FunkFreak75 This album was my introduction to 1) Indian music, 2) tabla/percussion master, Zakir Hussein, 3) the (then) young violin virtuoso who styled himself as simply "Shankar," and, believe it or not, 4) John McLaughlin. Just hearing the combination of all these amazing, exotic instruments (including/especially John's custom-made guitar) was (and still is) a mind-blowing experience, but hearing them play such complicated music with such tightness, and such melodic beauty has landed this album permanently in my all-time top 20. I still get goose bumps every time I hear "Mind Ecology," "Face to Face," or "Peace of Mind"--they are that good, that powerful.

Line-up / Musicians: - John McLaughlin / acoustic guitar, vocals, producer - L. Shankar / violin, viola, vocals - Vikku Vinayakram / ghatam, nal, kanjeera, morsing, vocals - Zakir Hussain / tabla, timbales, bongos, dholak, nal, triangle, vocals

1. "Mind Ecology" (5:48) blasts you away with its amazing sonic onslaught--which seems to beckon one to take up Sufi trance dancing (the whirling dervish). (10/10)

2. "Face to Face" (5:56) is without question one of the most beautiful and technically stunning songs I've ever heard. McLaughlin's strumming, alone, takes one to another dimension! Music in absolute perfection! (11/10)

3. "Come on Baby, Dance with Me" (1:57) is a lot like a brief jazz rondo piece where each of the instruments takes turns carrying the main melody line before gelling to repeat it as an ensemble. Amazing technical feat! (4.5/5)

4. "The Daffodil and the Eagle" (7:01) feels as if some Indian musicians are laying around in the shade on a scaldingly hot day playing some lazy blues, then getting revved up, they take each other to task, first picking up the pace, then really sitting up and trying to out do one another. That fourth minute is so exhilarating to hear! Very bluesy, very McLaughlin-like. Shankar really blazes on this one. Really fun! (13.33333/15)

5. "Happiness Is Being Together" (4:27) begins like something out of a Santana or South American song catalogue--a mariachi, perhaps? I get so mesmerized when John McLaughlin is strumming! Another Shankar showpiece. (Or is that Itzhak Pehrlman? Wow!) John, in turn, is so cool and at ease--and so Spanish! (8.875/10)

6. "Bridge of Sighs" (3:52) slows it down to a very emotional pace with a very JONI MITCHELL feel. The space in this song is its most beautiful part--where its emotion really presents itself. The musicians get to show off the subtle dynamics they are able to coax out of their instruments on this one. (9/10)

7. "Get Down and Sruti" (7:01) is the showpiece for Zakir Hussein--one of the preeminent percussionists of the past 50 years. John's obtuse and unpredictable chord choices in the second minute are as mesmerizing as ever. This is followed in the third minute by Shankar's turn to seduce some incredibly slippery notes and runs out of his violin. Next Zakir takes his turn, filling the fourth minute and more with what sounds like herds of scurrying marmots or mongooses. Even Vikku Vinayakram gets a turn on his ceramic and metallic hand percussives (the traditional Carnatic instrument called the ghatam) before the konnakol voice chatter begins. Konnakol is the Carnatic Indian traditional vocalese call-and-response and vocal rhythmic repetitions that are more prominent in future SHAKTI albums and concerts. After this album, John McLaughlin even began working konnakol chatter into his concerts even when it wasn't in a Shakti format! (I have had good fortune and privilege of seeing a few of John's concerts). A song of unearthly musicianship. (13.5/15)

8. "Peace of Mind" (3:21) is an absolutely gorgeous song which seems to truly capture the astounding Beauty of true Peace. (10/10)

Total Time: 39:39

Bravo, Mr. McLaughlin and company. Thank you for this album.

It is hard and beautiful to remember that this is an all-acoustic album and could, therefore, be repeated in concert without the aid of electricity. Something I can't help but think about in these dangerous times: What will my favorite musics sound like in a post-petroleum world? The musicians of India and artists like John McLaughlin, Mickey Hart, Ry Cooder have already provided us with some clues to what that might be like. But rarely with the combination of beauty, joy, and astounding virtuosity of SHAKTI.

