A Handful of Beauty

by Shakti With John McLaughlin

A Handful of Beauty cover art
  • Type: Album
  • Released: March 1977
  • Label: Columbia
  • Country: United Kingdom
  • Length: 47:56
  • Community rating: 4.21/5 from 6 ratings

Artists on this release: Zakir Hussain, John McLaughlin, Shakti, Shankar

Album Notes & Community Reviews

Blistering acoustic virtuosity meets deep spiritual resonance on this groundbreaking fusion of Western jazz improvisation and classical Indian music. John McLaughlin's custom acoustic guitar weaves incredibly complex, high-velocity patterns alongside the masterful tabla and violin work of his Indian counterparts. The album successfully transcends mere cultural pastiche, creating a genuinely unified and fiercely energetic new musical vocabulary.

Genres

Descriptors: Acoustic, Fusion, technical, instrumental, improvisation, fusion, virtuosic, percussive, improvisational

Tracklist

  1. La Danse Du Bonheur (with John McLaughlin) (4:50)
  2. Lady L (7:28)
  3. India (12:38)
  4. Kriti (3:00)
  5. Isis (15:13)
  6. Two Sisters (4:43)

Credits

  • Shakti - primary artist
  • Vikku Vinayakram - ghatam [claypot], mridangam [mdidangam]
  • Zakir Hussain - tabla
  • Stephen W. Tayler - tape op
  • Shankar - violin, written-by, arranged by
  • Traditional - written-by

More from Shakti With John McLaughlin: full discography