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.

FunkFreak75 Teaming up with youngsters Daryl Stuermer (age 23), Patrice Rushen (21), and ex-Mother of Invention bass player Tom Fowler (who was only 25 years old) resulted in Jean-Luc's first successful solo foray into the burgeoning market of Jazz-Rock Fusion. After brief but intense stints with Frank Zappa's Mothers of Invention and John McLaughlin's Mahavishnu Orchestra (Second Incarnation), the French violin virtuoso had a pretty good idea of the directions he wanted his career and music to go.

1. "Is Once Enough?" (4:52) a fast cruisin' song that band leader Ponty graciously gives first dibs on extended solo time to his newbies: first to a very impressive Daryl Stuermer and then to keyboard virtuoso Patrice Rushen. A song that very much reflects Jean-Luc's recent experiences with both Zappa and the Mahavishnu Orchestra. (9.5/10)

2. "Renaissance" (5:45) an all-time great song of Jean-Luc's that harkens back a bit to his youth and to his fairly recent acoustic collaborations with Stéphane Grappelli. One of the things that makes this song so wonderful is the long drawn out melodies being played up front over the amazing bass melodies coming from not only the bass but Patrice Rushen's left hand and Daryl Stuermer's rhythm guitar support. (10/10) 3. "Aurora, Pt. 1" (2:45) innocuous and trite, mostly for the bouncy little keyboard sound and pattern that plays repetitively over the course of the song. This alone might not be so irksome were it not for the fact that it sits up front the entire time. Nothing special in the solos. Nothing special in the groove. Could've thrown this one away. Perhaps it served the band as an exercise in integrating and merging the sounds and styles of the five personalities involved with the making of this album. I would not be surprised to find out that this was the first song worked on when the band first got together. (4.25/5)

4. "Aurora, Pt. 2" (6:11) a smooth, easy going song that portends a lot of J-L P songs in the next decade. Nice shredding from Daryl on his own in the fourth and fifth minutes, but more impressive is the way he and Jean-Luc double up on harmonic paths at hyperspeeds on several occasions. Impressive but not as great as the first two songs. (8.875/10)

5. "Passenger Of The Dark" (4:14) has a kind of Canterbury feel to its opening, but then we go into an interesting "future funk" kind of sound with semi-funky bass and oscillating synth/violin notes weaving a patttern together with the drums that plays for the first two minutes over which Daryl starts out with an aggressive rock-like solo. In the softer, more spacious third minute Jean-Luc experiments with some of his new electronic/synthesized violin sounds--some of which his audience become quite familiar over the course of the next decade. I'm not sure why Patrice has been given almost exclusively background support roles for the past two songs, but it's noticeable. (8.75/10) 6. "Lost Forest" (5:23) roilling piano arpeggi and ocean-shore-like cymbal play opens this one while Jean-Luc presents his synthesized violin sound. In the gorgeous, rich full-band motif that develops Tom Fowler's effected (underwater) bass sound is awesome. Jean-Luc introduces the song's main theme before bowing out to let Patrice express her own ideas/variations with a Fender Rhodes. Then, in the fourth minute, Jean-Luc resumes his place at the fore with a typically melodic and dynamically impressive solo, which then is doubled up in the recapitulation of the opening theme with Daryl's guitar while Patrice plays around a bit from underneath. Such a cool song and songscape! Arise: Master of the Hypnotic Fairie Beauty! (9.125/10)

7. "Between You And Me" (5:54) a melodic song that somehow lets bassist Tom Fowler lead the way!(?) Pretty awesome. Though not funky, it is a catchy groove that Tom, Patrice, and drummer Norman Fearrington present and hold fast. Jean-Luc's electric violin seers an impressive solo in the first slot. When the band recongeals, it is with the same jazzy weave that Tom's bass lead us in with. Next up is Patrice with a very warm and smooth Fender Rhodes solo (the whole song is warm and almost smooth). Jean-Luc reclaims the spotlight for the next verse for a brief solo before calling the band back in for another go-round of the opening weave. Nice. (9/10)

8. "Waking Dream" (2:24) pensive piano chord play opens this before electric bass and electric violin and electric guitar join in to co-present an interesting melody--one that at first is perfectly harmonized by Tom's bass lines but then see him fall into a kind of one-bar counterpoint. Nice. (4.425/5)

Total Time: 37:28

Despite the fact that I owned this album back in the day, it feels fresh to me today, and yet, at the same time, revelatory of many of Jean-Luc's consistent future patterns and tricks of his trade. It was the next studio album, Imaginary Voyage that hooked me in as a devoté (and concert attendee) over the next ten years. I've also watched with no small sadness at the way keyboard virtuoso Patrice Rushen's career has slowly been whitewashed of her keyboard talent in place of her success as a singer. I've always loved her warm keyboard playing. I would think that this album helped significantly to serve each and every one of the performers in advancing their careers.

A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of Jazz-Rock Fusion, the first of a long line of them for this J-R Fusion master.

FunkFreak75 The first album into my Jean-Luc Ponty collection and still a favorite.

