Ponty’s most proggy adventure to date, featuring past/future members of Frank Zappa, Genesis and Jethro Tull. Kronomyth 9.0: An imaginary garden with real toads of the short forest in it. The prog connection to Jean-Luc Ponty has never been stronger than on “Imaginary Voyage,” which lives up to its name as a magical journey of mythic In 1977, French jazz fusion violinist par excellence Jean Luc Ponty released his outstanding ENIGMATIC OCEAN. With some ten or eleven albums already behind him, and having lent his bowed magic to influential innovators like Frank Zappa, John Mclaughlin's Mahavishnu Orchestra, and others, Ponty was a seasoned veteran -- a true musician's musician. This is basically Frank Zappa making an orchestral jazz/rock record on Dick Bock’s dime, with wonderful results. Bock had signed French violin sensation Jean-Luc Ponty to his World Pacific Jazz label but, frankly, didn’t know what to do with him. Frank did. He assembled various Mothers and talented others into an ad hoc, all-star band and Tchokola. Tchokola is an album by French jazz fusion artist Jean-Luc Ponty, released in 1991. The rhythm section was recorded on analog tape. All other recording was digitally recorded. He also recorded an album of chamber music with violinist Jean-Luc Ponty called “The Jean-Luc Ponty Experience with The Mothers of Invention.” In 1993, Zappa was posthumously awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. In his acceptance speech, his widow Gail Zappa said, “Frank believed that music is the language of emotion and that Jean-Luc Ponty - Civilized Evil (1980) album review by Richard S. Ginell, credits & releases at AllMusic; Jean-Luc Ponty - Civilized Evil (1980) album releases & credits at Discogs; Jean-Luc Ponty - Civilized Evil (1980) album credits & user reviews at ProgArchives.com; Jean-Luc Ponty - Civilized Evil (1980) album to be listened as stream on . The low-budget seduction of a classical/jazz violinist and an ad hoc orchestra. Kronomyth Beauty and the Harry, you’re a beast. This is basically Frank Zappa making an orchestral jazz/rock record on Dick Bock’s dime, with wonderful results. Bock had signed French violin sensation Jean-Luc Ponty to his World Pacific Jazz label but, frankly, didn’t know what to do with him. Frank did. He assembled various Mothers and talented others into an ad hoc, all-star band and gave them some of his most daunting compositions to reinterpret in a jazz fusion and small orchestra setting. The album’s centerpiece is the nearly 20-minute “Music For Electric Violin And Low-Budget Orchestra,” on which Zappa makes his most compelling case yet for consideration as a serious modern classical composer. In fact, King Kong is the first album where Zappa casts himself primarily in the role of composer; he steps into the fray only once, for the lone Ponty original, “How Would You Like To Have A Head Like That.” Ponty, for his part, finally gets some great material to work with, not to mention some great studio musicians including Ernie Watts, John Guerin, Wilton Felder and Vince DeRosa. King Kong also marks the first collaboration between Frank Zappa and George Duke, who would go on to become a permanent fixture in the Mothers. In every way, this is a quantum leap in Ponty recordings; nothing he recorded before this was as revolutionary or mind-expanding. Ponty’s violin also brings a more melodic touch to the material; “Idiot Bastard Son” has never sounded so charming, and the version of “Twenty Small Cigars” recorded here is simply gorgeous (Zappa would revisit this on Chunga’s Revenge). King Kong is a work of musical genius, a high point in the early catalog of Ponty and Zappa. Honestly, there was little in Ponty’s previous work to suggest a convergence of styles between the jazz violin prodigy and the brooding composer, but there’s no denying