Thurs. May 31

There's is something completely cool about what the Mahavishnu Project is doing. First off, you'll not it's Project, not Orchestra, so you shan't confuse it with guitarist John McLaughlin's A-level jazz-rock fusion band of the early '70s. Thirty or so years after the Orchestra's breakup, the Project carries has raised the Orchestra from the Dead. That is, drummer-composer Gregg Bendian put this unit together to bring back some vital music many peole may have missed first time around. (Or not been born yet, such is life. Bendian heard it as a child.) Bendian says, "Around 1996 I became fed up and disillusioned with the current state of jazz repertory ... I realized that if a band can play Ellington, Armstrong, Bird, Miles, Monk and Coltrane ... then I'm going to embrace what my history is and decide what my repertory is." McLaughlin has given more than his nod, sending the MP a note "of appreciation for what you are bringing back to life. This music period was the beginning of finding my own way in music and to hear you guys playing those junes in such an unbelievable way is quite amazing. Great job! Keep up the good work." The music is both fluid and disruptive, with Indian accents, screaming-but-lyrical guitar playing - it's a heady sense of adventure. It's complex, but far from inaccessible. The Project kicks it up at the Regattabar Thursday May 31 for a show at 7:30. Tickets: $15.

One Bennet St., Cambridge, 617-395-7757 regattabarjazz.com