A/five stars; a masterpiece of both Jazz-Rock Fusion and East-Meets-West world music and one of my Top 20 Jazz-Rock Fusion Albums of All-Time.

siLLy puPPy This is really the first album I ever heard of any type of jazz fusion and I loved this music from the very first listen. After the dissolution of the Mahavishnu Orchestra, John McLaughlin became obsessed with playing Indian classical music after already having studied and learning how to play the classical Indian stringed instrument called the veena. This ultimately led him to the project SHAKTI where he found three extremely talented Indian musicians to accompany him. Zakir Hussain handled percussion and tabla duties. Lakshminarayana Shankar totally abused the violin and on this release Vikku Vinayakram handled additional percussion duties as well. John had a custom-made steel-string acoustic guitar made especially for the sounds he wished to achieve in this type of fusion band. The guitar featured two tiers of strings over the sound hole like those of a sitar or a veena which created a sound that corresponded better to the Indian instruments.

The band released a live debut album and then released two studio albums in 1977 with A HANDFUL OF BEAUTY being the very first. This album begins with the a firestorm konnakol (the art of performing percussion syllables vocally in South India) that begins “La Danse Du Bonheur" which immediately reminds of the energetic ferocity of the Mahavishnu Orchestra and the perfect opener for a band whose name is Sanskrit for “energy.” The intensity that the musicians of the band deliver is absolutely incredible to say the least. The beauty of this band is that not only is this an East meets West affair but it is also a Northern India meets Southern India one as well. These musicians seamlessly marry Western jazz with the Hindustani classical styles of Northern India and the Carnatic classical styles of Southern India.

The album drifts from energetic passages beginning with the opening track to more mellow and pastoral moments as heard on “Lady K” and “Isis.” The interplay between instruments is always perfect and the harmonies, melodies and rhythms take you on a wild ride through various time signatures and more haunting drawn out percussionless sections. At times some of the passages do outstay their welcome but overall the tracks are well paced.

At the time this was widely acclaimed for exposing western jazz lovers to the ragas and musical textures that traditional Indian music had to offer and guarantees energetic and well-played performances. If you have never been exposed to much Indian music before this then you may be put off for this can be intense but also sensually beautiful at the same time. If you have had the chance to fall in love with classical Indian artists such as Ravi Shankar and love the idea of a world fusion sound with incredibly fast and virtuosic performances than this will truly satisfy all those itches. I for one am still lovin' this one after many years of listening to it and am still completely awed by both the beauty of the emotional depth and the technical prowess of each talented individual involved.

Warthur Although I have to respect John McLaughlin for moving into startlingly different musical territory with this album, on balance I have to say it just doesn't do that much for me. John's playing is just as fast on the acoustic guitar as it is on the electric, and his Indian collaborators do a good job of keeping up, but I find the whole experience rather discomforting. As well as the prominence given to John in the mix and on the cover leaving a bad taste in my mouth - it comes across to me as cultural appropriation, with a white guitarist putting an acceptable face on Indian music - the music manages to be technically very proficient without sounding to me as if it has much in the way of emotional depth, in stark contrast to the early Mahavishnu work. Add another half-star if you are particularly enamoured of Indian music being adulterated to market it to a white audience, I guess.

Kazuhiro It was likely to have executed it with the huge influence especially partially of the music character that John McLaughlin was spent in the 70's in the 60's and done positively for the item of Jazz and Fusion. Some common denominator might exist for a lot of works and the performances that he was related since it works with Miles Davis. If he however considers it as directionality of Music at whom oneself should aim, it might be understood to consist the idea that he exactly is always involved. It is thought that the nucleus of the music character that he expresses while the form of music is advanced attended with some revolutions is always advanced attended with the universal element. The expression that he had done for the item of Jazz/Fusion that had rushed into in the 70's method might have had a reformative part. The deriving flow from the music character that Miles Davis had advocated might certainly have had the influence also by other musicians. He was challenging music from all angles in the flow that Jazz and Rock fuse gradually attended with the age always attaching importance to the nucleus. And, his universal element will have the part expressed with a consistently unspecified element. It is not a translation to which Jazz took Rock. It will be able to be said exactly that it is a moment when various elements that John McLaughlin had in the flow that repeats the derivation, dismantlement, and the restructuring of music approached the field of Rock a little.