that the pairing is magic. Dick Bock deserves a lot of credit for bringing the two musicians together and putting artistic ideals over commercial interests; this album is as much a part of his legacy as Zappa’s or Ponty’s. Original LP Version A1. King Kong (4:54) A2. Idiot Bastard Son (4:00) A3. Twenty Small Cigars (5:35) A4. How Would You Like To Have A Head Like That (Jean-Luc Ponty) (7:14) B1. Music For Electric Violin And Low-Budget Orchestra (19:20) B2. America Drinks And Goes Home (2:39) All songs written and arranged by Frank Zappa unless noted. The Players Jean-Luc Ponty (electric violin, baritone violectra), George Duke (electric piano, piano) with Harold Bemko (cello on B1), Donald Christlieb (bassoon on B1), Gene Cipriano (oboe & English horn on B1), Vincent DeRosa (French horn & descant on B1), Gene Estes (vibes & percussion on A1), Wilton Felder (Fender bass on A2/A3/A4/B2), John Guerin (drums on A2/A3/A4/B2), Arthur Maebe (French horn & tuben on B1), Jonathan Meyer (flute on B1), Buell Neidlinger (bass on A1/B1), Milton Thomas (viola on B1), Arthur D. Tripp, III (drums on A1/B1), Ian Underwood (tenor sax on A1, conductor on B1), Ernie Watts (alto & tenor sax on A2/A3/A4/B2), Frank Zappa (guitar on A4). Produced by Richard Bock; engineered by Dick Kunc. The Pictures Art direction and design by Ron Wolin. The Plastic Released on elpee on May 25, 1970 in the US (World Pacific Jazz, ST-20172), in September 1970 in the UK (Liberty, LBS 83375) and France (Liberty, and in 1970 in Japan (Liberty, LP-8982). Re-issued on elpee and cassette in 1973 in Italy (United Artists, UASL/30 UASL 29485). Re-issued on compact disc in 1993 in the US and the UK (Blue Note, 7 89539 2). Re-released on 180g vinyl elpee in 2011 (Friday Music). Re-released on 24-bit remastered compact disc on June 20, 2012 in Japan (World acific, TOCJ-50269). Co wyróżnia album „King Kong” od innych produkcji Jeana-Luc Ponty z początków jego kariery? Mały na okładce, choć bardzo ważny i znaczący dla całego projektu dopisek: Composed And Arranged By Frank Zappa. Album powstał w 1970 roku, w początkowym okresie współpracy Jeana-Luc Ponty z Frankiem Zappą. Lider był w latach siedemdziesiątych ważnym elementem muzycznego otoczenia Zappy. Przed nagraniem materiału do dzisiejszego albumu nagrał z Frankiem Zappą ważną płytę „Hot Rats”, później jeszcze kilka innych. Wielokrotnie również koncertował z jego zespołem. Nie jestem szczególnie wielkim fanem Franka Zappy, choć garść jego płyt uważam za całkiem interesujące. Większość nagrań jest jednak mocno wymęczona przez samego Franka Zappę niekończącymi się zabiegami edycyjnymi w studio. No i sam Frank Zappa nie był, co by o nim nie mówić jakimś szczególnie wybitnym wirtuozem gitary. Dzisiejsza płyta jest według mojej wiedzy jedyną, a na pewno jedną z nielicznych, na których Frank Zappa jest gościem, a nie liderem swojego własnego zespołu. Pomijam na okoliczność tego stwierdzenia liczne gościnne występy polegające na zagraniu kilku dźwięków w jednym z 12 utworów na płycie. Takich albumów w dyskografii Franka Zappy znajdziecie wiele, czasem dość zaskakujących, jak choćby płyty The Animals, zapomnianego dziś The GTOs, wykreowanego przez Zappę zespołu Ruben And The Jets czy jednego z koncertów Johna Lennona umieszczonego w wydawnictwie „Some Time In New York City”. Za projekty ze znaczącym udziałem Franka Zappy nie opatrzone bezpośrednio jego nazwiskiem, można więc uznać jedynie „King Konga”. Być może więc to właśnie „King Kong” jest najlepszą produkcją Franka Zappy - geniusza autokreacji, łamacza muzycznych konwencji i niezrównanego kreatora nowych brzmień? Dostajemy tu przecież jego kompozycje. W części napisane specjalnie na tę płytę, inne w mocno zmienionych specjalnie na tę okazję aranżacjach, co uczynił sam ich kompozytor. Zamiast średniej gitary dostajemy też genialne skrzypce, które