Jean-Luc Ponty (born 29 September 1942) is a French

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

violinist and composer.

Early life

Ponty was born into a family of classical musicians in

Avranches Avranches (; nrf, Avraunches) is a commune in the Manche department, and the region of Normandy, northwestern France. It is a subprefecture of the department. The inhabitants are called ''Avranchinais''. History By the end of the Roman period, t ...

, 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 honor, Premier Prix (first prize). He was hired by the

Concerts Lamoureux The Orchestre Lamoureux () officially known as the Société des Nouveaux-Concerts and also known as the Concerts Lamoureux) is an orchestral concert society which once gave weekly concerts by its own orchestra, founded in Paris by Charles Lamoureu ...

in which he played for three years. While still a member of the orchestra in Paris, Ponty picked up a side job playing clarinet (which his father had taught him) for a college jazz band, that regularly performed at local parties. It proved life-changing. A growing interest in

Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Davis adopted a variety of music ...

and

John Coltrane John William Coltrane (September 23, 1926 – July 17, 1967) was an American jazz saxophonist The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of br ...

compelled him to take up

tenor saxophone The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (while th ...

. One night after an orchestra concert, and still wearing his tuxedo, Ponty found himself at a local club with only his violin. Within four years, he was widely accepted as the leading figure in "jazz fiddle". At that time, Ponty was leading a dual musical life: rehearsing and performing with the orchestra while also playing jazz at clubs throughout Paris. The demands of this schedule eventually brought him to a crossroads. Critic

Joachim Berendt Joachim (; ''Yəhōyāqīm'', "he whom Yahweh has set up"; ; ) was, according to Christian tradition, the husband of Saint Anne and the father of Mary, the mother of Jesus. The story of Joachim and Anne first appears in the Biblical apocryphal ...

wrote that "Since Ponty, the jazz violin has been a different instrument".

Success with the violin

At first, the violin proved to be challenging; few at the time viewed the instrument as having a legitimate place in the modern jazz vocabulary. With a powerful sound that eschewed vibrato, Ponty distinguished himself with

bebop Bebop or bop is a style of jazz developed in the early-to-mid-1940s in the United States. The style features compositions characterized by a fast tempo, complex chord progressions with rapid chord changes and numerous changes of key, instrumen ...

phrasing and a punchy style influenced more by horn players than by anything previously tried on the violin. In 1964, at age 22, he released his debut album, ''

Jazz Long Playing ''Jazz Long Playing'' is the debut album by French violinist Jean-Luc Ponty recorded in Paris in June and July 1964. It was reissued in 2000. ''Jazz Long Playing'' is one of two albums produced by Ponty; ''Sunday Walk'' in 1967 was his second. T ...

''. He performed on stage in Basel, Switzerland, with string players

Stuff Smith Hezekiah Leroy Gordon Smith (August 14, 1909 – September 25, 1967), better known as Stuff Smith, was an American jazz violinist. He is well known for the song " If You're a Viper" (the original title was "You'se a Viper"). Smith was, al ...

Stéphane Grappelli Stéphane Grappelli (; 26 January 1908 – 1 December 1997, born Stefano Grappelli) was a French jazz violinist. He is best known as a founder of the Quintette du Hot Club de France with guitarist Django Reinhardt in 1934. It was one of the firs ...

, and

Svend Asmussen Svend Asmussen (28 February 1916 – 7 February 2017) was a Danish jazz violinist, known as "The Fiddling Viking". A Swing style virtuoso, he played and recorded with many of the other jazz musicians, including Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman and S ...

. The performance was released as the album ''

Violin Summit The Summit format is used in jazz to bring together performers on a particular musical instrument. Though these recordings often feature other musicians (notably a rhythm section), the main instrument is focused upon in a celebratory way. The saxo ...

'' (1966).

