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''Industrial Zen'' is a studio album recorded by English jazz musician
John McLaughlin John or Jon McLaughlin may refer to: Arts and entertainment * John McLaughlin (musician) (born 1942), English jazz fusion guitarist, member of Mahavishnu Orchestra * Jon McLaughlin (musician) (born 1982), American singer-songwriter * John McLaug ...
in 2006. It was released on 22 May 2006 by
Verve Records Verve Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group (UMG). Founded in 1956 by Norman Granz, the label is home to the world's largest jazz catalogue, which includes recordings by artists such as Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone, ...
as a
compact disc The compact disc (CD) is a Digital media, digital optical disc data storage format that was co-developed by Philips and Sony to store and play digital audio recordings. In August 1982, the first compact disc was manufactured. It was then rele ...
. Following the release of ''
Thieves and Poets ''Thieves and Poets'' is an album by John McLaughlin (musician), John McLaughlin, released in 2003 through the record label Verve. The album reached number twenty on ''Billboard (magazine), Billboards Top Jazz Albums chart. Track listing All tr ...
'' (2003), he began creating an album that was more ambitious and one that he could consider unique to him. He collaborated with various musicians for the project, such as vocalist
Shankar Mahadevan Shankar Mahadevan (born 3 March 1967) is an Indian singer and composer who is part of the Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy trio that writes music for Indian films. Personal life and early career Shankar Mahadevan was born in Chembur, Mumbai into a Tami ...
, saxophonist
Bill Evans William John Evans (August 16, 1929 â€“ September 15, 1980) was an American jazz pianist and composer who worked primarily as the leader of his trio. His use of impressionist harmony, interpretation of traditional jazz repertoire, block ch ...
, and
tabla A tabla, bn, তবলা, prs, طبلا, gu, તબલા, hi, तबला, kn, ತಬಲಾ, ml, തബല, mr, तबला, ne, तबला, or, ତବଲା, ps, طبله, pa, ਤਬਲਾ, ta, தபலா, te, తబలఠ...
player
Zakir Hussain Zakir Hussain ( ur, , link=no) is the name of: * Zakir Husain (politician), an Indian politician and former president of India * Zakir Hussain (actor), Bollywood actor * Zakir Hussain (field hockey) (1934–2019), Pakistani field hockey player * ...
. A
jazz fusion Jazz fusion (also known as fusion and progressive jazz) is a music genre that developed in the late 1960s when musicians combined jazz harmony and jazz improvisation, improvisation with rock music, funk, and rhythm and blues. Electric guitars, ...
and electric jazz album, ''Industrial Zen'' features the use of several instruments, including drums, keyboards, the electric bass, and the tabla. Additionally, McLaughlin wrote and produced all eight songs that appear on the record. The album was generally well received by
music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...
for being musically diverse. One critic also pointed out that it resembled some of McLaughlin's work that he released in the 1970s. Commercially, the album fared well on two jazz music ''Billboard'' charts, peaking at numbers 9 and 14 on the Top Jazz Albums and Jazz Albums charts, respectively.