wybornie ową gitarę zastępują. To z pewnością jest jedna z najlepszych płyt Jeana-Luc Ponty. Mamy też świetny zespół złożony w części z muzyków grających wtedy z Frankiem Zappą, innych, którzy współpracowali z liderem, i takich, którzy zostali zatrudnieni specjalnie do tego projektu. To zespół w sam raz, nie za duży, jak to czasem u Zappy bywało, nie za mały. Wśród muzyków znajdziemy partnera wielu projektów lidera z tego okresu – George’a Duke’a, z którym Jean-Luc Ponty rok wcześniej nagrał wyśmienite albumy koncertowe – „The Jean-Luc Ponty Experience With The George Duke Trio Recorded In Hollywood At The Experience” i „Live At Donte’s”. Ważnymi elementami muzycznej układanki są też Ian Underwood i Ernie Watts na saksofonach. Ten pierwszy to człowiek Zappy, ten drugi reprezentuje niewątpliwie bardziej jazzowy świat. Jest też grający na fagocie Donald Christlieb znany raczej z wykonań kompozycji współczesnej awangardy spod znaku Karlheitza Stockhausena. Do tego paru innych mniej znanych muzyków z kręgu Franka Zappy. Sam Frank Zappa też zagrał, co prawda tylko w jednym utworze, ale być może to dla tej płyty wystarczyło. Muzyka niewiele różni się konwencją od płyt Mothers Of Invention. Jest jednak mała różnica, która stanowi o istocie tej niezwykłej produkcji. To jest jazzowe fusion zagrane i nagrane praktycznie za jednym studyjnym podejściem. Niewykluczone są drobne korekty na etapie postprodukcji, jednak tego nie słychać i to zdecydowanie nie w studiu przy pomocy skalpela i taśmy klejącej (takie były czasy) wykreowano tą muzykę. W odróżnieniu od wielu płyt Franka Zappy, na których muzyka jest martwa, tu żyje pełnią jazzowego życia i radosnej improwizacji. Jean-Luc Ponty nie stara się zdominować każdego taktu, pozwala na wiele członkom zespołu. Na wyróżnienie zasługuje choćby znakomity saksofon Ernie Wattsa w „How Would You Like To Have A Head Like That”. To właśnie w tej jedynej na płycie kompozycji lidera zagrał wyśmienitą partię na gitarze Frank Zappa. Prawie dwudziestominutowa rozbudowana aranżacja „Music For Electric Violin And Low Budget Orchestra” to cały Frank Zappa w pigułce. Z pozoru tandetna klezmerska melodia rozpisana na sekcję dętą, w której słyszymy między innymi rożek angielski, obój i tuby komplikuje się z każdą chwilą, by po paru zwrotach i zmianach stylu zakończyć się kulminacją w postaci solówki skrzypcowej zagranej w przedziwnych podziałach rytmicznych przez lidera. To jedna z najlepszych płyt Franka Zappy i równie ważna pozycja w dorobku George’a Duke’a. To też jedna z najciekawszych płyt Jeana-Luc Ponty. Tu nie ma komplikacji rytmu na siłę, jak u Milesa Davisa z tego okresu, wschodnich skal Mahavishnu, czy prostego importu z rocka lat sześćdziesiątych – jak na wczesnych płytach Carlosa Santany. To fuzja bluesa z europejską muzyką nowoczesną w stylu Stockhausena. Inteligentna, wysmakowana i nieprzypadkowa. Dowcipna i kpiarska – jak u Franka Zappy, aktualna także dzisiaj. To zwyczajnie kawałek wybitnej muzyki. poleca! Rafał Garszczyński Rafal[malpa] King Kong Idiot Bastard Son Twenty Small Cigars How Would You Like To Have A Head Like That Music For Electric Violin And Low Budget Orchestra America Drinks And Goes Home Jean-Luc Ponty King Kong: Plays The Music Of Frank Zappa Format: CD Wytwórnia: Blue Note Numer katalogowy: 077778953920 Jean-Luc Ponty – viol, George Duke – p, el. p, Frank Zappa – g (4), Gene Estes – vib, perc (1, 6), Buell Neidlinger – b (1, 5, 6), Arthur D. Tripp III – dr (1, 5, 6), Ian Underwood – ts (1, 6), as (6), Ernie Watts – as (2, 3), ts (2, 3, 4), Wilton Felder – b (2, 3, 4), John Guerin – dr (2, 3, 4), Donald Christlieb – bassoon (5), Gene Cipriano, Vincent DeRosa, Art Maeba – horns (5), Jonathan Meyer – fl (5), Harold Bemko – cello (5), Milton Thomas – viola (5). Tagi w artykule: jean-luc ponty Powiązane artykuły Jean-Luc PontyDatos