John Lewis John Robert Lewis (February 21, 1940 – July 17, 2020) was an American politician and civil rights activist who served in the United States House of Representatives for from 1987 until his death in 2020. He participated in the 1960 Nashville ...

of the

Modern Jazz Quartet The Modern Jazz Quartet (MJQ) was a jazz combo established in 1952 that played music influenced by classical music, classical, cool jazz, blues and bebop. For most of its history the Quartet consisted of John Lewis (pianist), John Lewis (piano), ...

invited Ponty to perform at the

Monterey Jazz Festival The Monterey Jazz Festival is an annual music festival that takes place in Monterey, California, United States. It debuted on October 3, 1958, championed by Dave Brubeck and co-founded by jazz and popular music critic Ralph J. Gleason and jaz ...

in 1967, which led to a recording contract with the

World Pacific Pacific Jazz Records was a Los Angeles-based record company and label best known for cool jazz or West coast jazz. It was founded in 1952 by producer Richard Bock (1927–1988) and drummer Roy Harte (1924–2003). Harte, in 1954, also co-founded ...

label and the albums '' Electric Connection'' (1969) with the Gerald Wilson Big Band and '' Jean-Luc Ponty Experience with the George Duke Trio'' (1969). That year also brought ''Sunday Walk'' (1967), the first collaboration between Ponty and

Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen (, 27 May 1946 – 19 April 2005), also known by his abbreviated nickname NHØP, was a Danish jazz double bassist. Biography Pedersen was born in Osted, near Roskilde, on the Danish island of Zealand, the son of ...

Frank Zappa and emigration to the United States

In 1969,

Frank Zappa Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American musician, composer, and bandleader. His work is characterized by wikt:nonconformity, nonconformity, Free improvisation, free-form improvisation, sound experimen ...

composed the music for Ponty's solo album '' King Kong: Jean-Luc Ponty Plays the Music of Frank Zappa'' (World Pacific, 1970). In 1972,

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...

invited Ponty to contribute to his ''

Honky Chateau Honky (also spelled honkie or sometimes honkey) is a derogatory term used to refer to White people, predominantly heard in the United States. The first recorded use of "honky" in this context may date back to 1946, although the use of "honky-ton ...

'' (1972) album. At the urging of Zappa and

The Mothers of Invention The Mothers of Invention (also known as The Mothers) was an American rock band from California. Formed in 1964, their work is marked by the use of sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Originally an R&B band ...

who wanted him to join their tour, Ponty emigrated with his wife and two young daughters to the United States and made his home in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. He continued to work on a variety of projects – including two of

John McLaughlin John or Jon McLaughlin may refer to: Arts and entertainment * John McLaughlin (musician) (born 1942), English jazz fusion guitarist, member of Mahavishnu Orchestra * Jon McLaughlin (musician) (born 1982), American singer-songwriter * John McLaug ...

Mahavishnu Orchestra The Mahavishnu Orchestra were a jazz fusion band formed in New York City in 1971, led by English guitarist John McLaughlin. The group underwent several line-up changes throughout its history across its two periods of activity, from 1971 to 1976 a ...

albums ''

Apocalypse Apocalypse () is a literary genre in which a supernatural being reveals cosmic mysteries or the future to a human intermediary. The means of mediation include dreams, visions and heavenly journeys, and they typically feature symbolic imager ...

'' (1974) and '' Visions of the Emerald Beyond'' (1975) and tours until 1975, when he signed with

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

. For the next decade, Ponty toured the world repeatedly and recorded 12 consecutive albums, each of which reached the ''Billboard'' jazz charts top five, selling millions of albums. His early Atlantic recordings, such as 1976's ''

Aurora An aurora (plural: auroras or aurorae), also commonly known as the polar lights, is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly seen in high-latitude regions (around the Arctic and Antarctic). Auroras display dynamic patterns of bri ...

'' and ''

Imaginary Voyage ''Imaginary Voyage'' is a studio album by French jazz fusion artist Jean-Luc Ponty. It features guitarist Daryl Stuermer and bassist Tom Fowler (both of whom had played on Ponty’s previous album), along with keyboardist Allan Zavod and drummer ...

'', established Ponty as one of the leading figures in jazz-rock. He went on to crack the Top 40 with the album ''

Enigmatic Ocean ''Enigmatic Ocean'' is a studio album by French jazz fusion artist Jean-Luc Ponty, released in 1977. It features guitarists Allan Holdsworth and Daryl Stuermer, keyboardist Allan Zavod, bassist Ralphe Armstrong (with whom Ponty had played in M ...