Development and recording

After completing ''
Thieves and Poets ''Thieves and Poets'' is an album by John McLaughlin (musician), John McLaughlin, released in 2003 through the record label Verve. The album reached number twenty on ''Billboard (magazine), Billboards Top Jazz Albums chart. Track listing All tr ...
'' in 2003, McLaughlin began work on ''Industrial Zen'', which was considered a much "more aggressive and sonically ambitious" album than the former. He wanted to make a record that would be considered "ground breaking" in terms of how many musical genres it involved. While speaking during the creation of ''Industrial Zen'' with music critic Bill Milkowski, he stated:
"I think the critics will crucify me which is what I'm looking forward to. I'm going to destroy everything. I want to do something underground, unconventional. I'd like to get Eric Johnson involved in this project. They're guys that I’ve known for years, and great guitar players, but I'd like to put them in another environment, in a situation that they've never been in before. And I'd like to get some sax players—jazz players and other kinds. And I'll definitely use
Shankar Mahadevan Shankar Mahadevan (born 3 March 1967) is an Indian singer and composer who is part of the Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy trio that writes music for Indian films. Personal life and early career Shankar Mahadevan was born in Chembur, Mumbai into a Tami ...
, the amazing vocalist who appears on Remember Shakti's Saturday Night in Bombay. I’ve been thinking about this underground thing for three years but I just haven't had time to do it. I'm dying to get it out. It's like giving birth."
McLaughlin traveled to various destinations in order to record ''Industrial Zen''; in
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
, he recorded at The Cutting Room Studios, Under the Bed Studios, Tony Grey Studio, and Winsome Farm Studio. He also had sessions at Metropolis Studios in
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, Mediastarz Studio in
Monaco Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Lig ...
, Saucer Sound Studio in
Austin Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...
, and Otmatic Sound and At Beatnik Studio in
California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
. It was released on 22 May 2006 by
Verve Records Verve Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group (UMG). Founded in 1956 by Norman Granz, the label is home to the world's largest jazz catalogue, which includes recordings by artists such as Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone, ...
exclusively as a
compact disc The compact disc (CD) is a Digital media, digital optical disc data storage format that was co-developed by Philips and Sony to store and play digital audio recordings. In August 1982, the first compact disc was manufactured. It was then rele ...
.


Music and sound

Musically, ''Industrial Zen'' is a
jazz fusion Jazz fusion (also known as fusion and progressive jazz) is a music genre that developed in the late 1960s when musicians combined jazz harmony and jazz improvisation, improvisation with rock music, funk, and rhythm and blues. Electric guitars, ...
and electric jazz album, similar to McLaughlin's previously released material. A few of the songs included serve as tributes to different musicians; additionally, all of the tracks to appear on the album were written and produced by McLaughlin, with the exception of "Mother Nature", which features additional songwriting from Mahadevan and Antonia Minnecola. He opens the album with "For Jaco", an upbeat track that combines the use of drums and saxophones; "newcomer" drummers
Gary Husband Gary Husband (born 14 June 1960) is an English jazz and rock drummer, pianist, keyboard player and bandleader. He is also a composer, arranger and producer. Husband is a member of John McLaughlin's group The 4th Dimension, he also regularly pe ...
and
Mark Mondesir Mark Mondesir (born 12 December 1964) is an English jazz drummer. His brother, Michael Mondesir, is a bass guitarist. Career Mondesir was born in Stepney, London, on 12 December 1964. Mondesir began his career in 1984 as part of Ian Carr's wo ...
performed on the song, which features an electric bass and was described as "energetic" by one reviewer. Track two, "New Blues Old Bruise", features "sampled chorus effects" on its vocals created and a "moody" production that was compared to the works of English rock band
Pink Floyd Pink Floyd are an English rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic music, psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experimentation, philo ...
. "Wayne's Way" follows and serves as a tribute to performer
Wayne Shorter Wayne Shorter (born August 25, 1933) is an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Shorter came to prominence in the late 1950s as a member of, and eventually primary composer for, Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers. In the 1960s, he joined Miles Davi ...
; the track is an example of McLaughlin's influence from modern jazz on the album. On the fourth track, "Just So Only More So", McLaughlin and the saxophonist
Bill Evans William John Evans (August 16, 1929 â€“ September 15, 1980) was an American jazz pianist and composer who worked primarily as the leader of his trio. His use of impressionist harmony, interpretation of traditional jazz repertoire, block ch ...
play together. As the song begins to wrap up, they perform a "touching, conversational dialogue on their instruments". "To Bop or Not to Be" is a track dedicated to jazz musician
Michael Brecker Michael Leonard Brecker (March 29, 1949 – January 13, 2007) was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. He was awarded 15 Grammy Awards as both performer and composer. He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Berklee College of M ...
. Featuring a
tabla A tabla, bn, তবলা, prs, طبلا, gu, તબલા, hi, तबला, kn, ತಬಲಾ, ml, തബല, mr, तबला, ne, तबला, or, ତବଲା, ps, طبله, pa, ਤਬਲਾ, ta, தபலா, te, తబలఠ...
, drums, bass, and keyboards, the track features an Indian-influenced melody surrounded by "hypnotic synthesizer . "Dear Dalai Lama" references the
Dalai Lama Dalai Lama (, ; ) is a title given by the Tibetan people to the foremost spiritual leader of the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" school of Tibetan Buddhism, the newest and most dominant of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The 14th and current Dal ...
and features guest vocals from Mahadevan amidst a "spiritual ambience". A passionate song with "shifting moods", tabla player
Zakir Hussain Zakir Hussain ( ur, , link=no) is the name of: * Zakir Husain (politician), an Indian politician and former president of India * Zakir Hussain (actor), Bollywood actor * Zakir Hussain (field hockey) (1934–2019), Pakistani field hockey player * ...
appears alongside Ada Rovatti who plays the saxophone. "Senor C.S." is track seven and another tribute song, this time to
Carlos Santana Carlos Humberto Santana Barragán (; born July 20, 1947) is an American guitarist who rose to fame in the late 1960s and early 1970s with his band Santana, which pioneered a fusion of Rock and roll and Latin American jazz. Its sound featured ...
. An "energetic" track, it features contributions from bassist
Hadrien Feraud Hadrien Feraud (born August 16, 1984 in Paris) is a French jazz bassist. Biography Hadrien Feraud was born into a very musical family. His parents -- who are also musicians -- immersed him at a very young age in various musical environments: ro ...
. The album closes with "Mother Nature", a song with Mahadevan's "keening vocals" and an "electronic revolving ostinato".