generalesFecha de nacimiento:29 de septiembre de 1942Avranches,Francia FranciaOcupación:Músico, Compositor, ViolinistaInformación artísticaGénero(s):Jazz y post-bopInstrumento(s):ViolínPremios otorgados:Oficial de la Orden Nacional del Mérito (2016) Jean-Luc Ponty : Es una de las personalidades del jazz-rock de los años 70. Síntesis biográfica Ponty ya es una figura en la élite del jazz a mitad de los años 60 , se destaca en el año 1966 con el , LP Violin Summit , grabado con Stephane Grappelli. Tiene un tiempo de ausencia en el año 1969, Ponty se traslada hacia Estados Unidos, dejando atrás álbumes tan notables como Sunday walk (67), Electric connection (68) y Experience (69) junto a The George Duke Trio. En Estados Unidos, Frank Zappa lo llama para que intervenga en el LP de Zappa solo Hot rats. Zappa este pequeño genio en la composición, cantante y guitarrista es quien compone, arregla y facilita el nuevo LP de Ponty, considerado el primero en su etapa moderna: King Kong : Jean Luc-Ponty plays the music of Frank Zappa (70), LP en el que el propio Frank toca como músico y George Duke se encarga del teclado. Ponty regresa a Europa en 1971, forma su propio grupo, Experience, y en 1972 colabora en el álbum Honky chateau de Elton John. En 1973 vuelve a Estados Unidos y se incorpora por segunda vez a los Mothers of Invention de Frank Zappa, dejando en Europa nuevos LP’s: Open strings (72) y Live in Montreux (72). Le ofrecen a Jean-Luc en 1974 el puesto de violinista, John McLaughlin lo quiere en su nueva formación de la Mahavishnu Orchestra. Con McLaughlin, Ponty alcanza el estrellato final y, cuando en 1975 abandona el grupo, Atlantic Records le contrata como solista, iniciando su propia carrera definitivamente con el álbum Upon the wings of music en 1975. Ponty se confirma así como uno de los mejores violinistas en el género dentro de su línea jazz-rock,,con una obra sólida, sin altibajos, que sigue a través de sus álbumes Imaginary voyage en 1976, Aurora en el año 1977, Enigmatic ocean (77), Cosmic messenger (79), Civilized evil (80), A taste for passion (80) y Mystical adventures (81), así como recopilaciones, Portrait (70) y ediciones de material previo como Canteloupe island (76). Su carrera continúa con la edición de los álbumes, Individual choice (83), Open mind (84), Fables (85) entre otros , En el año 2000 el álbum The very best of Jean-Luc Ponty, Life enigma (2001), otro nuevo The best of Jean-Luc-Ponty editado por Columbia (Sony) en 2002. En 2007 lanzó La Experiencia Atacama (The Atacama Experience). Jean-Luc Ponty y su violín siguen actualmente en activo y realizando giras por todo el mundo con un notable éxito. Discografía Upon the Wings of Music (1975) Imaginary Voyage (1976) Aurora (1976) Enigmatic Ocean (1977) Cosmic Messenger (1978) A Taste for Passion (1979) Civilized Evil (1980) Mystical Adventures (1982) Individual Choice (1983) Open Mind (1984) Fables (1985) The Gift of Time (1987) Storytelling (1989) Tchokola (1991) No Absolute Time (1993) Life Enigma (2001) The Atacama Experience (2007) Ice And Cream (2019) Fuentes Template:BLP sources Jean-Luc PontyJean-Luc Ponty at the Nice Jazz Festival 2008Jean-Luc Ponty at the Nice Jazz Festival 2008Background informationBirth nameJean-Luc PontyBorn29 September 1942 (age 79)Avranches, FranceGenresJazz, jazz fusion, crossover jazz, bebopOccupation(s)Musician, composerInstrumentsViolin, electric violin, clarinet, saxophone, pianoYears active1958–presentLabelsAtlantic, Columbia, Blue Note, Prestige, Philips, Epic, Koch, Polygram, Productions, actsJohn McLaughlin, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Svend Asmussen, Frank Zappa, Stéphane Grappelli, Stuff Smith, Al Di Meola, Stanley Clarke, Gerald Wilson, Elton John, Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen, Bela Fleck, Return to Jean-Luc Ponty (born 29 September 1942) is a French jazz violinist and composer. Early life Ponty was born into a family of classical musicians on 29 September 1942 in Avranches, France. His father taught violin, his mother taught piano. At sixteen, he was admitted to the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris, graduating two years later with the institution's highest honor, Premier Prix (first prize). In turn, he was immediately hired by one of the major symphony orchestras, Concerts Lamoureux, in which he played for three years.