'' in 1977 and '' Cosmic Messenger'' in 1978. In 1984, a video of

time-lapse Time-lapse photography is a technique in which the frequency at which film frames are captured (the frame rate) is much lower than the frequency used to view the sequence. When played at normal speed, time appears to be moving faster and thus ...

images of New York City was produced by Louis Schwarzberg for the song "

Individual Choice ''Individual Choice'' is an album by French jazz fusion violinist Jean-Luc Ponty that was released in 1983. A music video for the title track was produced by Louis Schwarzberg in 1984, consisting of time-lapsed footage of New York City, Chicago, ...

" (1983). Besides recording and touring with his own group, Ponty performed with the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble, the Radio City Orchestra in New York, and symphony orchestras in Montreal, Toronto, Oklahoma City, and Tokyo. In the late 1980s he recorded the albums ''

The Gift of Time ''The Gift of Time'' is an album by French jazz fusion artist Jean-Luc Ponty, released in 1987. It was his first recording for Columbia Records after twelve albums on the Atlantic label. It was reissued on CD in 1991. Track listing All songs ...

'' (1987) and ''

Storytelling Storytelling is the social and cultural activity of sharing stories, sometimes with improvisation, theatrics or embellishment. Every culture has its own stories or narratives, which are shared as a means of entertainment, education, cultural pre ...

'' (1989) for Columbia. On ''

Tchokola ''Tchokola'' is an album by French jazz fusion artist Jean-Luc Ponty, released in 1991. The rhythm section was recorded on analog tape. All other recording was digitally recorded.Liner notes for Tchokola. Track listing # "Mam'maï" (Abdou M' ...

'' ( Epic, 1991) Ponty combined acoustic and electric violins for the first time with polyrhythmic sounds of West Africa. He performed for two months in the U.S. and Canada with African expatriates he had met in Paris. In 1993, he returned to Atlantic with the album ''

No Absolute Time ''No Absolute Time'' is an album by French jazz fusion artist Jean-Luc Ponty, released in 1993. It marks his return to the Atlantic label. Track listing All songs by Jean-Luc Ponty. # "No Absolute Time" – 5:42 # "Savannah" – 9:18 # "Lost I ...

''. In 1995, he joined guitarist

Al Di Meola Albert Laurence Di Meola (born July 22, 1954) is an American guitarist. Known for his works in jazz fusion and world music, he began his career as a guitarist of the group Return to Forever in 1974. Between the 1970s and 1980s, albums such as ' ...

and bassist

Stanley Clarke Stanley Clarke (born June 30, 1951) is an American bassist, film composer and founding member of Return to Forever, one of the first jazz fusion bands. Clarke gave the bass guitar a prominence it lacked in jazz-related music. He is the first jaz ...

to record an acoustic album, ''

The Rite of Strings ''The Rite of Strings'' is a collaborative album by virtuosi Al Di Meola, Stanley Clarke and Jean-Luc Ponty, recorded after their world tour in 1995. The album was recorded at Studio 56, Hollywood. The trio reunited for a performance at the F ...

''. This trio undertook a six-month tour of North America, South America, and Europe. He reunited his American band in 1996 for live performances following the release of a double album for Atlantic entitled '' Le Voyage: The Jean-Luc Ponty Anthology''. One of these concerts was recorded in

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

, Michigan on June 29, 1996, and released in October 1996 by Atlantic under the title '' Live at Chene Park''. In 1997, Ponty reunited his group of Western and African musicians to pursue the fusion music he had begun to explore in 1991. They toured for three years from the Hawaiian Islands to Poland and in North America and Europe. Ponty performed duet with bassist

Miroslav Vitous Miroslav may refer to: * Miroslav (given name), a Slavic masculine given name * ''Young America'' (clipper) or ''Miroslav'', an Austrian clipper ship in the Transatlantic case oil trade * Miroslav (Znojmo District), a town in the Czech Republic S ...

in December 1999. In January 2000, he participated in

Lalo Schifrin Boris Claudio "Lalo" Schifrin (born June 21, 1932) is an Argentine-American pianist, composer, arranger and conductor. He is best known for his large body of film and TV scores since the 1950s, incorporating jazz and Latin American musical elemen ...

