Costituitasi nel 1971 e disciolta nel 1976, la Mahavishnu Orchestra fu creata dal chitarrista John McLaughlin e dalbatterista Billy Cobham, entrambi riconosciuti come strumentisti di valore assoluto, e chiamati nel corso del tempo a collaborare ad esperienze musicali di grande valore da maestri come Miles Davis. La potenza tecnica ed il feeling della band ne fecero uno dei gruppi di riferimento del genere fusion.
The band's original lineup featured "Mahavishnu" John McLaughlin on acoustic and electric guitars, with members Billy Cobham on drums, Rick Laird on bass guitar, Jan Hammer on electric and acoustic piano and synthesizer, and Jerry Goodman on violin. This first incarnation of the ensemble was a multinational group: McLaughlin is from Yorkshire, England; Cobham from Panama; Hammer from Prague, Czechoslovakia; Goodman from Chicago, Illinois; and Laird from Dublin, Ireland. This group was considered an important pioneer in the jazz fusion movement
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