In The Heart of Things: Live in Paris, John McLaughlin emerges as a jazz guitarist who can make it as heavy metal, industrial and as alternative as any rocker, and the first two selections on this live album underscore that statement. With almost the exact same band he used on 1997's The Heart Of Things, these six long tracks make up McLaughlin's best pure jazz/rock fusion record since 1978's Electric Guitarist. He pays tribute to his old, late colleague Tony Williams on "Tony", where the powerful Dennis Chambers executes a long, entertaining solo. And even without the presence of Matthew Garrison, the son of the bassist in the famed John Coltrane Quartet, the shadow of Trane permeates the ballad "Fallen Angels" with Gary Thomas adding scintillating sheets of sound on saxophone. With all types of colours on keyboard is Otmaro Ruiz, who's done his fusion homework, with quotes straight out of the George Duke 70s book on the 16-minute-plus "The Divide". McLaughlin also shows he has a sense of humour on "Acid Jazz", with screaming Jimi-Hendrix-type runs augmented by in-the-moment soloing by Thomas. --Mark A Ruffin