's recording ''Esperanto''. In June 2001 he performed duets with Russian violinist

Vadim Repin Vadim Viktorovich Repin (russian: Вадим Викторович Репин, ; born 31 August 1971) is a Russian and Belgian violinist who lives in Vienna.

and at the Film Music Festival in Poland with American jazz violinist

Regina Carter Regina Carter (born August 6, 1966) is an American jazz violinist. She is the cousin of jazz saxophonist James Carter. Early life Carter was born in Detroit and was one of three children in her family. She began piano lessons at the age of t ...

. In August 2001, Ponty released his album '' Life Enigma'' on his label (J.L.P. Productions), a return to his concept from the 1970s with modern production. He played all the instruments on some tracks and was joined by band members for others. He gave a concert with his band in his native town of

in Normandy on 21 September 2001. He was honored during a ceremony at City Hall. He then embarked on a tour in the U.S. in October and November 2001. In May 2001, he recorded a concert with the same musicians at the opera house in

Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label=Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth larg ...

, Germany. This recording was released in July 2002 on '' Live at Semper Opera''. In January 2003, he toured India for the first time, seven shows in six major cities for the Global Music Festival organized by Indian violinist

L. Subramaniam Lakshminarayana Subramaniam (born 23 July 1947) is an Indian violinist, composer and conductor, trained in the classical Carnatic music tradition and Western classical music. Early years Subramaniam was born in Madras, Madras Presidency, Br ...

. Ponty performed on a reunion tour with

and

from June to October 2004 in the U.S. and Canada. In 2005, he toured with Trio! with Stanley Clarke and

Béla Fleck Béla Anton Leoš Fleck (born July 10, 1958) is an American banjo player. An acclaimed virtuoso, he is an innovative and technically proficient pioneer and ambassador of the banjo, bringing the instrument from its bluegrass roots to jazz, classi ...

. In 2006, he reunited Jean Luc Ponty & His Band and toured in the U.S., Chile, Venezuela, Western and Eastern Europe, Russia, The Middle East and India; they recorded a studio album called '' The Atacama Experience'' (2007) with guitarists

Allan Holdsworth Allan Holdsworth (6 August 1946 – 15 April 2017) was a British jazz fusion and progressive rock guitarist and composer. Holdsworth was known for his esoteric and idiosyncratic usage of advanced music theory concepts, especially with respe ...

and

Philip Catherine Philip Catherine (born 27 October 1942) is a Belgian jazz guitarist. Biography Philip Catherine was born in London, England, to an English mother and Belgian father, and was raised in Brussels, Belgium. His grandfather was a violinist in the ...

. In April 2012, Ponty performed in an acoustic trio with Clarke and guitarist Bireli Lagrene for the second set of a concert at the Chatelet Theatre in Paris to celebrate five decades in music. The first set featured Ponty with a string orchestra. In 2014, he recorded a jazz album entitled ''D-Stringz'' with Clarke and Lagrene. In September 2014, Ponty formed the Anderson Ponty Band with

Jon Anderson John Roy Anderson (born 25 October 1944) is an English singer, songwriter and musician, best known as the lead singer of the progressive rock band Yes, which he formed in 1968 with bassist Chris Squire. He was a member of the band across thre ...

, lead singer of Yes.

Work with Return to Forever

In 2011, Ponty was invited by bandleader/keyboardist

Chick Corea Armando Anthony "Chick" Corea (June 12, 1941 – February 9, 2021) was an American jazz composer, pianist, keyboardist, bandleader, and occasional percussionist. His compositions "Spain", " 500 Miles High", "La Fiesta", "Armando's Rhumba", and ...

to join the group

Return to Forever Return to Forever was an American jazz fusion band that was founded by pianist Chick Corea in 1972. The band has had many members, with the only consistent bandmate of Corea's being bassist Stanley Clarke. Along with Weather Report, The Headhun ...

for a series of concerts throughout the year. The group is labeled 'Return to Forever IV', as it is the fourth incarnation of the group. Ponty had first recorded with Corea on his 1976 solo album '' My Spanish Heart''.