1. "New Country" (3:07) what a way to show off the collective skills of the new crew! Daryl Stuerner impresses from the get-go! (9.5/10)

2. "The Gardens Of Babylon" (5:06) on of the 1970s most beautiful jazz-rock instrumentals--a harbinger of the Smooth Jazz and Adult Contemporary Music that would become so radio popular in the late 70s and 1980s. (10/10)

3. "Wandering On The Milky Way" (Violin Solo) (1:50) a precursor to my favorite J-L Ponty song of all-time, "Cosmic Messenger," as well as to the "George Romero" solo on 1984's Individual Choice. (4.375/5)

4. "Once Upon A Dream" (4:08) very pleasant and engaging/melodic jazz-rock. Some great bass and keyboard play from Tom Fowler and Allan Zavod, respectively. (9/10)

5. "Tarantula" (4:04) more on the rock side of things, not the Tango I was expecting. A little too static and repetitive in the support of J-L's violin work. (8.666667/10)

6. "Imaginary Voyage" : - a. Part I (2:22) a play on RTF and Mahavishnu (4.425/5) - b. Part II (4:05) a more laid back, slow cruisin' song--quite typical of one to two songs per album over the next ten years for Jean-Luc. Nice spaciousness given Allan Zavod for his solo in the second half.(8.75/10) - c. Part III (5:28) a song with a little more evenly-parsed musical expression: everybody is on high-gear throughout and the solos all excel. (9/10) - d. Part IV (8:00) the catchiest part of the suite and, therefore, the highlight. Great solo from Daryl, great bass work from Tom Fowler, and, of course, Jean-Luc. (14/15)

Total Time 38:10

My introduction to the world of Jean-Luc Ponty, I am still a huge fan of the opening two songs, "New Country" and "Gardens of Babylon"--the latter being one of the most gorgeous and emotional songs from the classic era of progressive rock and a progenitor of the Smooth Jazz movement while the former represents pure fun and unadulterated joy. The side-long "Imaginary Voyage" suite on Side Two was always a bit inaccessible to me until I recognized the tremendous similarities to the music of one of my favorite 1970s prog albums, 1974's Todd Rundgren's Utopia, as well as a melodiousness similar to the same period's work of WEATHER REPORT. The album as whole offers great contributions from all of Jean-Luc's session men--especially keyboardist Allan Zavod, fledgling guitarist Daryl Stuermer, bassist Tom Fowler and drummer Mark Craney (who would go on to serve Jean-Luc, Niteflyte, PhD., Jethro Tull, Dana, Headpins, Tommy Bolin, and Gino Vanelli each on multiple over the next three decades and for whom Imaginary Voyage represents the 22-year old's first studio album). Then there is Jean-Luc himself: Really, folks, has there ever been anyone with a more beautiful, creative, and dynamic contribution to the place of violin in rock music much less jazz, jazz fusion, and progressive rock? I would argue that there is not.

A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of jazz-rock fusion and one of my all-time favorite Jean-Luc Ponty albums.

FunkFreak75 The landmark collaboration between rock music's only successful jazz-rock fusionist and the ever-expanding, ever-adventurous, boundary-pushing virtuoso violinist. The Frank Zappa-penned (and produced) songs contain all of the jazz- and modern classical-underpinnings and eccentricities that Frank loved to put into all of his compositions--especially during this period of his career--and, of course, they all contained at least some presence of the humor that he was so famous for--in both the music as well as the song titles.

1. "King Kong" (4:54) opens like a sterile, mostly rote playing of Frank's charts--at least, that is, until George Duke's dirty electric piano solo at the end of the first minute. Jean-Luc gets his turn a minute later as George, Frank, Buell Neidlinger, and Art Tripp support with some minimally-miked, poorly engineered funky jazz-rock. Gene Estes' vibes are about the only thing that sound well-rendered. I love the tempo shift beneath Jean-Luc at 4:30. (8.875/10)

2. "Idiot Bastard Son" (4:00) a slow dirge that sounds tongue-in-cheek despite the awesome drumming from John Guerin. Following the charts was surely not an easy task due to the numerous stop-and-changes, but bassist Wilton Fender does an admirable job of remaining melodic and smooth in spite of this. Jean-Luc's playing is as good as might be expected but nowhere as dynamically earth-shattering as they will become in the coming six or seven years. The corny entrance and play of the dragging horn section at the three-minute mark are laughable despite everyone's remarkable synchronization with the complex tempo and melody shifts. (8.875/10)

3. "Twenty Small Cigars" (5:35) slow and deliberate, the weave of multiple melody-holders in Jean-Luc, Ernie Watts, Wilton Felder, and Gene Estes, and George Duke is beautiful with each holding his own but interlocked and interwoven to perfection. A beautiful, fully-realized song. (9/10)

4. "How Would You Like to Have a Head Like That" (7:14) another beautifully rendered song (even in its sound engineering) over which Ernie Watts gets a lot of front time with his alto sax and George Duke Fender Rhodes satisfies in both support/rhythm and lead roles. Frank even gets a solo on this one--wah-wah-ed and not too flashy but fully plugged in. This feels like a song that could very well have inspired Eumir Deodato when he was scoring and pulling together his ensemble for his Prelude album and specifically the "Also Sprach Zarathustra" hit. (13.5/15)

