Formed in 1975, Shakti pioneered a groundbreaking and highly influential East-meets-West collaborative approach. The group, whose name means creative intelligence, beauty and power, consisted of legendary British jazz guitarist John McLaughlin, North Indian tabla master Zakir Hussain, violinist L. Shankar and ghatam player T.H. "Vikku" Vinayakram, both from South India. Together, they created a fluid and organic sound that managed to successfully combine seemingly incompatible traditions.

Although disbanded in 1978, in 2023 McLaughlin and Hussain put together a new Shakti to celebrate their 50th anniversary with a worldwide tour.