1971: John McLaughlin & Billy Cobham Moving Toward The Inner Mounting Flame

The brief but revolutionary association between guitar legend John McLaughlin and the precocious talent of young drumming phenom Billy Cobham lasted only three years but their meeting and collaboration represents an event similar yo that of finding the "God particle" in the CERN Large Hadron Supercollider: It produced the paradigm-shattering and new-paradigm defining phenomenon that was The Mahavishnu Orchestra--which was, in my opinion, the most influential single album to the realization of the peak manifestations of Jazz-Rock Fusion as well as a huge influencer to the future choices of Progressive Rock artists. 

- March 1969: The material that would end up on Larry Coryell's Spaces was recorded in New York City in March of 1969. John and Billy served as session players for Larry during the March recording sessions.

     The initial date proved to be a wash as Chick Corea and John McLaughlin were too loose and "high" from having recently (February 18) participated in the inspiring studio sessions for the material that would become Miles Davis' In a Silent Way. Larry's compositions were prepared constructions that he wanted his musicians to play within certain boundaries/parameters. On day two they ensemble found their common ground. It was Produced by Daniel Weiss for 10th Street Productions and released by Vanguard and Vanguard Apostolic in November of 1970. I do not know the reason for the extraordinary delay in time between the March 1969 recording sessions of this album and its November 1970 release, but both dates fall into the still-early days of the Jazz-Rock Fusion explosion and settle well before the first releases of The Mahavishnu Orchestra's The Inner Mounting Flame--which was recorded on August 14, 1971 and then released on November 3, 1971, Weather Report's self-titled debut album (recorded Feb. 16 & March 17 and released on May 12, 1971) or Chick Corea's Return to Forever (recorded February 2 & 3, 1972, with a September release).

     Who knows the effect these recording sessions had on John McLaughlin, Billy Cobham, Miroslav Vitous, or Chick Corea, but their next projects would include: 1) for John, participation on Tony Williams' Lifetime (Turn It Over); 2) the A Tribute to Jack Johnson sessions for Miles Davis (John and Billy); 3) for Miroslav, Weather Report's debut album, and; 4) in 1972, Chick Corea's Return to Forever, respectively.

- March-May 1970: The material that Teo Macero would sculpt into the album that would become the February 21, 1971 Columbia Records release, Miles Davis' A Tribute to Jack Johnson was recorded on February 18, 1970 (songs 1-1 to 1-4); February 27 (1-5 to 1-9); March 3 (1-10 to 2-5); March 17 (2-6, 2-7); March 20 (2-8); April 7 (3-1 to 3-6); May 19 (3-7 to 4-2); May 21 (4-3); May 27 (4-4, 4-5); and June 3 (4-6 to 4-10); June 4 (4-11 to 5-2), and; April 7, 1970.

1-1. "Willie Nelson (Take 2)" (6:41)
1-2. "Willie Nelson (Take 3)" (10:21)
1-3. "Willie Nelson (Insert 1)" (6:33)
1-4 ."Willie Nelson (Insert 2)" (5:22)
1-5. "Willie Nelson (Remake Take 1)" (10:45)
1-6. "Willie Nelson (Remake Take 2)" (10:17)
1-7. "Johnny Bratton (Take 4)" (8:17)
1-8. "Johnny Bratton (Insert 1)" (6:38)
1-9. "Johnny Bratton (Insert 1)" (5:19)
1-10. "Archie Moore" (4:45)
2-1. "Go Ahead John (Part One)" (13:07)
2-2. "Go Ahead John (Part Two A)" (7:00)
2-3. "Go Ahead John (Part Two B)" (10:06)
2-4. "Go Ahead John (Part Two C)" (3:38)
2-5. "Go Ahead John (Part One Remake)" (11:04)
2-6. "Duran (Take 4)" (5:37)
2-7. "Duran (Take 6)" (11:20)
2-8. "Sugar Ray" (6:16)
3-1. "Right Off (Take 10)" (11:09)
3-2. "Right Off (Take 10A)" (4:33)
3-3. "Right Off (Take 11)" (5:58)
3-4. "Right Off (Take 12)" (8:49)
3-5. "Yesternow (Take 16)" (9:49)
3-6. "Yesternow (New Take 4)" (16:02)
3-7. "Honky Tonk (Take 2)" (10:04)
3-8. "Honky Tonk (Take 5)" (11:29)
4-1. "Ali (Take 3)" (6:50)
4-2. "Ali (Take 4)" (10:14)
4-3. "Konda" (16:29)
4-4. "Nem Um Talvez (Take 17)" (2:50)
4-5. "Nem Um Talvez (Take 19)" (2:54)
4-6. "Little High People (Take 7)" (6:52)
4-7. "Little High People (Take 8)" (9:28)
4-8. "Nem Um Talvez (Take 3)" (4:36)
4-9. "Nem Um Talvez (Take 4A)" (2:04)
4-10. "Selim (Take 4B)" (2:15)
4-11. "Little Church (Take 7)" (3:16)
4-12. "Little Church (Take 10)" (3:15)
5-1. "The Mask (Part One)" (7:47)
5-2. "The Mask (Part Two)" (15:45)
5-3. "Right Off" (26:54)
5-4. "Yesternow" (25:36)