The existence of Mahavishnu Orchestra was one of the methods of expressing the music character to which he was exactly involved in him. This directionality and the music character might have indeed shown his one-space existence. Of course, one existence was shown in the item of Jazz/Fusion. However, the idea and the nucleus that he had might have contained the element because of the connection to this Shakti consistently. There was a theory said that the unhappiness that happened to his family led to the formation of this Shakti according to one theory, too. However, the theory is not certain. Existence of Sri Chinmoy said meeting in 1970 as well-known fact anyway. And, the thought of India that he was devoting himself always at that time and the element of the philosophy. These elements might be certainly reflected in the work and consist as a theme of Shakti. However, his universal element and challenge are contained everywhere in the music character that he was doing with this Shakti.

Especially, if the composition of this album is considered, the introduction of the tune in which diversity exists a little more in the flow of the work that current Shakti announced might be given. All the parts that do not apply to the frame in India either can discover diversity as a composition of this work. The element of Mahavishnu has the part where this Shakti is certainly followed. John McLaughlin will be able ..flow that reaches the album.. to be caught as one of the results of putting out.

As for "Mind Ecology", the guitar twines round the flow of Chord with a complete anacatesthesia with the melody of Violin. The rhythm of the percussion instrument repeated at high speed contains the sound of a complex decoration and it progresses. And, a technology overwhelming Solo of Violin is offered to the listener.

As for "Face To Face", the element of meditation and the thought that flows incessantly might be reflected in the tune. Melody of Violin with anacatesthesia. And, the height of the composition power of Chord by cutting of the guitar. Ensemble constructs a good flow. Intermittent construction of melody and part of Solo of guitar. The power quietly opened continues.

As for "Come On Baby Dance With Me", the melody of a bright unison with Violin and the guitar is impressive. The construction of the technology and a complex melody might be splendid. A certain kind of sense of relief might be included as the entire impression of this album.

The element of the music character of Shakti and directionality might appear remarkably exactly in "The Daffodil And The Eagle". Their theme and thought are reflected. The extension and the idea of width as the technology might be expressed with room. The expression of the melody and the percussion instrument developed one after another expresses good thought and expression of feelings. And, the expression with the guitar has expanded width. It is exactly expressed partially of the music character that John McLaughlin thinks about. The expression not devoted to the theme and the frame method types out a good flow and directionality.

"Happiness Is Being Together" starts by a sound of Triangle and a high-speed percussion instrument. The rhythm and the melody of Latin that took it partially of the diversity of this album decided the impression of the tune. Composition of overwhelming Solo of Violin and bright melody. And, it is partial of the chorus who twines in the shape along the impression of the tune. It might be exactly an expression of the music that John McLaughlin created as uniting.

As for "Bridge Of Sighs", the melody of the theme is impressive. A peculiar melody to the rhythm that flows slowly twines. It might be an expressed melody as a part of the diversity of the album. The performance of the member intermittently expressed gives good construction. The part of the unison and the repeated mysterious melody by all members have a good flow. Ensemble is overwhelming.

The theme of "Get Down And Sruti" that is a little reminiscent of the directionality of Mahavishnu Orchestra is impressive. The element of Rock is taken a little and Groove is produced. This tune might also expand the width of the music character of Shakti. Part of guitar expressed by cutting. And, the melody of Violin that always decides the directionality of Shakti. The expression of the music that doesn't apply to the frame is exactly given. The tune places Solo with the percussion instrument and continues the quality.

As for "Peace Of Mind" that decorates the end of this album, the melody of gentle Violin and the melody of the guitar are impressive. The thought of Shakti that flows incessantly is expressed attended with a beautiful melody. It is a tune that the parts of a few ballade unite with the theme of Shakti. This tune expressed only by the guitar and Violin might have made a good flow as a composition of the album.

This album was announced and Shakti hid the shadow. However, the expression of thought and the philosophy done partially of the expression of the music character of John McLaughlin might have included a complete expression by Shakti indeed remarkably.

Kazuhiro There might have been a fact that he informed them of the name worldwide as a guitar player in the latter half of the 1960's. The performance and the technology of man who had done the item of Jazz and Fusion were the methods of the expression with a strong originality exactly. However, some the parts where the music character of John Mclaughlin did not have the specific location either might have existed. It might be able to discover some respects by researching this album. The expression of the music character of him who had been done by demanding Miles Davis in the latter half of the 1960's might have been offered to the listener as an exactly reformative part. The part where a limit musical Miles Davis had been felt was succeeded to John McLaughlin in shape in close relation to the cancellation and development from Quintet. The reformative element might have been suitable for a music character at that time at the time of having done exactly as a part mainly composed of Rock by Miles Davis. In should advanced directionality in a situation at that time of John McLaughlin, it might be also true to have contained some necessities.