[1] While still a member of the orchestra in Paris, Ponty picked up a side gig playing clarinet (which his father had taught him) for a college jazz band that regularly performed at local parties. It proved a life-changing jumping-off point. A growing interest in the jazz sounds of Miles Davis and John Coltrane compelled him to take up the tenor saxophone. One night after an orchestra concert and still wearing his formal tuxedo, Ponty found himself at a local club with only his violin. Within four years, he was widely accepted as the leading figure in "jazz fiddle". At that time, Ponty was leading a dual musical life: rehearsing and performing with the orchestra while also playing jazz until 3 at clubs throughout Paris. The demands of this schedule eventually brought him to a crossroads. "Naturally, I had to make a choice, so I took a chance with jazz," he says.[citation needed] Critic Joachim Berendt wrote that "Since Ponty, the jazz violin has been a different instrument," of his "style of phrasing that corresponds to early and middle John Coltrane" and his "brilliance and fire."[2] Success with the violin At first, the violin proved to be a handicap; few at the time viewed the instrument as having a legitimate place in the modern jazz vocabulary. With a powerful sound that eschewed vibrato, Ponty distinguished himself with be-bop-era phrasings and a punchy style influenced more by horn players than by anything previously tried on the violin; no one had yet heard anything quite like Ponty's playing. Critics said then that he was the first jazz violinist to be as exciting as a saxophonist.[citation needed] Ponty's notoriety grew by leaps and in 1964 at age 22 he released his debut solo album for Philips, Jazz Long Playing. Then a 1966 live album called Violin Summit united Ponty playing live in Basel, Switzerland on stage with such notable string players as Svend Asmussen, Stéphane Grappelli and Stuff Smith. John Lewis of The Modern Jazz Quartet invited Ponty to perform at the Monterey Jazz Festival in 1967, which led to a recording contract with the World Pacific label and the albums Electric Connection with the Gerald Wilson Big Band and Jean-Luc Ponty Experience with the George Duke Trio. That year also brought Sunday Walk, the first collaboration between Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen and Ponty. Through the late 60s and early 70s and throughout jazz-loving Europe, Ponty achieved mounting critical praise and ongoing popularity.[citation needed] Frank Zappa and emigration to the United States In 1969 Frank Zappa composed the music for Ponty's solo album King Kong (World Pacific). In 1972 Elton John invited Ponty to contribute to his Honky Chateau album. Within a year – at the urging of Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention who wanted him to join their tour – Ponty emigrated with his wife and two young daughters to the United States and made his home in Los Angeles. He continued to work on a variety of projects – including two of John McLaughlin's Mahavishnu Orchestra albums Apocalypse (1974) and Visions of the Emerald Beyond (1974) and tours until 1975, when he signed on as a solo artist with Atlantic Records. For the next decade Ponty toured the world repeatedly and recorded 12 consecutive albums, all of which reached the Billboard