Billy participated in the March, April, and May recording sessions ("Duran," "Right Off," "Honky Tonk," and "Ali") while John was present for all but the June dates. It has been said that John and Billy made a connection during these studio sessions because they both liked to play their instruments (and jam) during the breaks between recording takes (even though Miles asked them not to).

- August 25, 1970: Billy provided all of the drumming for the material that ended up on Miroslav Vitous' 1970 release, Purple (an album that was released initially only in Japan), while John provided guitar for one song, the first on Side Two, which was entitled, "Water Lilie," which was recorded--as was all of the album's material--on August 25, 1970.

- March 1971: Billy plays on the incredible first two songs of John McLaughlin's My Goals Beyond, "Peace One" and "Peace Two," which were recorded in March of 1971 and then released by New Yorker Alan Douglas' own record label in June of 1971.

- August 1971: Though Billy and John had been jamming together--alone, just the two of them--for some time, they had been thinking of, and, finally, trying to pull together a group of musicians to record expanded versions of John's musical ideas and compositions. Rick Laird, Jerry Goodman (in lieu of the busy Jean-Luc Ponty) and Jan Hammer were called together for the sessions that would result in the November 3, 1971 release of The Mahavishnu Orchestra's The Inner Mounting Flame.

- August 1972: the month in which the recording sessions for The Mahavishnu Orchestra's second studio album, Birds of Fire, occurred. In my opinion, this album represents the absolute pinnacle of the fireball of the supernova that really confirmed the explosion of Jazz-Rock Fusion. Birds of Fire provides the perfect blending of the virtuosity of jazz musicians with the power and volume that power rock bands like The Jimi Hendrix Experience and Cream had explored but while it also used the complex structures and rhythms that the fledgling "progressive rock" movement had been exploring for about five years. The album would be released by Columbia Records on January 19, 1973. 

In conclusion, I feel that I need to further reinforce my assertion that The Inner Mounting Flame and the first incarnation of The Mahavishnu Orchestra had a greater effect on both Jazz-Rock Fusion and on Progressive Rock music than any other album or band in history. I ask you: Do you think Close to the Edge, Red, AREA, Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy and Romantic Warrior, Larry Coryell's Eleventh House, SBB, Fermatà, and the like would have ever happened had there been no Mahavishnu Orchestra? Do you think Bitches Brew, Emergency!, the Mwandishi albums, or any of Weather Report's early albums had a greater effect on not only Jazz-Rock Fusion but also on Progressive Rock Music than The Inner Mounting Flame and Birds of Fire? Please feel free to submit examples in Progressive Rock music that support your stance--examples that show clear inspiration from some of the bands or albums mentioned, or other bands or albums, with explanations of how you think they show a greater influence and/or ripple effect than that of The Mahavishnu Orchestra's first two albums.