Where Fortune Smiles - Misplaced Pages

Jazz critic Scott Yanow wrote: “McLaughlin's raw sound was starting to take shape by this time and his impeccable chops are on full display. So too are those of the underrated vibraphonist Karl Berger and, of course, soprano saxophonist Surman. The foundation is held loosely in place by bassist Dave Holland and drummer Stu Martin. It's a challenging but interesting listen, especially given McLaughlin's later success and popularity.” Robert Christgau stated "Recorded in New York in 1969, when McLaughlin's studio appearances were amazing everyone from Jimi to Buddy to Miles, this prefigures Mahavishnu's fusion at an earlier, jazzier stage. Pretty intense. The rock guy (drummer Martin) sounds a lot more original than the jazz guys (keyboard player Berger and--especially--saxophonist Surman), but only the justifiably ubiquitous Holland (on bass) can keep up with McLaughlin. And believe me, even if in historical fact it's McLaughlin who's trying to keep up, that's how it sounds."

Background

As released in 1971 on Dawn records, and a subsequent 1975 release on Pye, the album was credited to all participating musicians, with no one receiving top billing. With the reissue on CD in 1993, the album was retroactively credited to McLaughlin alone, a move suggested to have been for "marketing purposes only". Composition credits and solo times are shared more or less equally between McLaughlin and Surman, and McLaughlin is not understood to have acted in a leadership capacity for the sessions.

A one-off studio record between 5 accomplished musicians who never recorded as a group subsequently, the two studio efforts necessary to complete the album were fit in between and/or after: John Surman working with Barre Phillips and Stu Martin in “The Trio” (Dawn LP – DNLS 3006), John McLaughlin working with Miles Davis, Karl touring with Don Cherry in Europe, and Dave also working with Miles.

Reissues

Where Fortune Smiles was reissued on vinyl in 1975 by Pye Records (Pye 12103) with an alternative cover. It was first reissued on CD in 1993 on One Way Records (OW 29312), then on a re-mastered promo on BGO Records in 1993 – and officially in 1996 (BGO 191). The entire album is included on the 3-CD set John Surman: Glancing Backwards, the Dawn anthology. It was subsequently issued on CD by Esoteric Recordings in 2017 (ECLEC 2605), with a new mix by Ben Wiseman.

External links

Where Fortune Smiles at Discogs (list of releases)

References

Taylor, Robert. Where Fortune Smiles at AllMusic
^ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: M". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved 7 March 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 976. ISBN 978-0-141-03401-0.
All Music Guide to Jazz
Kolosky, Walter (20 November 2002). "John McLaughlin | Where Fortune Smiles". Allaboutjazz.com. All About Jazz. Retrieved 14 October 2013.
Dawn Records LP - DNLS ASD 3018 – liner notes (Brian Blevins) – (CODA)

v t e John McLaughlin
Solo albums	Extrapolation Where Fortune Smiles Devotion My Goal's Beyond Electric Guitarist Electric Dreams Belo Horizonte Music Spoken Here Live at the Royal Festival Hall Que Alegria Time Remembered: John McLaughlin Plays Bill Evans Tokyo Live After the Rain The Promise The Guitar Trio The Heart of Things The Heart of Things: Live in Paris Thieves and Poets Industrial Zen Floating Point To the One Now Here This Black Light Liberation Time
with Miles Davis	In a Silent Way Bitches Brew Jack Johnson Live-Evil On the Corner Big Fun Get Up with It Circle in the Round Directions You're Under Arrest Aura The Cellar Door Sessions 1970
with the Mahavishnu Orchestra	The Inner Mounting Flame Birds of Fire The Lost Trident Sessions Between Nothingness & Eternity Apocalypse Visions of the Emerald Beyond Inner Worlds Mahavishnu Adventures in Radioland
with Shakti and Remember Shakti	Shakti with John McLaughlin A Handful of Beauty Natural Elements Remember Shakti Remember Shakti – The Believer Remember Shakti – Saturday Night in Bombay This Moment
Collaborative albums	Super Nova Emergency! Things We Like Escalator over the Hill One Man Dog Love Devotion Surrender Welcome Moto Grosso Feio School Days Friday Night in San Francisco Passion, Grace and Fire Round Midnight (soundtrack) Making Music Universal Syncopations Five Peace Band Live Saturday Night in San Francisco
Related articles	Discography

v t e Dave Holland
Years given are for the recording(s), not first release, unless stated otherwise.
Studio albums	Where Fortune Smiles (with John McLaughlin, John Surman, Karl Berger, and Stu Martin, 1970) A.R.C. (with Chick Corea and Barry Altschul, 1971) Music from Two Basses (with Barre Phillips, 1971) Conference of the Birds (1972) Norman Blake/Tut Taylor/Sam Bush/Butch Robins/Vassar Clements/David Holland/Jethro Burns (1974) Dave Holland / Sam Rivers (1975) Sam Rivers / Dave Holland Vol. 2 (1975) Emerald Tears (1977) Life Cycle (1982) Jumpin' In (1983) Vassar Clements, John Hartford, Dave Holland (1984) Seeds of Time (1984) The Razor's Edge (1987) Triplicate (1988) The Oracle (with Hank Jones and Billy Higgins, 1989) Extensions (1989) Phase Space (with Steve Coleman, 1991) Ones All (1993) Dream of the Elders (1995) Points of View (1997) Prime Directive (1998) Not for Nothin' (2000) What Goes Around (2001) Overtime (2002) Oh! (2002) Critical Mass (2005) Pass It On (2007) Hands (with Pepe Habichuela, 2009) Prism (2012) The Art of Conversation (with Kenny Barron, 2014) Aziza (2015) Uncharted Territories (2017) Another Land (2019) Without Deception (with Kenny Barron, 2019)
Live albums	Improvisations for Cello and Guitar (with Derek Bailey, 1971) Extended Play: Live at Birdland (2001) Reunion: Live in New York (with Sam Rivers and Barry Altschul, 2007) Pathways (2009)
Related articles	Circle Gateway

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