I became aware of John McLaughlin with two Miles Davis albums, "In A Silent Way" and "Bitches Brew". My musical tastes are pretty broad but jazz has been the cornerstone most of my adult life. So in the beginning of the '70s when I heard this wild new band on FM I realized John had expanded his musical approach, that was the Mahavishnu Orchestra. I quickly started buying their albums. Then I heard they were coming to San Diego. Again acting quickly I got tickets for my girlfriend and myself. I'd long forgotten the date but thanks to Walter I now now that was June 12, 1972. Funky Quarters was a rather small, dingy club that booked a surprising number of great musical groups. I say surprising because capacity had to be less than 200. There were two shows and I'm certain both sold out. Small tables were arrayed in front of the stage, with just chairs behind that. We lucked out with a table front-center. I began attending live performances more than 10 years earlier while in college. I've never tried to count them all, but I'll say that night was among the TOP FIVE in all my experiences. Along with the unbelievable high level of energy throughout the concert, what amazed me the most was the interplay between each of the musicians. I've attended many concerts with top level jazz stars where musical ideas were bounced back and forth, all the while being expanded, but none were better connected than the five Mahavishnu members that night. McLaughlin was amazing as expected, but the level of energy, with each musician feeding off the others was amazing and joyous. I say joyous, not only for the audience, but it was plain in the faces of all five, they were into it! That energy level was driven by Billy Cobham. He was like a coiled spring, expanding the drive as the concert raced along. Had he collapsed at the end I wouldn't have been surprised. I didn't remember the date but the experience is etched in my mind.

Simply FABULOUS site! There's so much to mine.... What a stunning labor of love! Thank you, Walter, 🙏 for the incredible efforts, and thank you to all of you involved in making this project come to fruition 🕉️

It's been a great pleasure to assist Walter on all of his Mahavishnu books ! The one thing that Walter stressed when doing all the research needed to compile a complete story is accuracy ! And that is what I and the other editors and contributors made sure to do . Every fact, every story, every quote are true and hopefully will honor the memory of "the greatest band that ever was " !

Great looking website. Looks like being a valuable source of info for all things Mahavishnu. Great job Walter.