Jean-Luc Ponty – Storytelling (89)

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01 - In The Fast Lane
02 - Tender Memories
03 - Spring Episode
04 - Pastoral Harmony
05 - The Story Teller
06 - The Amazon Forest
07 - After The Storm
08 - A Journey's End
09 - Prelude No. 20, Op. 28

When this CD came out, it was violinist Jean-Luc Ponty's strongest in several years.

Most of the originals have dense ensembles full of rhythmic patterns set by the keyboards for Ponty to play over.

With the exception of "Chopin Prelude No. 20" (a violin improvisation in which the violinist is backed by just Clara Ponty's sober chordal piano), this date falls into the funky fusion area.

The enthusiastic high energy playing, colorful solos (Ponty is in splendid form) and catchy melodies make this a very worthwhile session; Grover Washington (on soprano) and keyboardist Patrice Rushen make guest appearances.

Jean-Luc Ponty - Individual Choice (83)

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1 Computer Incantations for World Peace
2 Far from the Beaten Paths
3 In Spiritual Love
4 Eulogy to Oscar Romero
5 Nostalgia
6 Individual Choice
7 In Spite of All


Here is Ponty's radical break with his past, one that further tightened his control over his craft while ironically liberating his muse.

In laying out his attractive new music on synthesizers and sequencers, emphasizing revolving ostinato patterns, Ponty rejuvenated his melodic gift, and as a result, even in this controlled setting, his violin solos take on a new freshness and exuberance.

Except for two tracks, Ponty does without a formal rhythm section — and on two other tracks, he goes it completely alone. Indeed, he does best of all when he has no one but himself to play with on "Computer Incantations for World Peace" and the lovely mood piece "Eulogy to Oscar Romero."

Guest interloper George Duke (a fellow refugee from Frank Zappa's band) contributes a Minimoog solo to ""In Spiritual Love," where Ponty provides his own percussive backing on rhythm computer. Even if one grumbles on principle about the reduction of spontaneity in Ponty's music over the Atlantic years, the musical end here absolutely justifies the means.

Don't miss it.