In 1971, guitarist John Mclaughlin assembled the Mahavishnu Orchestra. A year later, he released The Inner Mounting Flame, a passionate, frenzied, historic blending of jazz and fusion. He wrote all the songs, produced the album and, along with gifted players like drummer Billy Cobham and keyboardist Jan Hammer, virtually singlehandedly laid out the groundwork for what would become fusion-styled music.

Here, author Kolosky investigates and dissects the McLaughlin legend and tries to lend shape and form to this complex musical history. He was given access to the band members themselves and engaged in over 150 interviews and pored over more than 2,000 written pieces. There are conversations with everyone from Steve Morse and Herbie Hancock to Ian Hunter and Chris Poland.

If you really want to know where the fusion thing began, read this. John McLaughlin and his Mahavishnu Orchestra was at the very center of this genre and Power, Passion and Beauty is at the very center of that history.