# Jean-Luc Ponty is a pioneer and undispute master of violin in the arena of jazz and rock: Video

- Link: https://jazzblues.eu/2017/09/29/jean-luc-ponty-pioneer-undispute-master-violin-arena-jazz-rock-video/
- Published: 2017-09-29T11:10:26+01:00
- Author: https://JazzBlues.EU

**29.09. – Happy Birthday !!! He is widely regarded as an innovator who has applied
his unique visionary spin that has expanded the vocabulary of modern music.**

Ponty was born in a family of classical musicians on September 29, 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 award, Premier Prix. In turn, he was immediately
hired by one of the major symphony orchestras, Concerts Lamoureux, where he played
for three years.

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. Fueled by an all-encompassing creative passion, Jean-Luc
soon felt the need to express his jazz voice through his main instrument, the violin.

So it was that Ponty found himself leading a dual musical life: rehearsing and performing
with the orchestra while also playing jazz until 3 AM at clubs throughout Paris.
The demands of this doomed schedule eventually brought him to a crossroads. “Naturally,
I had to make a choice, so I took a chance with jazz”, says Jean-Luc.

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, Jean-Luc distinguished himself with be-bop era phrasings 
and a punchy style influenced more by horn players than by anything previously tried
on the violin; nobody had heard anything quite like it before. Critics said then
that he was the first jazz violinist to be as exciting as a saxophonist. Ponty’s
notoriety grew with remarkable leaps and by 1964, at age 22, he released his debut
solo album for Philips, Jazz Long Playing. A 1966 live album called Violin Summit
united Ponty on stage in Basel, Switzerland with such notable string talents as 
Svend Asmussen, Stéphane Grappelli and Stuff Smith.

In 1967, John Lewis of The Modern Jazz Quartet invited Ponty to perform at the Monterey
Jazz Festival. Jean-Luc’s first-ever American appearance garnered thunderous applause
and led to a U.S. recording contract with the World Pacific label (Electric Connection
with the Gerald Wilson Big Band, Jean-Luc Ponty Experience with the George Duke 
Trio). Through the late-60s and early 70s, Ponty achieved mounting critical praise
and popularity across Europe. In turn, the violinist soon found his signature talents
in demand by top recording artists the world over.

In 1969, Frank Zappa composed the music for Jean-Luc’s solo album King Kong (Blue
Note). In 1972, Elton John invited Ponty to contribute to his Honky Chateau #1 hit
album. Within a year – at the urging of Zappa who wanted him to join his band the
Mothers of Invention – Ponty emigrated with his wife and two young daughters to 
America and made his home in Los Angeles. He continued to work on a variety of projects–
including a pair of John McLaughlin/Mahavishnu Orchestra albums/tours (Apocalypse,
Visions of the Emerald Beyond). In the meantime he became a prolific composer, signed
on as a solo artist with Atlantic Records in early 1975, released his first album
Upon The Wings Of Music that same year and started touring with his own band.

For the next decade, Jean-Luc toured the world repeatedly and recorded 12 consecutive
albums which all reached the top 5 on the Billboard jazz charts and sold millions
of copies. Early Atlantic recordings, such as 1976’s Aurora and Imaginary Voyage,
firmly established him as a figurehead 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 revolutionary video featuring time lapse
images was produced by Louis Schwarzberg for Individual Choice. Along with Herbie
Hancock, Ponty became one of the first jazz musicians to have a music video.

Besides recording and touring with his own group, Ponty also performed some of his
compositions with the New Music Ensemble of Pittsburgh, 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 
and Storytelling 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 U.S. and Canada with a cast of African expatriates
he had encountered on the Paris music scene. In 1993, Ponty returned to Atlantic
in impressive fashion with No Absolute Time. Working with American and African musicians,
Jean-Luc 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. One of these concerts was recorded in Detroit, Michigan, in front of 6000
fans. It was released in February 1997 by Atlantic Records under the title Live 
at Chene Park.

In 1997, Jean-Luc Ponty put back together his group of Western and African musicians
pursuing this new fusion that he started in 1991. Together they toured for 3 years
from the Hawaiian Islands to Poland and triumphed in North America as well as in
Europe. Ponty also performed a highly acclaimed duet with bassist Miroslav Vitous
in December 99. In January 2000, he participated to 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 also with American jazz violinist Regina
Carter at the Film Music Festival in Poland. A universal approach to music which
has always been the essence of Ponty’s motivation and work.

In August 2001, Jean-Luc Ponty released his new studio CD Life Enigma on his own
label (J.L.P. Productions, Inc.), a return to his concept from the 70s with a very
modern production. Ponty played all the instruments on some tracks and was joined
by his band members for superb performances on other tracks: William Lecomte (keyboards),
Guy Nsangué Akwa (bass), Thierry Arpino (drums) and Moustapha Cissé (percussion).
Ponty gave an extremely successful concert with his band in his native town of Avranches,
in the French province of Normandie, on September 21, 2001. He was also honored 
during a special ceremony at City Hall, finally gaining recognition from his compatriots.
He then embarked on a very successful concert tour in the USA in October-November
2001, receiving strong and loyal support from his fans despite the uncertainty that
followed the September 11 terrorist attacks. In May 2001, Ponty recorded a memorable
concert with the same musicians at the superb opera house in Dresden, Germany. This
recording was released in July 2002 on a CD entitled Live at Semper Opera (J.L.P.
Productions, Inc. – Navarre Distribution in North America and Le Chant du Monde-
Harmonia Mundi in Europe).