jazz charts top five, selling millions of albums. His early Atlantic recordings like 1976's Aurora and Imaginary Voyage firmly established Ponty as one of the leading figures in America's growing jazz-rock movement. He went on to crack the top 40 in 1977 with the Enigmatic Ocean album and again in 1978 with Cosmic Messenger. In 1984 a video featuring time-lapse images was produced by Louis Schwarzberg for the song "Individual Choice". Along with Herbie Hancock, Ponty also became one of the first jazz musicians to have a jazz (fusion) music video. Besides recording and touring with his own group, Ponty also performed some of his compositions with the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble, the Radio City Orchestra in New York, as well as with symphony orchestras in Montreal, Toronto, Oklahoma City and Tokyo. In the late 80s he recorded a pair of albums, The Gift of Time (1987) and Storytelling (1989) for Columbia. On 1991's Epic-released Tchokola, Ponty combined his acoustic and electric violins, for the first time, with the powerful polyrhythmic sounds of West Africa. He also performed for two months in the and Canada with a cast of African expatriates he had encountered on the Paris music scene. In 1993 Ponty returned to Atlantic with the album No Absolute Time. Working with American and African musicians, Ponty expanded on the explorations of Tchokola with a moving and soulful result. "There is a whole scene in Paris of top-notch African musicians," he says. "I was very curious and wanted to educate myself in these rhythms, which were totally new to my ears." In 1995 Ponty joined guitarist Al Di Meola and bassist Stanley Clarke to record an acoustic album under the name The Rite of Strings. This all-star trio also undertook a six-month tour of North America, South America, and Europe that earned them intercontinental critical praise. Ponty regrouped his American band in 1996 for live performances following the release of a double CD anthology of Ponty's productions for Atlantic Records entitled Le Voyage: The Jean-Luc Ponty Anthology. One of these concerts was recorded in Detroit, Michigan, in front of 6,000 fans. It was released in February 1997 by Atlantic Records under the title Live at Chene Park. In 1997 Ponty reassembled his group of Western and African musicians in order to continue pursuing the new style of fusion music that he had begun to explore in 1991. Together they toured for three years from the Hawaiian Islands to Poland and in North America as well as in Europe. Ponty also performed a highly acclaimed duet with bassist Miroslav Vitous in December 1999. In January 2000, he participated in Lalo Schifrin's recording with a big band, Esperanto. In June 2001 Ponty performed duets with Vadim Repin, the young Russian star of classical violin, and at the Film Music Festival in Poland with American jazz violinist Regina Carter. In August 2001 Ponty released his studio CD Life Enigma on his own label ( Productions, Inc.), a return to his concept from the 70s with very modern production. Ponty played all the instruments on some tracks and was joined by his band members for performances on other tracks: William Lecomte (keyboards), Guy Nsangué Akwa (bass), Thierry Arpino (drums) and Moustapha Cissé (percussion). Ponty gave a successful concert with his band in his native town of Avranches (in the French province of Normandie) on 21 September 2001. He was also honored during a special ceremony at City Hall, gaining recognition from his compatriots. He then embarked on a successful concert tour in the USA in October–November 2001. In May 2001 Ponty recorded a concert with the same musicians at the opera house in Dresden, Germany. This recording was released in July 2002 on a CD entitled Live at Semper Opera ( Productions, Inc. – Navarre Distribution in North America