Personal life

Ponty is married and has two daughters. One daughter,

Clara Ponty Clara Ponty is a French-American pianist, vocalist, and composer. Early life Ponty is the daughter of jazz violinist and composer Jean-Luc Ponty. Born in Paris but raised in Los Angeles since age four, she began studying violin and piano at the ...

, is a pianist and composer; Ponty has collaborated with Clara on several projects, including her third album, '' Mirror of Truth'' (2004).

Discography

As leader

* ''

'' (

Philips Koninklijke Philips N.V. (), commonly shortened to Philips, is a Dutch multinational conglomerate corporation that was founded in Eindhoven in 1891. Since 1997, it has been mostly headquartered in Amsterdam, though the Benelux headquarters i ...

, 1964) * ''Sunday Walk'' (SABA, 1967) * ''Violin Summit'' with Stuff Smith, Stephane Grappelli, Svend Asmussen(SABA, 1967) * ''More Than Meets the Ear'' (World Pacific, 1968) * '' Electric Connection'' (World Pacific, 1969) * '' Jean-Luc Ponty Experience with the George Duke Trio'' (World Pacific, 1969) * '' King Kong: Jean-Luc Ponty Plays the Music of Frank Zappa'' (World Pacific, 1970) * ''New Violin Summit'' with Don "Sugar Cane" Harris, Michal Urbaniak (MPS/BASF, 1971) * ''Live at Montreux 72'' (Pierre Cardin, 1972) * '' Open Strings'' (MPS/BASF, 1972) * ''Ponty/Grappelli'' with Stephane Grappelli (America, 1973) * '' Upon the Wings of Music'' (Atlantic, 1975) * ''Jean-Luc Ponty'' (Liberty/EMI, 1976) * ''

'' (Atlantic, 1976) * '' Cantaloupe Island'' (Blue Note, 1976) * ''

'' (Atlantic, 1976) * ''Jean-Luc Ponty Meets Giorgio Gaslini'' (Pausa, 1976) * ''

'' (Atlantic, 1977) * '' Live at Donte's'' (Blue Note, 1978) * '' Cosmic Messenger'' (Atlantic, 1978) * ''

A Taste for Passion ''A Taste for Passion'' is an album by French jazz fusion artist Jean-Luc Ponty that was released in 1979. It was reissued by Atlantic on CD in 1990 and 1992. The track "Beach Girl" received a nomination for Best Rock Instrumental Performance at t ...

'' (Atlantic, 1979) * ''

Live Live may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Live!'' (2007 film), 2007 American film * ''Live'' (2014 film), a 2014 Japanese film *'' ''Live'' (Apocalyptica DVD) Music *Live (band), American alternative rock band * List of albums ...

'' (Atlantic, 1979) * ''Heartstring/Jean-Luc Ponty: Live'' with Earl Klugh (AFRTS 1979) * '' Civilized Evil'' (Atlantic, 1980) * ''As Trio'' with Daniel Humair, Eddy Louiss (All Life, 1980) * ''

Mystical Adventures ''Mystical Adventures'' is an album by French jazz fusion artist Jean-Luc Ponty, released in 1982. Track listing All songs by Jean-Luc Ponty unless otherwise noted. #"Mystical Adventures (Suite) Part I" – 3:29 #"Mystical Adventures (Suite) Pa ...

'' (Atlantic, 1982) * ''

'' (Atlantic, 1983) * ''

Open Mind Open-mindedness is receptiveness to new ideas. Open-mindedness relates to the way in which people approach the views and knowledge of others." Jason Baehr defines an open-minded person as one who "characteristically moves beyond or temporarily sets ...

'' (Atlantic, 1984) * ''

Fables Fable is a literary genre: a succinct fictional story, in prose or verse, that features animals, legendary creatures, plants, inanimate objects, or forces of nature that are anthropomorphized, and that illustrates or leads to a particular moral ...

'' (Atlantic, 1985) * ''

'' (Columbia, 1987) * ''

'' (Columbia, 1989) * ''Puss in Boots'' with

Tracey Ullman Tracey Ullman (born Trace Ullman, 30 December 1959) is a British-American actress, comedian, singer, writer, producer, and director. Her earliest mainstream appearances were on British television sketch comedy shows '' A Kick Up the Eighties'' ( ...

