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Thread: FEATURED CD : Jean-Luc Ponty : Cosmic Messenger

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    Moderator Duncan Glenday's Avatar
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    FEATURED CD : Jean-Luc Ponty : Cosmic Messenger

    Credit for this featured CD : mnprogger

    Based on a CD received from the collection bequeathed to Progressive Ears by the late Chris Buckley (Winkersnuff)

    mnprogger's comments:



    I am a Jean-Luc Ponty fan and I've seen him live I recall 4 times (2 Solo, 1 with Return to Forever, 1 with Jon Anderson). And I've heard some of his music, some on Vinyl, some from checking cds out from my public library. But I can't say I've heard "Cosmic Messenger" until hearing the cd copy I was given.

    I enjoy a lot of this record. It's Jazz-Fusion or Jazz-Rock of course much like many other records from Jean-Luc Ponty. I hear a lot of Mahavishnu Orchestra, but with sort of a Spacey, Textured, Atmospheric side. This album was released in 1978. which Jazz-Fusion was still popular then, but not as much as it had been a few years earlier.

    Some of my favorite moments are the keys, which have at times a bit of a cinematic quality to them.

    The opening title track, "Ethereal Mood," "Fake Paradise," "The Art of Happiness," and the at-times funky closing piece "Egocentric Molecules" are among my favorites.

    I wonder a bit if Cosmic Messenger has music that had they continued on, Mahavishnu Orchestra themself would have written and recorded (with or maybe not-with Ponty), per it really sounds at times, so much like Mavavishnu Orchestra, I could have mistaken it for them.
    Regards,

    Duncan

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    I am also a fan of JLP, having the pleasure of seeing him live at the Uptown Theater in Kansas City just after the release of this solid effort. The close-up theater setting was magnificent and he had guest musicians of fame backing him, such as Ralphe Armstrong on fretted and fretless basses.

    I like "Cosmic Messenger" a lot for its spaciness and Jazz/funk leanings. My only reservation for this and other releases (such as "Upon The Wings") is the shorter tracks that reside between the longer cuts, which act as a barrier to enjoyment of the albums as a whole. You have a relatively lengthier cut such as "Don't Let the World Pass You By", which really stretches out instrumentally followed by a 3 minute track "I Only Feel Good With You", which has a intermission feel to it and goes nowhere, fast. It presents a stutter-step tempo to my way of listening and he puts too many of these shorter tracks on a lot of his albums. Whereas on the "Enigmatic Ocean" album, he gets a couple of quick ditties out of the way early and flows nicely into a couple of suites and a longer track to accompany them. Well done, there.

    At any rate, the guy is amazing, and his work with Mahavishnu represents the pinnacle of his work in Jazz/Rock power fusion.

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    Count me in too as a fan of Jean-Luc Ponty, although I found out about him in a roundabout way. JLP played two songs on Elton John's Honky Chateau album. I first thought it was a keyboard on Mellow but listening a bit closer you can tell it is a string instrument. I had never heard an electric violin before and I kept that in the back of my mind. Years later when I was in college, I was flipping through a friend's collection and recognized Jean-Luc's name on his album Individual Choice. I borrowed it and was then hooked. Cosmic Messenger follows the pattern of several of his previous albums, has plenty of special effects, a very solid band which is all topped by his wonderful solos. The title track is one of my fav tracks of his.

    BTW, Knowing JLP's music was why I started with Mahavishnu Orchestra's Apocalypse. I prefer the two albums he was on to the more herald first two.

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    Member Camelogue's Avatar
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    I've seen Ponty about a half dozen times. Always a good show and what a professional. The drumming by Casey Schuerell (sp?) on Egocentric Molocules is blissful.

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    Member Piskie's Avatar
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    I recently acquired the two 5cd original album sets - this one is a stand out to my ears- though the quality is top class throughout.
    'I would advise stilts for the quagmires"

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    That's Mr. to you, Sir!! Trane's Avatar
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    The last of his great late-70's JR/F albums... or at least that happened to be the last stop and got off the train
    my music collection increased tenfolds when I switched from drug-addicts to complete nutcases.

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    Member dropforge's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Trane View Post
    The last of his great late-70's JR/F albums... or at least that happened to be the last stop and got off the train
    There's only one more album, 1979's A Taste of Passion.

    Then comes 1980's Civilized Evil, which IMO is awesome.

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    Member Rajaz's Avatar
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    Incredible fusion of keyboard and violin instrumentations are just astonishing, what a treat. Listening to "Don't let the world pass you by" and loving it.

  9. #9
    I Love Jean-Luc Ponty's Cosmic Messenger! My Brother introduced me to the album when it came out in 1978 and it's still one of my favorite Jazz Rock/Fusion LPs.

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    Member wiz_d_kidd's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Camelogue View Post
    I've seen Ponty about a half dozen times. Always a good show and what a professional. The drumming by Casey Schuerell (sp?) on Egocentric Molocules is blissful.
    Agree. But I think Ralphe Armstrong's bass play on Egocentric Molecules is the highlight for me.