Reception

''Industrial Zen'' has received generally favorable reviews from
music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...
. John Kelman from ''
All About Jazz ''All About Jazz'' is a website established by Michael Ricci in 1995. A volunteer staff publishes news, album reviews, articles, videos, and listings of concerts and other events having to do with jazz. Ricci maintains a related site, ''Jazz Near ...
'' called the album a "perfect confluence of cLaughlin'sdivergent interests". He also thought that the album was proof that despite the criticism for McLaughlin's "occasionally unsuccessful aspirations", he is able to "show that his eyes and ears remain fully open".
Stuart Nicholson Stuart Nicholson may refer to: * Stuart Nicholson (footballer) (born 1987), English footballer * Stuart Nicholson (jazz historian) (born 1948), British jazz historian, biographer, music journalist, music critic, and academic * Stuart Nicholson (org ...
from ''
Jazzwise ''Jazzwise'', launched in 1997, is the UK jazz monthly magazine. ''Jazzwise'' has a broad sub-genre coverage, from jazz, improv, hard bop, and jazz-rock to bebop and classic jazz, and also covers jazz crossover, including jazz-funk, jazz hip-h ...
'' was highly favorable of ''Industrial Zen''; calling it "one of his most exciting and dangerous albums in a long while", Nicholson noted that McLaughlin's ability to "bring ..a variety of influences" into his music allowed him to create a comprehensive album. A writer from ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'' noted that McLaughlin was "vibrant yreinventing" his career with ''Industrial Zen''; the same critic also noted that the record has "clarity, focus and surprise". In a more mixed opinion,
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
's Richard S. Ginell awarded the album three out of five stars. He praised "Mother Nature" as a standout on the album but found it to be "the only track that really sticks in the memory". David R. Adler, writing for ''
JazzTimes ''JazzTimes'' is an American magazine devoted to jazz. Published 10 times a year, it was founded in Washington, D.C. in 1970 by Ira Sabin as the newsletter ''Radio Free Jazz'' to complement his record store. Coverage After a decade of growth ...
'', found McLaughlin to be "in good form" on ''Industrial Zen''. Commercially, the album entered two jazz music ''Billboard'' charts in 2006. On the Jazz Albums chart, it peaked at number 14, becoming McLaughlin's highest-charting album as an artist (which would later tie with his 2015 album ''Black Light''). It also appeared on the Top Jazz Albums chart, where it peaked at number 9.


Track listing

All tracks produced by McLaughlin and information derived from the album's official liner notes.


