Santana and McLaughlin

In 1973, guitarists John McLaughlin and Carlos Santana were both venturing down a similar path. Both had become disciples of the spiritual teacher, Sri Chimnoy and they were both actively pursuing a spiritual path within their music. Both musicians also held the music of John Coltrane in the highest regard and these common interests led them to collaborate on an album.

That recording, Love Devotion Surrender was greeted with mixed reactions at the time, but there was no denying that it contained some of the most blistering guitar playing ever committed to tape. For Santana, the album was a serious departure from the Latin-flavored rock that his fans had embraced, but was clearly a signpost to where he was heading. McLaughlin was already one of the most respected jazz guitarists on the planet and had been directly involved in some of the most influential music of the past few years, having played with Miles Davis during his transition into electric music and with his own group, Mahavishnu Orchestra.

The album was not for the faint of heart or the casual listener. The depth of concentration between the musicians was difficult to fathom at first, but repeated listening revealed that these musicians had indeed tapped into something very special. In retrospect, the jazz-rock fusion recorded for this album holds up rather well and the brief tour that occurred in support of the album contained some the most inspired performances of either guitarist's career.