A universal part of the character and the directionality of the music character of John McLaughlin was emphasized further in the 70's. The performance with Lifetime of Tony Williams will have been liberating of the involved power of music exactly. The power gradually opened exactly became the flood of the sound and emphasized the part of the nucleus.

It is said 1970 meeting of Sri Chinmoy and John McLaughlin who is the spiritual guide in India. This meeting be might inevitability and a certain kind of fatal part for John McLaughlin. Mahavishnu Orchestra that had started in 1971 was a moment when the power of the music had been completely liberated further. A philosophical part and the thought of India might have been reflected in the nucleus. The deriving part from the element that Miles Davis at that time had advocated might have been related to the music character that Mahavishnu Orchestra had done. However, originality for John McLaughlin was always universal. In the situation that shifted from Lifetime to Mahavishnu Orchestra, he might have caught the directionality that had always to be done. Philosophical thought and the creation of India are gradually indeed opened. 1975 year when Mahavishnu Orchestra was temporarily dismantled might be being exactly recognized as a borderline for this Shakti by the listener.

The creation of the music that should be done for John McLaughlin and opening thought are almost expressed by the music character of this Shakti. The reflection of power, the technology, and the thought discharged from the body might exactly almost exclude the part of the extra and be expressed. All facts that appoint musician from India for election of member. And, the element that excludes the electronic part used till then. Part of relations that demand sitar guitar of custom-designed from Gibson Co. to advance music character that John McLaughlin expresses it with Shakti more concretely. And, the point to have appointed the Violin player while following the music character that Mahavishnu Orchestra had. These elements might be completely expressed by Shakti. The technology of Lakshminarayana Shankar and Zakir Hussain might be overwhelming. It is music that is exactly expressed by the element that the technology and the limit become nuclei and consists.

"La Danse Du Bonheur" advances with a complete dash feeling from the part of the imitation of the percussion instrument by the voice. The overwhelming ensemble and a high-speed rhythm might be splendid. Flood of melody of Violin and rhythm with percussion instrument that is reminiscent of Mahavishunu Orchestra. And, the obbligati of the guitar that expands the width of the tune. The technology of the band is complete.

As for "Lady L", thought of India and a philosophical element are reflected in the tune well. Unison of melody by guitar and Violin. And, rhythmically of the percussion instrument that puts fast and slow. Development with a melody that flows in the space and an intermittent part will invite the listener to the world of meditation.

"India" starts by an overwhelming technology of the guitar. The flow that appoints making the melody to make good use of the tuning as an idea is splendid. The production of the melody and the anacatesthesia to get on the calculated arpeggio has been completely passed as a tune. The involved power is gradually opened. It has the part where thought and the philosophy were completely reflected in the tune. The performance of Shakti that flows consistently might be steady.

"Kriti" progresses attended with a bright melody. The melody of the guitar and Violin produces the dash feeling. Rhythm of percussion instrument played by high-speed tempo. And, the height of the quality of the unison and ensemble. The quality will never fall.

As for "Isis", a gentle melody of Violin and the guitar is impressive. The melody of Violin has completely decided the directionality of Shakti. Ensemble might be complete. The height of the performance power of the percussion instrument can be discovered. The melody of the sitar guitar twines round the rhythm developed by a high-speed tempo well. The tune shifts to the part of Solo with the percussion instrument when about eight minutes have passed since the tune started. Offer of complete technology with percussion instrument. And, rhythmically of the continuation high-speed. Performance that puts fast and slow. Resonance of original sound of percussion instrument. Meditation continues. Solo of about six minutes might be a highlight of this tune. And, the processing of the part of Coda is also perfect.

The melody of "Two Sisters" with expression of feelings is impressive. A fantastic melody of the guitar and Violin expands the width of the element of the album. The composition pulled by the melody might be expressed partially of the directionality at which Shakti should aim.

The realization of the music character that John McLaughlin and Shakti exactly thought about at that time is expressed by the work. The music character that becomes a nucleus the element of the music of India and is united is splendidly consistently expressed.