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Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular MusicA B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y ZPONTY, Jean-Luc(b 29 Sep. '42, Arranches, Normandy, France) Violin, violectra (a baritone violin); also keyboards, composer. Both parents were music teachers; left school at 13 to practise for hours every day, played in Lamoureaux Symphony Orchestra late '50s, turned to jazz. Used amplifier from the beginning, soon exploring electronic possibilities, finding that they helped him to overcome his formal training. Stuff Smith compared him to John Coltrane in early '60s; he played at Antibes Jazz Festival '64, violin workshop at Monterey Festival '67, played/recorded in USA '69 with Frank Zappa, George Duke; emigrated '73, worked with Zappa; with John McLaughlin (Mahavishnu Orchestra) '74. Own albums: European LPs on Palm '63 (The Beginning), Philips '64, Saba/Pausa '66 (Sunday Walk), Electrola '68 (Lyrics Or The Baroque), Palm '68; then three albums '69 on Pacific Jazz, all with Duke: Electric Connection with Gerald Wilson big band; King Kong with Zappa, Buell Neidlinger on bass, others cond. by Wilson, and Experience '69 with George Duke Trio: the last two also on Blue Note as Cantaloupe Island, the last on Pausa as The Jean-Luc Experience; some of this later on One Way CDs. Live At Donte's '69 on Blue Note with Duke Trio, Open Strings '71 on MPS/BASF (quintet with Philip Catherine, guitar), Experience '72 from Montreux Festival on several labels incl. Inner City, then on Atlantic: Upon The Wings Of Music and Aurora '75, Imaginary Voyage '76, Enigmatic Ocean '77, Cosmic Messenger '78, A Taste For Passion '79, Jean-Luc Ponty Live '79, Civilized Evil '80, Mystical Adventures '81, Individual Choice '83 (solo tracks, duets, trios), Open Mind '84 (solos, duets with George Benson, Chick Corea, percussionists), quartet Fables '85. Other titles: The Gift Of Time '87 on Columbia, Critics' Choice on Prestige, Meets Gaslini on Pausa, Violin Summit on Verve with Stuff Smith, Svend Asmussen, St‚phane Grappelli; More Than Meets The Ear on One Way, Tchokola on Epic, Live At Donte's on Pacific Jazz/EMI (Canada). Quintet Live At Cheyne Park '96 on Atlantic has him playing five-string MIDI violin and six-string violectra, but his fusion had dated badly. |