Record Reviews

JEAN-LUC PONTY ~ OPEN STRINGS PROMISING MUSIC 44116 (Barcode: 602527615936) ~ FRANCE ~ Jazz Recorded: 1971 Released: 2011 This magnificent album by French virtuoso violinist / composer Jean-Luc PontyFind albums by this artist is a great example of European Jazz at its best. The quintet, which recorded this album was Ponty´s regular group at the time, called ExperienceFind albums by this artist, and comprised of brilliant Belgian guitarist Philip CatherineFind albums by this artist, German pianist Joachim KuhnFind albums by this artist and American rhythm section: bassist Peter WarrenFind albums by this artist and drummer Oliver JohnsonFind albums by this artist. Ponty´s previous MPSFind albums on this label album "Sunday WalkFind albums with this title", recorded 4 years earlier, exposed Ponty´s revolutionary approach to his instrument, but this recording shows how much and how fast he advanced, moving from mainstream Jazz towards much more adventurous surroundings, often including Free, improvised passages. Of course his incredible sense of melody is still present, albeit subtly hidden sometimes. Ponty composed four of the five tunes (the first three are parts of a suite, which occupied Side A of the original LP). The last tune is composed by Kuhn. The playing is phenomenal all the way, both in the more melodic and the completely Free parts, perfectly summarizing the first period of Ponty´s musical journey. Not too long after recording this album Ponty will change his musical direction and create his own admirable brand of Fusion, which will bring him fame and international exposure. But this particular album remains his most notable Jazz achievement. Produced by the legendary Joachim BerendtFind albums by this artist, this is a must to all European Jazz fans and particularly those who love the violin. A classic!

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TRONOSONIC EXPERIENCE ~ THE TRONOSONIC EXPERIENCE LOSEN 174 (Barcode: 7090025831744) ~ NORWAY ~ Jazz-Rock Fusion Recorded: 2016 Released: 2017 This is the debut album by the Norwegian Fusion quartet The Tronosonic ExperienceFind albums by this artist comprising of saxophonist Ole Jorgen BardalFind albums by this artist, guitarist Oyvind NypanFind albums by this artist, bassist Per Harald OttesenFind albums by this artist and drummer Ivar Loe BjornstadFind albums by this artist. The "live in the studio" recording presents seven original compositions, six of which were composed by Ottesen and one was co-composed by Bjornstad, Nypan and Ottesen. The total playing time of the album is just about thirty four minutes, more appropriate for an EP than a full album these days. The music floats between Heavy Metal Rock, Punk and Jazz-Rock Fusion, creating a forceful and dominating "wall of sound" experience. Based on melodic themes, the music is mostly improvised, with Bardal being the most Jazz oriented player, Nypan playing a Heavy Fusion guitar barrage, familiar from his other recordings, and the rhythm section stays within the Rock meters, with the heavy bass sound way up in the mix. The slow contemplative tracks are much more interesting than the mayhem created on the up-tempo Rocky numbers, which display a Punkish nonchalance and way too much distortion. The overall sound of the album is muddled and fuzzy, which of course is intentional. The quartet members are all highly professional musicians and their individual contributions are all satisfactory of course. Personally this not my cup of tea, but I imagine that many Rock and Fusion fans might find this record interesting or even fascinating. It is definitely worth investigating!

Updated: 04/10/2017Posted: 04/10/2017

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