Although primarily known as a bassist, McLaughlin has spent much of the past decade teaching aspiring musicians, notably as Assistant Professor of Harmony at Berklee College of Music, and as Assistant Chair of the Jazz Department at the New England Conservatory of Music, School of Preparatory and Adult Education. These positions capitalize on the work McLaughlin has done in addition to his bass playing, as a published author, composer, and arranger. His publications have been featured throughout the DrumPro series of magazines, where he has written on the relationship between the bass and drums in funk and jazz music. His most recent paper, Which Way Do the Trade Winds Blow? Two Case Studies Examining the Voyage of Jazz to Africa is awaiting publication. Compositions of McLaughlin’s can be heard on Study of Light, for which his arrangement of the second movement of Ravel’s String Quartet is the first of its kind. The current Either/Orchestra CD, Mood Music for Time Travellers, also features McLaughlin’s compositions, one of which, “History Lesson,” appeared on the Jazz/World Music Hot 100 Chart in the fall 2010.

McLaughlin has shared the stage with a wide range of musicians, from jazz luminaries such as Don Byron, Steve Lacy, John Medeski, Danilo Perez, and John Zorn, to rock musicians Willie “Loco” Alexander, Morphine and Peter Wolf, and country music star Roger Miller.

Venues in which McLaughlin has performed include Regattabar (Cambridge, MA); Jordan Hall (Boston, MA); CBGB’s (New York, NY); Bitter End (New York, NY); Knitting Factory (New York, NY); Tonic (New York, NY); Chicago Jazz Festival (Chicago, IL), Green Mill (Chicago, IL); Jazz Bakery (Los Angeles, CA); Teatro Manzoni (Milano, Italy); New Mississippi Jazz Club (Roma, Italy); Jazztone (Lorrach, Germany); Wasserwerk Bern (Bern, Switzerland). He also performed at festivals in England, France, Portugal, Russia, and Uganda, among others.

He is an endorser of AlterEGO instruments, Gallien-­‐‑Krueger amplifiers, and Hohner Melodicas.