  11. #11
    Parrots Ripped My Flesh Dave (in MA)'s Avatar
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    Starting with the Cosmic Messenger tour, I think I've seen Ponty every time he's come to Boston except for the RTF reunion about 10 years ago that I only found out about after it happened.

    Seeing both Ponty and Tull in the fall was a regular thing for a lot of years, but it looks like setlists.fm site is far from complete. I remember a uniformed Boston cop dancing to New Country in the aisle at the Orpheum, maybe on this or the Taste for Passion tour.

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    Member Camelogue's Avatar
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    One Ponty concert I went to, some loudmouth was screaming during a violin solo, and Ponty stopped playing and deadpanned "Shud Up" in his French accent. The crowd cheered mightily!

  13. #13
    One of my favorite Jean-Luc Ponty albums, not just for the sublime playing but for the compositions and overall mood. From the first moments of the keyboard and violin on the opening track, it sucks me in. I saw a show in NYC around 1990 where he played a lot of this album, can't remember the venue, around 74th street and the uptown J&R records on the West side? It wasn't the Beacon.

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    Member Sputnik's Avatar
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    Weird, I thought I posted in this thread days ago, but I don't see the post now. Maybe I put it in the wrong thread, LOL!

    Anyway, I love this album, as I do all the Ponty albums from Upon the Wings of Music through Individual Choice. This one really holds up well. I actually spun it the night this thread was started and gave it a pretty close listen. His stuff is great because you can let it sit in the background, or you can listen closely. "Egocentric Molecules" really kicked my butt. I'm not huge fan of bass solos (and I'm a bass player) but Armstrong just completely nailed it on this track.

    The whole album is wonderful, and while it's not my favorite Ponty, I spin this one a lot because it is really well balanced and there's really not any "tune out" moments here for me.

    Bill

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    Member Digital_Man's Avatar
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    I don't really know this album but I heard one of the tracks from it as a kid without knowing what it was. It took me about 40 years to finally figure out that it was the track "puppet's dance." I don't know if my dad had this album or not. I'm not sure how else I would have heard it back then since I don't think it was played on the radio or anything. It took me quite a while of scouring through JLP youtube videos to find it.
    Do not suffer through the game of chance that plays....always doors to lock away your dreams (To Be Over)

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    Member StarThrower's Avatar
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    I love this album, as I do all the Ponty albums from Upon the Wings of Music through Individual Choice.
    I got turned onto these albums listening to college radio 40 years ago. I've only recently ventured beyond Individual Choice this year picking up a copy of Fables due to Scott Henderson's involvement. At the very least check out the track, Cat Tales. A great tune with a killer solo by Scott.

    I haven't listened to Cosmic Messenger in its entirety for ages since my vinyl has been packed away for decades. But I've always loved the title track which has a different feel than most of his other stuff. It's like the universe unfolding in slow motion.

  17. #17
    Member Sputnik's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by StarThrower View Post
    I got turned onto these albums listening to college radio 40 years ago. I've only recently ventured beyond Individual Choice this year picking up a copy of Fables due to Scott Henderson's involvement. At the very least check out the track, Cat Tales. A great tune with a killer solo by Scott.
    I also only came to Individual Choice fairly recently (probably a couple of years ago). I was genuinely surprised how much I like it given what I'd heard about the album. It's probably the one I like least from this run of records, but I still like it quite a bit. I'll sample Fables and some of his later stuff, maybe I'll be surprised.

    Quote Originally Posted by StarThrower View Post
    I haven't listened to Cosmic Messenger in its entirety for ages since my vinyl has been packed away for decades. But I've always loved the title track which has a different feel than most of his other stuff. It's like the universe unfolding in slow motion.

  18. #18
    Member StarThrower's Avatar
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    I also only came to Individual Choice fairly recently (probably a couple of years ago). I was genuinely surprised how much I like it given what I'd heard about the album.
    I picked up a used CD for a couple of tracks that I like to play in the car. Far From The Beaten Paths, and In Spiritual Love. I remember hearing these on the radio back in the day.

  19. #19
    Member gearHed289's Avatar
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    I love JLP's 70s stuff. I stayed onboard up to and including Mystical Adventures, then trailed off as I often do with bands. I remember getting turned on to him and his music in my junior year of HS. I was advancing as a bass player and looking for interesting things as the radio was blaring Foreigner, AC/DC, Loverboy, and REO Speedwagon.

  20. #20
    For those interested in J-LP, I have a CD copy of Imaginary Voyage to give away. I ordered it, then cancelled when I ordered the box set of 5 of his discs, but it came anyway.

    US only, please. Let me know!
    Last edited by Finch Platte; 01-23-2023 at 11:17 AM.

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  22. #22
    Quote Originally Posted by Rarebird View Post
    I own it.
    Well, I won't send it to you, then.

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    I also own it, so please don't send it to me either!

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    Don't send me that shit, man.

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