Abraxas An Ocean of Jazz Rock Delights

Enigmatic Ocean is not simply a solo work by grand violin player Jean-Luc Ponty, the album presents a whole band full of very talented and famous musicians from the jazz rock realm, each musician being as unique and as vital as Jean-Luc is for the music that Enigmatic Ocean offers, so it's definitely a group work rather than a solo work which I'm going to talk about.

First I'll talk about Allan Zavod, while not as reknown as any of the other members on board, his singular keyboard delivery is by every means one of the aspects that makes Enigmatic Ocean such an addictive and great jazz rock record. Zavod is the responsible of creating that marvellous floating atmosphere all through the album which no other jazz rock record features; Allan is indeed a subtle player but that's what makes his presence on the album so indispensable, Ponty didn't want an excentric keyboard player who could play extreme synth solos, he wanted someone that could pull-off a particular ambience to the whole album, while of course giving out some ocassional solos. Notable proof of Zavod's unique presence is the 12 minute suite entitled 'Enigmatic Ocean'.

Then there's Ralphe Armstrong, member of the second line-up of the Mahavishnu Orchestra. His playing on this album is absolutely outstanding but foremost it's very on top of the mix making him also an essential part of the music. He delivers lots of frenetic funky-tinged bass lines which resonate all through the record, especially on 'The Struggle of the Turtle to the Sea (Part 3)' which features a solo by him.

To complete the rhythm section Ponty brought Steve Smith, a future reknown session drummer of both pop and jazz artists. His playing is steady and is very a la classic jazz rock, full of fast fills, but let's say he knows what to play for each mood.

Then comes Allan Holdsworth, the so mighty fusion guitarist of many famous records of the genre. As he is known to do, he always standouts even if it's not he who leads the compositions. He delivers his unique tone everywhere within fast solos which are only to compete with Ponty's rapid and unstoppable violin soloing.

The only member left to talk about is of course the ''owner'' of this splendid record, that is Jean-Luc Ponty, member of plenty of jazz-related artists/bands. Like Holdsworth, he's also used to standing out in each recording he is featured in even when it's not he who is the composer, but this time he is the composer! Varying from melancholic notes to the rapid-paced ones while soloing with Allan which is truly mind-blowing; he is obviously indispensable for this integral work.

So Enigmatic Ocean is indeed a group-work, each member contributing their own touch and as a result creating a fantastic and unique jazz rock album which each member has space to standout.

While Ponty is not recognised as a fusion innovator in terms of composition, he actually plays it safe with grooves and soloing on top, the quality of these two elements is simply masterful plus it's distinguishably Ponty and you don't easily confuse it with other melodic fusion acts, and because of that it's a true masterpiece of collaboration between members.

Essential to your Jazz Rock/Fusion collection and highly recommended for fans of any of the members on board, also Zappa fans might get a good kick out of this. You really won't get better violin-fusion music than this.

FunkFreak75 This was the first of Jean-Luc Ponty's true jazz fusion masterpieces (though many will argue on behalf of Aurora and Imaginary Voyage). It's funky (as was the soft jazz of the time) and well displays the virtuoso talents of several of its young contributors--including super guitarists Daryl STUERMER (just before he left to take on a life-long GENESIS/PHIL COLLINS gig) and Allan HOLDSWORTH, bassist-extraordinaire Ralphe ARMSTRONG, keyboardist Allan ZAVOD, and drummer STEVE SMITH. Many place their attention on the title suite but I've always found that I much prefer both "Mirage" (4:23) and "Nostalgic Lady" (5:24) to the two suites--both of which put on display much of the electronic effects that will become Jean-Luc's signature sound(s) for years to come as well as this groovy, almost dreamy rhythm structure and pacing. This is a pretty great album, but I still hold strong in my feeling and belief that Ponty's best album is the next one, Cosmic Messenger with Individual Choice being his second best--these two having, IMHO, much better sound production than Enigmatic Ocean.

1. "Overture (0:47) great intro/opening. (4.75/5)

2. "The Trans-Love Express" (3:56) great groove with everybody clicking and in sync. Nice sound engineering--though the keyboards sounds will be better in the future albums. (8.875/10)

3. "Mirage" (4:54) hypnotic and beautiful--especially the sound of Jean-Luc's heavily-effected electric violin. (9.25/10)

4. "Enigmatic Ocean" Part I (2:20) synth and percussion opening to which Jean-Luc and, later, the rest of the band are added. The establish some fair groundwork for the suite (4.375/5) Part II (3:35) a fast pace does not guarantee a great song: technical skill is certainly on display, but melodies are certainly lacking. (8.875/10) Part III (3:43) the funky side, of course. Daryl's work on rhythm is exemplary. Allan is beyond reproach. (9/10) Part IV (2:24) a nice closing to what never really felt like a suite of connected movements. (8.875/10)

5. "Nostalgic Lady" (5:20) another beautiful song with great melodic sensibilities expressed from Ralphe, Allan and Jean-Luc. (9.25/10)

6. "Struggle Of The Sea Turtle" Part I (3:32) one of the most purely perfect and original of Jean-Luc's songs here. Perfect balance between the band members. (9.5/10) Part II (3:33) using some of the melodic hooks of "Part I" the band chugs along--interestingly, at a variety of speeds. Steve Smiths best drumming on the album. (9/10) Part III (6:05) opens with Ralphe's coming out party. Then Allan gets his turn with a weird synth. Daryl gets a solo but is then followed by Allan--who is so smooth and amazing it makes Mr. Stuermer look amateurish--which is sad cuz he is not. And the the song--and the album--just suddenly fades out! It's over! And it makes no sense! (8.875/10)

Total Time 45:00

A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of proggy jazz-rock fusion. The album has some great individual performances but lacks the amazing flow and sound engineering of the next album.

Warthur A high-class late 1970s fusion album from Jean-Luc Ponty, with unexpectedly catchy tunes showing a very mild (but quite noticeable) disco and funk influence. Whilst the idea of disco fusion might sound disastrous, Ponty and his backing musicians show superb judgement in precisely how much disco they allow to creep in, hitting a perfect balance where they use enough to keep things vibrant, energetic, upbeat and catchy, without going too far into schmaltzy kitsch territory. Ponty also makes sure to get the best use out of the talent available to him, the electric guitar contributions of Allan Holdsworth being particularly high quality.