I remember listening to Elton John's Honky Chateau and wondering what was that amazing sound on a Mellow and Amy. Turned out it was JLP. Hooked!
I remember listening to Elton John's Honky Chateau and wondering what was that amazing sound on a Mellow and Amy. Turned out it was JLP. Hooked!
Agreed. As a player, I tend to find him too reserved. A technically gifted player, but I kind of wish he’d kick in the high octane more. McLaughlin finally got something under him on “Be Happy” off of Visions of the Emerald Beyond. There was not enough of that kind of fire in his playing.Originally Posted by Zeuhlmate
His own albums came across as “Mahavishnu-lite.” None of them is bad, but after hearing what a must-hear they were, I wound up quite disappointed. Every time I bought one expecting some sort of lost fusion classic, I instead got something that was...just okay. Weirdly, the one that affected me the most was Mystical Adventures. I was not expecting such a late-period release to be any good at all. Take out the cheesy smooth-jazz vocoder version of Stevie Wonder’s “As,” and it’s a pretty fine album.
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MIKE (a.k.a. "Progbear")
"'Thin Thighs For Your Man.' But I don't *like* men with thin thighs" --Daria
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Love me some MA... he stayed interesting for me through Fables but then every album after that went downhill. I like "mello" when it is done as well as JLP does it. His style of composition is really nothing like the other top Prog Fusion artists. He is definitely more mello but I love quality mello music.
Why is it whenever someone mentions an artist that was clearly progressive (yet not the Symph weenie definition of Prog) do certain people feel compelled to snort "thats not Prog" like a whiny 5th grader?
I know what you mean, but that description doesn't accurately describe any of those albums. Although JLP plays most of the instruments, he gets a bunch of help from the following people:
George Benson, Scott Henderson, Pat Thomi, Jamie Glaser: guitar, Chick Corea, Wally Minko, Clara Ponty, Patrice Rushen: keys,
Rayford Griffin, Casey Scheuerel, Kurt Wortman: drums, Baron Browne:bass, Grover Washington Jr.: sax
I was introduced to Ponty when I was in college in the mid-80s, via Cosmic Messenger. Loved it and subsequently acquired all of his prime-period rekkids, up through Storytelling. All good, but regrettably it had all gotten a bit stale for me at that point and I moved on to other things.
However, more recently I acquired his two most recent studio efforts Life Enigma (2001) and The Acatama Experience (2007) and found them both to be very good. Not Enigmatic Ocean good, but quite nice nonetheless. Holdsworth plays on one track on Acatama, FWIW.
Never heard Tchokola or No Absolute Time but I can't imagine that they could be too horribly bad. Different, maybe.
Hard to believe that Ponty will be 71 later this year.
Hired on to work for Mr. Bill Cox, a-fixin' lawn mowers and what-not, since 1964.
"Arguing with an idiot is like playing chess with a pigeon. It'll just knock over all the pieces, shit on the board, and strut about like it's won anyway." Anonymous
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Oh yes -check out Skeletonbreath (recent but no longer active) and Very Short Shorts for starters.
My faves are Cosmic Messenger and Live (1979). Casey Schuerell on drums--wow! Also love "The Final Truth" from Mystical Adventures. But all those albums are good to wonderful. At its best, JLP music makes me feel like I'm on a higher level of consciousness.
70s, 80s Ponty concerts were an annual treat for me. Always loved Ralphe in the band, as a bassist myself. Ecstatic to see him in 09
in Oakland and then last year with RTF. So happy to see him back live again!
That Hamburg show from what was it... '76? Damn! Smith is sick on drums.
I think a friend of mine had Aurora and/or Upon the wings of music. That friend was a big Zappa-fan. I bought Aurora on vinyl (no CD's at that time) at Boudisque in Amsterdam (a store I bought quite some records and which at that time had a separate department for jazz, where I found Jean Luc Ponty). Funny thing is, when I played the album for the said friend, he didn't like it. But he didn't really like progressive rock as well. Later I bought Mystical adventures and those 2 where the only Jean Luc Ponty albums I had. I liked Mystical adventures, because it felt a bit more in a symphonic rock vein. Aurora was something I played less. Now I think I have everything from Upon the wings of music till Mystical adventures on CD.
I also have Live at the Semper Opera and a double CD Jazz portrait, which contains The gift of time and Storytelling. I can't say those two do much for me.
I also have a live-recording from Montreal 1982 on video, burned on DVD.
Yes, the audience will need to know you to populate one of the better venues, like Mulcahy's in Wantagh, or The Paramount in Huntington. You might do better at Mulcahy's because it's an open bar with a door charge. The Paramount sells tickets.
Best of luck
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A gentleman is defined as someone who knows how to play the accordion, and doesn't.
Saw him with MO and Zappa and with his own band around Aurora. Those fusion albums are all palatable and have some worthy moments. King Kong expands my Zappa collection and Open Strings is good jazz-rock from earlier. He hooks up with some great guitarists...
Tend to agree with 'Mahavishnu-lite' estimation, only have to add up 'at it's best'.
JLP smokes on this opening track IMO...
I can see how he might be too reserved for some tastes; but to me it's an elegance that is both mellow and energetic, inviting, beguiling, tasteful...
That's a great description!
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I couldn't find the words but yes, that's what I wanted to say
Why is it whenever someone mentions an artist that was clearly progressive (yet not the Symph weenie definition of Prog) do certain people feel compelled to snort "thats not Prog" like a whiny 5th grader?
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