Guitar Hero Comes to Sarajevo

The eighteenth Jazz Fest Sarajevo will bring some of the most significant artists on the current music scene to Bosnia and Herzegovina in the first week of November, it was announced by Jazz Fest, reports the BH news agency Patria.

One of them is British guitarist John McLaughlin, known for his energetic music and eclectic solo performances that have made him one of the most popular and influential musicians even outside the realm of jazz.

Today, at 72 years of age and in the fifth decade of his career, McLaughlin is not resting on his laurels; his current ensemble 4th Dimension, with whom he will perform in Sarajevo, presents innovative and fresh original music. This Grammy winner for Best Instrumental Jazz Album in 2009 was included by Rolling Stone magazine among the greatest guitarists of all time, and he will be remembered in jazz history as the founder of the Mahavishnu Orchestra, the Shakti project, and as a collaborator of Miles Davis, with whom he recorded four studio albums. On the album Bitches Brew, one of the compositions is titled John McLaughlin, a tribute by Miles to the skill and music of this artist.

McLaughlin's improvisations with elements of blues, rock, flamenco, and Indian music have earned him the respect of the audience, critics, and professionals alike. British rock guitarist Jeff Beck called him "the greatest living guitarist," and Indian instrumentalist Zakir Hussain considers him "one of the greatest and most significant musicians of our time."

Tickets for the concert of John McLaughlin & 4th Dimension, on November 5th at BKC, can be reserved at a 20% discount at www.jazzfest.ba.