The Mahavishnu Orchestra was a jazz-rock fusion group from New York, United States, that debuted in 1970 and dissolved in 1976, reuniting briefly from 1984 to 1987. In its first version, the band was led by "Mahavishnu" John McLaughlin on acoustic and electric guitars, with Billy Cobham on drums, Rick Laird on electric and acoustic bass, Jan Hammer on electric and acoustic piano, and Jerry Goodman on violin. The group is best known for their two most popular albums: The Inner Mounting Flame (1971) and Birds of Fire (1973).