Personnel


Musicians

*
Dennis Chambers Dennis Milton Chambers (born May 9, 1959) is an American drummer. He was inducted into the ''Modern Drummer'' Hall of Fame in 2001. Early life Chambers was born on May 9, 1959. He began drumming at the age of four years, and was gigging in Bal ...
– drum set *
Vinnie Colaiuta Vincent Peter Colaiuta (born February 5, 1956) is an American drummer who has worked as a session musician in many genres. He was inducted into the ''Modern Drummer'' Hall of Fame in 1996 and the ''Classic Drummer'' Hall of Fame in 2014. Colai ...
– drum set *
Mark Mondesir Mark Mondesir (born 12 December 1964) is an English jazz drummer. His brother, Michael Mondesir, is a bass guitarist. Career Mondesir was born in Stepney, London, on 12 December 1964. Mondesir began his career in 1984 as part of Ian Carr's wo ...
– drum set * Marcus Wippersberg – drum set *
Hadrien Feraud Hadrien Feraud (born August 16, 1984 in Paris) is a French jazz bassist. Biography Hadrien Feraud was born into a very musical family. His parents -- who are also musicians -- immersed him at a very young age in various musical environments: ro ...
– bass guitar * Matthew Garrison – bass guitar *
Tony Grey Tony Grey (born March 25, 1975, in Newcastle, England) is an English bass player, composer, producer, author and award winning music educator; Grey studied at Berklee College of Music in Boston and graduated receiving the "Outstanding Performe ...
– bass guitar *
Gary Husband Gary Husband (born 14 June 1960) is an English jazz and rock drummer, pianist, keyboard player and bandleader. He is also a composer, arranger and producer. Husband is a member of John McLaughlin's group The 4th Dimension, he also regularly pe ...
– drum set, keyboards *
Zakir Hussain Zakir Hussain ( ur, , link=no) is the name of: * Zakir Husain (politician), an Indian politician and former president of India * Zakir Hussain (actor), Bollywood actor * Zakir Hussain (field hockey) (1934–2019), Pakistani field hockey player * ...
–
tabla A tabla, bn, তবলা, prs, طبلا, gu, તબલા, hi, तबला, kn, ತಬಲಾ, ml, തബല, mr, तबला, ne, तबला, or, ତବଲା, ps, طبله, pa, ਤਬਲਾ, ta, தபலா, te, తబలఠ...
*
Eric Johnson Eric Johnson may refer to: Music *Eric Johnson (guitarist) (born 1954) an American guitarist and recording artist * Eric D. Johnson (born 1976), member of multiple indie-rock bands including Fruit Bats, The Shins and Califone Politics * Eric Joh ...
– guitar *
Shankar Mahadevan Shankar Mahadevan (born 3 March 1967) is an Indian singer and composer who is part of the Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy trio that writes music for Indian films. Personal life and early career Shankar Mahadevan was born in Chembur, Mumbai into a Tami ...
– composer, vocals * John McLaughlin – chant, composer, drum programming, guitar, synthesizer programming *
Bill Evans William John Evans (August 16, 1929 â€“ September 15, 1980) was an American jazz pianist and composer who worked primarily as the leader of his trio. His use of impressionist harmony, interpretation of traditional jazz repertoire, block ch ...
–
saxophone The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to pr ...
* Ada Rovatti – saxophone *
Otmaro Ruíz Otmaro Ruíz (born June 27, 1964, in Caracas, Venezuela) is a Venezuelan pianist, keyboardist, composer, arranger and educator. Son of Oscar Ruiz Beluche and Omaira Prado Hurtado, both medical doctors. He has a sister named Orlena, also a musicia ...
– synthesizer, synthesizer programming


Production

* Michel Bocande – photography * David Channing – engineer * Max Crace – photography * Matthew Garrison – engineer * Jesus Martinez – photography * John McLaughlin – producer * Karen Miller – photography * Richard Mullen – engineer * Naoju Nakamura – photography * Otmaro Ruíz – engineer * Christoph Stickel – mastering * Neil Tucker – engineer


Charts


References


External links

* {{Authority control 2006 albums John McLaughlin (musician) albums Verve Records albums