and Le Chant du Monde-Harmonia Mundi in Europe). In January 2003 Ponty toured India for the first time, seven shows in six major cities for the Global Music Festival organized by Indian violinist L. Subramaniam. Ponty brought along his bassist Guy Nsangué Akwa; both performed with Subramaniam’s band and drummer Billy Cobham who was also a guest star on that tour. Ponty also did an extensive tour across the US in the autumn. In 2004 the PAL version of Ponty's first DVD Jean-Luc Ponty in Concert was released in Germany (Pirate Records 202756-9), in France-Italy-Spain (Le Chant du Monde/Hamonia Mundi 974 1195). The NTSC version was also released in 2004 in North America ( Productions, Inc./Navarre Distribution JLP 004). It contains a live concert with his band filmed in Warsaw in 1999, mixed in Dolby surround-sound audio and released with bonus materials including an 11-minute film of travels and backstage scenes. In some countries, Jean-Luc Ponty in Concert is also available on CD. Jean Luc Ponty & His Group toured in 2004 in France, Germany, Austria, Hungary, and Lithuania (and in Mumbai, India in their first concert as a complete ensemble). Ponty also performed on a reunion tour with Stanley Clarke and Al Di Meola as violinist in the Rite of Strings from June to October 2004 in the and Canada. In 2005 Ponty toured with a new project called Trio! in collaboration with Stanley Clarke on double bass and Béla Fleck on banjo. In 2006 Ponty reunited 'Jean Luc Ponty & His Band' and toured in the Chile, Venezuela, Western and Eastern Europe, Russia, The Middle East and India; they also recorded a new studio album called The Atacama Experience with guitarists Allan Holdsworth and Philip Catherine performing on a few tracks. In April 2012 Ponty performed in an acoustic trio format with guitarist Bireli Lagrene and bassist Stanley Clarke for the second set of a concert at the Chatelet Theatre in Paris to celebrate five decades in music. The first set featured Ponty with a string orchestra behind him. The concert was very well received, and in 2014 Ponty recorded a great jazz album entitled D-Stringz with Bireli Lagrene and Stanley Clarke for Impulse/Universal Music France. In September 2014 Ponty formed the Anderson Ponty Band with Jon Anderson, cofounder and lead singer of British progressive rock band Yes. Following the release of their CD and DVD Better Late Than Never they toured in the and Canada for a month and again in April-May 2016. Ponty has been an avid user of 5-string electric violins (with a low C string) since 1978. He sometimes also uses a 6-string electric violin called the Violectra, with both the low C and low F strings (not to be confused with the violectra he played from the late 1960s to the mid-1980s that had the usual 4 strings but tuned an octave lower). Ponty was among the first[citation needed] to combine the violin with MIDI, distortion boxes, phase shifters, and wah-wah pedals. This resulted in his signature, almost synthesizer-like sound. Work with Return to Forever In 2011, Ponty was invited by bandleader/keyboardist Chick Corea to join the group Return to Forever for a series of concerts throughout the year.[3] The group is labeled 'Return to Forever IV', as it is the fourth incarnation of the group. Ponty had first recorded with Corea on his 1976 solo album My Spanish Heart. Personal life Ponty is married and has two daughters. One daughter, Clara Ponty, is a pianist and composer; Ponty has collaborated with Clara on several projects, including her third album, Mirror of Truth (2004). Discography As a solo artist Jazz Long Playing (1964) Violin Summit (1966) Humair, Louiss, and Ponty: Trio HLP (1966) – All Life Records Sunday Walk (1967) More than Meets the Ear (1968) Live at Donte's (1969) Electric Connection (1969) Jean-Luc Ponty Experience with the George Duke