(Rabbit Ears, 1991) * ''

'' (Epic, 1991) * ''Volume 1'' with Daniel Humair, Eddy Louiss (Dreyfus, 1991) * ''Volume 2'' (Dreyfus, 1991) with Daniel Humair, Eddy Louiss * ''

'' (Atlantic, 1993) * ''

'' with

, Al Di Meola (Gai Saber 1995) * '' Live at Chene Park'' (Atlantic, 1996) * '' Life Enigma'' (J.L.P., 2001) * '' Live at Semper Opera'' (Le Chant Du Monde, 2002) * '' Jean-Luc Ponty in Concert'' (Le Chant Du Monde, 2003) * '' The Atacama Experience'' (Koch, 2007) * ''D-Stringz'' with Stanley Clarke, Bireli Lagrene (Impulse!, 2015) * '' Better Late Than Never'' with Jon Anderson (Ear Music, 2015)

As sideman

With

* '' My Spanish Heart'' (Polydor, 1976) * ''Chick Corea'' (Polydor, 1987) * ''Music Forever & Beyond'' (GRP, 1996) * ''

Forever Forever or 4ever may refer to: Film and television Films * ''Forever'' (1921 film), an American silent film by George Fitzmaurice * ''Forever'' (1978 film), an American made-for-television romantic drama * ''Forever'' (1992 film), an American ...

'' (Concord, 2011) With

* ''

'' (Columbia, 1974) * '' Visions of the Emerald Beyond'' (Columbia, 1975) * ''The Mahavishnu Orchestra & John McLaughlin'' (Amiga, 1979) With

* '' Hot Rats'' (Bizarre/Reprise, 1969) *

The Mothers The Mothers of Invention (also known as The Mothers) was an American rock band from California. Formed in 1964, their work is marked by the use of sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Originally an R&B band ...

, ''

Over-Nite Sensation ''Over-Nite Sensation'' is the ninth studio album by Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention, released in September 1973. It was followed by Zappa's solo album ''Apostrophe (')'' (1974), which was recorded during the same sessions. Recording ...

'' (Discreet, 1973) * ''

Apostrophe The apostrophe ( or ) is a punctuation mark, and sometimes a diacritical mark, in languages that use the Latin alphabet and some other alphabets. In English, the apostrophe is used for two basic purposes: * The marking of the omission of one o ...

'' (Discreet, 1974) * ''

Shut Up 'n Play Yer Guitar ''Shut Up 'n Play Yer Guitar'', a project consisting of ''Shut Up 'n Play Yer Guitar'', ''Shut Up 'n Play Yer Guitar Some More'' and ''Return of the Son of Shut Up 'n Play Yer Guitar'', is a series of albums by Frank Zappa. The albums consist s ...

'' (Barking Pumpkin, 1981) * ''You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore Vol. 6'' (Rykodisc, 1992) * ''

The Lost Episodes ''The Lost Episodes'' is a 1996 posthumous album by Frank Zappa which compiles (with the exception of "I Don't Want to Get Drafted" and "Any Way the Wind Blows") previously unreleased material. Much of the material covered dates from early in his ...

'' (Rykodisc, 1996) * ''

One Shot Deal ''One Shot Deal'' is an album by Frank Zappa, posthumously released in June 2008. Overview The track "Occam's Razor" is a guitar solo extract from a live version of the song "Inca Roads". The solo was used in the song "On the Bus" from the albu ...

'' (2008) * '' Road Tapes, Venue 2'' (Vaulternative, 2013) * '' The Crux Of The Biscuit'' (

Zappa Records Zappa Records is an American record label based in Los Angeles which was founded by Frank Zappa in 1977. It was mostly inactive during the 1980s and 1990s, but was revived in 2006 by the Zappa Family Trust. History In May 1976, Zappa ended his r ...

, 2016) With others *

, '' 1000 Hands: Chapter One'' (Opio Media, 2019) *

Sam Bush Charles Samuel Bush (born April 13, 1952) is an American mandolinist who is considered an originator of progressive bluegrass music. In 2020, he was inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame as a member of New Grass Revival. ...

, ''

Laps in Seven ''Laps in Seven'' is the title of a 2006 album by the progressive bluegrass artist Sam Bush, on the Sugar Hill Records (bluegrass), Sugar Hill label. Reception In his Allmusic review, music critic Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr. called the album "an ...

