John McLaughlin's status as a world-class guitar legend needed no underlining at the Dome Concert Hall.

The man who virtually defined the guitar's role in jazz rock as a member of the Miles Davis band and made his own mark with his Mahavishnu Orchestra was generous and diffident as a bandleader, giving much of the space to his co-musicians.

The evening was very much a group performance of stunning virtuosity, coming at the end of a short tour.

The most famous name alongside McLaughlin was tabla maestro Zakir Hussain, who achieved further wonders by adding kit drum accompaniments to his own single-handed tabla work.

When concentrating on tabla, his matchless technique showed itself in his ability to shadow the guitar melodies.

A survivor of the original Seventies line-up, he was partnered on percussion by V Selvaganesh (son of the original Shakti percussionist Vikku Vinayakram) on ghatam, the South Indian clay-pot drum. He added one of the longest solos, producing on the tiny kanjira hand drum an incredible variety of sounds.

Electric mandolin player U Shrinivas was an expressive soloist, his instrument being capable of violin or vichitra vina-like sounds.

Vocalist Shankar Mahadevan added several highlights to the concert; two hours of perfection that received a rapturous ovation.