In January 2003, Jean-Luc toured in India for the first time, 7 shows in 6 major
cities for the Global Music Festival organized by Indian violinist L. Subramaniam.
Jean-luc 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 U.S.A. in the Fall.

In 2004, the PAL version of Jean-Luc Ponty’s first DVD 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 (J.
L.P. Productions, Inc./Navarre Distribution JLP 004). It contains a live concert
with his band filmed in Warsaw in 1999, mixed in 5.1 plus bonus materials, such 
as an 11-minute film of travels and backstage scenes. In Concert is also available
on CD in some countries.

Jean Luc Ponty & His Group toured in 2004 in France, Germany, Austria, Hungary, 
Lithuania and India, for their first concert as a whole band in Bombay. Ponty also
did a reunion tour with Stanley Clarke and Al Di Meola as the Rite of Strings from
June to October 2004 in the U.S.A. and Canada.

In 2005, Ponty has been touring with a new project called Trio! in collaboration
with Stanley Clarke on double bass and Bela Fleck on banjo.

In 2006 Ponty reunited “Jean Luc Ponty & His Band” and toured in the USA, 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 appearing on a few tracks. This new CD has been 
released in June 2007 by Koch Records in North America and by Universal in Europe,
and received 4-stars in the US jazz magazine Down Beat as well as raving reviews
internationally. Most critics say that it is one his best since Enigmatic Ocean.
Concert tours followed the release of this album in the USA, Canada and Europe in
2007 and 2008.

At the end of 2008 “Jean Luc Ponty & His Band” became a quartet without percussion,
a return to the ‘Ponty sound’ of the 70s-80s in a jazzier version.

2009 started with a concert at the prestigious LA FENICE theatre in Venice, Italy,
followed by more concerts overseas and a first appearance of JLP’s band in Mexico.
In September Ponty performed as a guest of the Chick Corea – Stanley Clarke – Lenny
White Trio along with Chaka Khan for a special evening at the Hollywood Bowl, with
Stevie Wonder showing up by surprise for a jam at the end. Then in November JLP &
His Band embarked on U.S. tour that started in San Diego, California and ended in
New York City.

In 2010 Ponty is scheduled to perform with his band in the Caribbean, Europe and
Russia and also did several concerts in Europe as a duet with pianist German pianist
Wolfgang Dauner.

2011 has been a great year for JLP. He received the “Jazz Legend Award” from the
Mayor in Cork, Ireland after his performance with his band at the Guinness Jazz 
Festival. Altogether JLP performed 88 concerts in 2011, 75 of which with “Return
To Forever IV” (36 in the USA – 21 in Europe – 6 in Australia – 6 in Japan – 2 in
South Korea – 1 in Israel). The November tour in South America with the “Atlantic
Years Band” was also a big highlight, a reunion of Jean Luc’s American band members
from the 80s.

2012 started with a concert in Sochi, Russia where world famous classical violist
and conductor Yuri Bashmet remitted the Grand Prix of the Sochi Arts Festival to
Jean Luc after his performance with his band. Then in April Jean-Luc gave a very
special concert celebrating his 50-year career at Theatre du Chatelet in Paris, 
for which he performed his music with the Concerts Pasdeloup symphony orchestra 
and also with guests artists Stanley Clarke, Bireli Lagrene, Daniel Humair and Eddy
Louiss.

In January 2013 JLP participated to a gala in honor of Yuri Bashmet’s birthday with
the State Symphony Orchestra New Russia in Moscow. Then in April Jean Luc Ponty &
His Band performed at the Jazz Festival in Cape Town, South Africa. Also in 20013
Herbie Hancock invited him to perform in Istanbul at “International Jazz Day” for
UNESCO with a cast of jazz stars such as Wayne Shorter, John McLaughlin and George
Duke to name a few. Ponty also founded a new quartet with his daughter, pianist-
singer-composer Clara Ponty for performances in France and Germany. Ponty also performed
his music with the 89 musicians of the Novosibirsk Philharmonic Orchestra for the
Siberian Christmas Festival.

In 2014 Ponty has recorded an album as an acoustic trio with Stanley Clarke on double
bass and Gypsy-French guitarist Bireli Lagrene, to be released on Impulse/Universal
in the Fall 2015.

Jean-Luc recently formed the Anderson Ponty Band with Jon Anderson, cofounder and
lead singer of British progressive rock band YES, a CD and DVD will be released 
in 2015 followed by a world concert tour.

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