'' (Sugar Hill, 2006) *

Michel Colombier Michel Colombier (23 May 1939 – 14 November 2004) was a French composer, arranger, and conductor. Career Colombier wrote the scores of several motion pictures and TV productions. He also wrote chamber music and ballets. With composer Pierre H ...

, ''Wings'' (A&M 1971) *

Wolfgang Dauner Wolfgang Dauner (; 30 December 1935 – 10 January 2020) was a German jazz pianist who co-founded the United Jazz + Rock Ensemble. He worked with Hans Koller, Albert Mangelsdorff, Volker Kriegel and Ack van Rooyen and composed for radio, tel ...

, ''Free Action'' (SABA, 1967) *

George Duke George M. Duke (January 12, 1946 – August 5, 2013) was an American keyboardist, composer, singer-songwriter and record producer. He worked with numerous artists as arranger, music director, writer and co-writer, record producer and as a pr ...

, ''Night After Night'' (Elektra, 1989) *

Serge Gainsbourg Serge Gainsbourg (; born Lucien Ginsburg; 2 April 1928 – 2 March 1991) was a French musician, singer-songwriter, actor, author and filmmaker. Regarded as one of the most important figures in French pop, he was renowned for often provoca ...

, ''Histoire De Melody Nelson'' (Light in the Attic, 2009) *

George Gruntz George Gruntz (24 June 1932 – 10 January 2013) was a Swiss jazz pianist, organist, harpsichordist, keyboardist, and composer known for the George Gruntz Concert Big Band and his work with Phil Woods, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Don Cherry, Chet Baker ...

, ''Barock Sex & Jazz-Sechs'' (Electrola, 1966) * George Gruntz, ''Noon in Tunisia'' (SABA, 1967) * Andre Hodeir, ''Anna Livia Plurabelle'' (Philips, 1966) *

, ''

'' (UNI, 1972) *

Jeff Lorber Jeffrey H. Lorber (born November 4, 1952) is an American keyboardist, composer, and record producer. After six previous nominations, Lorber won his first Grammy Award on January 28, 2018 for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album for '' Prototype' ...

, ''

Hacienda An ''hacienda'' ( or ; or ) is an estate (or ''finca''), similar to a Roman ''latifundium'', in Spain and the former Spanish Empire. With origins in Andalusia, ''haciendas'' were variously plantations (perhaps including animals or orchards), ...

'' (Heads Up, 2013) *

, ''Mirror of Truth'' (Eden, 2005) * Clara Ponty, ''Into the Light'' (Le Chant Du Monde, 2010) *

, '' The Mothership Returns'' (Eagle 2012) *

, ''Esperanto'' (Aleph, 2000) * Alan Sorrenti, ''Aria'' (Harvest, 1972) *

Gerald Wilson Gerald Stanley Wilson (September 4, 1918 – September 8, 2014) was an American jazz trumpeter, big band bandleader, composer, arranger, and educator. Born in Mississippi, he was based in Los Angeles from the early 1940s. In addition to being a ...

, '' Eternal Equinox'' (World Pacific, 1969)

Films

* 1999: ''L. Subramaniam: Violin from the Heart'' (Directed by Jean Henri Meunier; includes a scene with Ponty and

performing together)

References

External links

Ponty.com
– Official website
Jean-Luc Ponty video interview
at AllAboutJazz.com
"In Conversation with Jean-Luc Ponty"
at Jazz.com by Thierry Quénum on 6 September 2008
2010 interview with Jean-Luc Ponty
at Prog-Sphere.com by Nikola Savić on 28 September 2010
Jean-Luc Ponty biography, discography and album reviews, credits & releases
at

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

Jean-Luc Ponty discography, album releases & credits
at

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Jean-Luc Ponty biography, discography, album credits & user reviews
at ProgArchives.com
Jean-Luc Ponty albums to be listened
as stream on

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Ponty, Jean-Luc 1942 births Living people French composers French male composers French jazz violinists 20th-century French male violinists People from Manche Mahavishnu Orchestra members French expatriates in the United States 21st-century French male violinists French male jazz musicians