Trio (1969) King Kong: Jean-Luc Ponty Plays the Music of Frank Zappa (1970) Open Strings (1971) Live at Montreux 72 (1972) Upon the Wings of Music (1975) Aurora (1976) Imaginary Voyage (1976) Cantaloupe Island (1976, combines albums King Kong: Jean-Luc Ponty Plays the Music of Frank Zappa and Jean-Luc Ponty Experience with the George Duke Trio) Enigmatic Ocean (1977) Cosmic Messenger (1978) Live (1979) A Taste for Passion (1979) Civilized Evil (1980) Mystical Adventures (1982) Individual Choice (1983) Open Mind (1984) Fables (1985) The Gift of Time (1987) Storytelling (1989) Tchokola (1991) No Absolute Time (1993) Le Voyage: The Jean-Luc Ponty Anthology (1996) Live at Chene Park (1997) The Very Best of Jean-Luc Ponty (2000) Life Enigma (2001) The Best of Jean-Luc Ponty (2002) Live at Semper Opera (2002) Jean-Luc Ponty in Concert (2003) (CD and DVD versions) The Atacama Experience (2007) Electric Fusion – The Atlantic Years (2011) – a 4CD compilation from Atlantic 1975–1996 albums With Frank Zappa Hot Rats (1969) Over-Nite Sensation (1973) Piquantique (1973, recorded live at Solliden, Skansen, Stockholm, Sweden on 21 August 1973, with the exception of track 4, which is taken from a concert at the Roxy, Los Angeles, CA, USA in December 1973) Apostrophe (1974) Shut Up 'n Play Yer Guitar (1981) The Lost Episodes (1996) One Shot Deal (2008, on only track "Australian Yellow Snow", recorded live at Hordern Pavilion, Sydney, Australia on 25 June 1973) Road Tapes, Venue 2 (2013, recorded live at Finlandia Hall, Helsinki, Finland on 23–24 August 1973) With Mahavishnu Orchestra Apocalypse (1974) Visions of the Emerald Beyond (1975) With Stéphane Grappelli Violin Summit: Stephane Grappelli, Stuff Smith, Svend Asmussen, Jean-Luc Ponty (1967, Polygram) Stéphane Grappelli / Jean-Luc Ponty (1974) Compact Jazz (1988, Polygram) With Chick Corea My Spanish Heart (Polydor, 1976) Forever (Concord, 2009 [2011]) with Stanley Clarke and Lenny White With Stanley Clarke & Al Di Meola The Rite of Strings (1995) Live in Montreux 1994 (2005) With Stanley Clarke & Biréli Lagrène D-Stringz (2014) As the AndersonPonty Band Better Late Than Never (2015) With other artists Wolfgang Dauner – Free Action (1967) George Gruntz – Noon in Tunisia (1967) Jean Luc-Ponty & Masahiko Sato Astrorama (recorded 1970, released 2011 as Ponty & Sato) New Violin Summit (with Don "Sugarcane" Harris, Michał Urbaniak, Nipso Brantner, Terje Rypdal, Wolfgang Dauner, Neville Whitehead, Robert Wyatt) (1971)[4] Michel Colombier – Wings (1971) Elton John – Honky Château (1972) Alan Sorrenti – Aria (1972) Jean-Luc Ponty & Giorgio Gaslini – Jean-Luc Ponty Meets Giorgio Gaslini (1974) Various – NDR Jazz Workshop '76 Gerald Wilson Orchestra - Eternal Equinox (Pacific Jazz, 1969) Films 1999 – L. Subramaniam: Violin from the Heart (Directed by Jean Henri Meunier. Includes a scene with Ponty performing with L. Subramaniam) References ↑ "Home | Jean Luc Ponty Official Website". Retrieved 4 July 2011. ↑ Berendt, Joachim E. (1976). The Jazz Book. Paladin. , p. 301 ↑ "News | Jean Luc Ponty Official Website". 12 January 2011. Retrieved 4 July 2011. ↑ New Violin Summit at AllMusic External links – Official website Jean-Luc Ponty video interview at "In Conversation with Jean-Luc Ponty" at by Thierry Quénum on 6 September 2008 2010 interview with Jean-Luc Ponty at by Nikola Savić on 28 September 2010 Jean-Luc Ponty's Biography & Discography at Jean-Luc Ponty's Biography & Discography at Jean-Luc Ponty's Discography at Template:Mahavishnu Orchestra Template:Jean-Luc Ponty Anderson Ponty Band, Wolfgang Dauner Septett, European Jazz All Stars, Giorgio Gaslini Ensemble, Jef Gilson Big Band, George Gruntz Sekstett, Trio HLP, Mahavishnu Orchestra, The Mothers of Invention, Return to Forever, Gerald Wilson Orchestra

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