The Mahavishnu Project PHASE 2 (Aggregate)

In a culture where every big box-office movie has a remake or a sequel, tribute bands recycling the music of Aerosmith, Nirvana, AC/DC, Pearl Jam, and other platinum minters is a given. But the Mahavishnu Orchestra? It’s one thing to cop Joe Perry’s bad-ass riffs, but engaging in the high-wire musicianship of John McLaughlin’s classic band of virtuosos is altogether a different beast.

Not only do the Mahavishnu Project know how to control McLaughlin’s glorious monster, but there are times on this double live CD when they give it bigger fangs and claws. On "Birds of Fire," where the unison guitar and electric-violin theme yields to Pete McCann’s growling rapid sweeps and speed picking, building to a bacchanal of interstellar improvisation by the full quintet, they grab the bar the original Mahavishnu set during its 1971-’74 peak and raise it a notch. There’s a truly amazing level of musicianship at play here, balancing focus, intensity, and freedom through two and a half hours of classic music that embraces everything from the space funk of "Miles Beyond" to the 17-minute opus "One Word." And it’s all so good that they’ve even earned McLaughlin’s endorsement.

(The Mahavishnu Project appear this Wednesday, June 30, at Johnny D’s, 17 Holland Street in Davis Square; call 617-776-2004.)