitous with Herbie Hancock, Jack DeJohnette, and John McLaughlin. McLaughlin has played in numerous acoustic groups and it’s been quite a while since he unleashed an electric guitar salvo along the lines of his work with Mahavishnu or Miles Davis. Yet, there seems to be a perception that both of these artists’ most recent recordings are the ones that somehow break faith with their fusion-yearning fans when, in fact, both seem like perfectly logical extensions of their creators’ recent leanings and interests.

Universal Syncopations features Miroslav Vitous playing acoustic bass with a group comprised of saxophonist Jan Garbarek, pianist Chick Corea, guitarist McLaughlin, and drummer DeJohnette. There is also a brass section on three numbers, one that tends to sound grafted on, without interacting with the music being played by Vitous and company. For that matter, there are moments when McLaughlin’s performance on this CD sounds like it could have been spliced in later, but at other times, such as on the opening “Bamboo Forest,” his contributions are vital to the track’s overall success. These are minor quibbles, though, with an album of performances that never fall below the level of interaction and musical interest that one would expect from this group of artists.

Vitous remains the star here, no question about it. He is the sole composer of six of the CD’s nine tracks, and co-composer of the others (two with Garbarek and one with DeJohnette). And the other musicians work largely in support of Vitous, whose bass work is at the center of each track. That’s likely one reason that one doesn’t hear Corea or McLaughlin cutting loose to the extent one might like: it’s just not their show. This is supported by the fact that many of the tracks are, in fact, trio numbers with Vitous, DeJohnette, and Garbarek. Still, the contributions from Corea and McLaughlin are excellent. Listen particularly to Corea’s light, floating work on “Sun Flower.”

Did anyone really expect to find a new Vitous CD that featured Miroslav, Corea, and McLaughlin rocking out with the volume turned up to eleven and distortion in overdrive? If so, then it’s hard to imagine that they’ve spent much time listening to these artists over the past couple of decades. To be sure, there have been many very good reviews of the album, but I’ve seen several comments suggesting that the musicians involved here are perhaps a bit more restrained than one would like. For example, one reviewer says “If the Boys of Yesterday have shed their buckskin fringe and platform shoes, they’ve gained some wisdom—and maybe a bit too much restraint.” The review is, overall, a positive one, but it does suggest an element of disappointment with the release. Phil Freeman is much more direct in his evaluation of McLaughlin’s Thieves and Poets in the March 2004 issue of Jazziz magazine. “McLaughlin is a terrific player” he writes, “but refuses to get nasty. At 62, he’s become dignified, spiritual, and gun-shy—just like Eric Clapton.” The truth is that McLaughlin has, for some time, been unplugged and de-nastified.

The main attraction on the McLaughlin disc is the composition “Thieves and Poets,” a three-part suite composed by McLaughlin and orchestrated several different times, most recently (for this recording) by McLaughlin himself, who made changes to the Yan Maresz score used when the piece was performed in Paris, adding orchestral soloists to compliment his guitar work. The piece shows a great deal of Spanish and Moorish influence, which is scarcely surprising in a work for guitar and orchestra, but it also has elements of Indian and Asian music, long a point of interest in McLaughlin’s career, and more European elements as well. All throughout, McLaughlin plays acoustic guitar with fervor, ripping off licks every bit as impressive as some of his work with Mahavishnu or his equally impressive acoustic stints with Shakti or in collaboration with Paco DeLucia and Al DiMeola.

McLaughlin’s career has surely progressed to the point where no one could have expected to hear a bone-crunching electric guitar workout here. New generations are interested in the tumultuous music that he made with Mahavishnu, and they have not only the recordings but the work of The Mahavishnu Project, a band led by drummer/composer Gregg Bendian, who has worked with Pat Metheny and John Zorn. “This musical period was the beginning of finding my own way in music, and to hear you guys playing those tunes in such an unbelievable way is quite amazing,” he told the group after hearing them at a recent performance. But make no mistake: McLaughlin has no interest in revisiting the music himself. In that regard he has definitely inherited the ideas of his former employer Miles Davis, who said repeatedly that he had no interest in recreating his past music.

The remainder of Thieves and Poets is given over to performances of some standard material with the Aighetta guitar quartet and bass guitarist Helmut ‘Hell’ Shartlmueller. These performances are very sumptuous, warming as a glass of port on a cold night, but they are neither maudlin nor cheap and sentimental. Each of the pieces is dedicated to a pianist who has been influential, musically or personally, to the guitarist. “My Romance” for Bill Evans, “Stella By Starlight” for Herbie Hancock, “My Foolish Heart” for Chick Corea, and “The Dolphin” for Gonzalo Rubalcaba. These performances have more in common with jazz guitar tradition than the suite, and they allow McLaughlin some room to demonstrate his mature improvisational skills.

Of the two recordings, the Vitous one is probably more important and will make a more lasting impression, if for no other reason than the opportunity to hear Vitous play his compositions, a too rare treat since he first appeared on the scene. Thieves and Poets, while excellent, is not likely to be considered, say, one of McLaughlin’s top five releases. It does, however, provide insight into where the musician is today, how far he’s progressed as a composer and an interpreter of others’ music, and it provides substantive listening that will still be interesting on the tenth, twentieth, or thirtieth listening.