5. "Music for Electric Violin and Low Budget Orchestra" (19:20) A fully-classical composition of the Edgar Varese school of worship (as Frank was a fully-fledge and very vocal member). The first four minutes see the horns and classical orchestral instruments holding the line (under the supervision of Frank's very competent underling, Ian Underwood) while the jazz musicians kind of sit back and listen or minimally support. But then, in that fifth minute, the jazz combo takes over, with acoustic instrumentage--including a wonderful George Duke piano presence. (This is such a revelation of his extreme talent! Makes me want to hear more of his stupendous piano playing!) Jean-Luc, of course, is also present, in lead and support. At 8:25 there is a break and then the start up of a third movement--this one returning to the use of the orchestra, but here in an accompaniment role as Art Tripp's drums, Buell Neidlinger's bass, George's piano, and Jean-Luc's violin continue: it's just that everyone in the orchestra kind of doubles up or accents the jazzers' play. The entrance and presence of electric piano, electric bass, and electric piano is noticeable in the 12th minute as the "distant" electric piano sounds very much like those on Miles Davis' Bitches Brew. This opens up a kind of avant/free jazz spell before every falls back into gentle melody-making around the 12-minute mark. But then things get loose and chaotic again by the end of the 13th minute. At 13:18 a low squirt from Ernie Watts' tenor sax signals another shift: this one to piano and vibes-led frenetic percussion play over which the rest of the orchestral mostly contributes smooth, calming chords (until they don't). The final movement begins at 15:17 as the instrumental palette returns to jazz combo-orientation, but the orchestral members remain on high alert for their near-constant contributions of subtle support and fill. Despite the feeling of smoothness here, the music is nowhere near simple--as the rhythmically-complex 18th minute soon shows in spades. The finish then sounds like a parody of some pompous British processional, though Jean-Luc and the pacifying orchestra get to play the rather beautiful final notes. I have to say: I love Frank Zappa's "classical" and jazz compositions! This one stands right up there with all the rest: like a more-serious "Lumpy Gravy." (38/40)

6. "America Drinks and Goes Home" (2:39) a real Jazz/New Orleans jazz feeling song with George Duke again playing acoustic piano with John Guerin's drums, Wilton Felder's bass, Gene Estes' vibes, and Jean-Luc's very disciplined violin all helping to realize this very complex, very stop-and-go composition. (4.375/5)

Total Time 43:42

A-/five stars; another minor masterpiece from Frank Zappa and his jazz orchestra. Though Jean-Luc gets the top billing, this is really the result of Frank's creative artistry. Highly recommended--especially for those who, like me, love Frank's music compositions yet can be turned off by his often sophomoric lyrics; this one's all instrumental!

FunkFreak75 I am fortunate to have seen J-LP a few times in concert in my lifetime--and this tour was the first of them. The concert's opening is forever etched in my mind as one of the most amazing concert memories of my life. Opening with the album's title song, Jean-Luc proceeds to strike such unearthly sounds--more like screams--from his electric violin that people on the floor were literally covering their ears, turning this way and that with panicked expressions on their faces, trying to figure out where this never-before-experienced sound was coming from. It was incredible.

Line-up / Musicians: - Jean-Luc Ponty / acoustic & electric violins (4- & 5-string), organ, synthesizer, Orchestron, producer With: - Joaquin Lievano / electric & acoustic guitars - Peter Maunu / electric & acoustic guitars, guitar synthesizer - Allan Zavod / acoustic & electric pianos, organ, synthesizers - Ralphe Armstrong / fretted & fretless basses - Casey Scheuerell / drums, percussion 1. "Cosmic Messenger" (4:38) will always be my favorite Jean-Luc song because of the-above-noted amazing concert reproduction. The rhythm section is so tight here--too bad most Americans have never heard of these individual musicians cuz they're great. (10/10)

2. "Art of Happiness" (4:33) great bass and guitar play on this pretty-one dimensional song. (8.75/10)

3. "Don't Let the World Pass You By" (6:23) great synth start with guitars fading into the weave. Drums and bass elbow their way in before lead electric guitar and bass double up to bring in the melody line over a 90-second arc. The band then shifts gears and direction into a very tight hard-drivin' groove within which Alllan Zavod gets the first solo--about a minute's worth of synth magic before he (or Jean-Luc) switches to another synth for yet another minute of great stuff. Then, at 4:10, Jean-Luc is allowed to finally step in with his electric violin. He is so good: taking Zavod's stuff and putting it to shame! An Allan Holdsworth-sounding electric guitar gets a chance at 5:20 with Zavod competing with him just beneath. Great song. Everybody chugging along on full cylinders. (9.5/10)

4. "I Only Feel Good With You" (3:05) a stunningly beautiful song (as Jean-Luc was able to do more than any other J-R Fuse artist), synths and keys over gently-supporting rhythm play from Armstrong and Scheuerell and the rhythm guitarists. (9.75/10)

5. "Puppets' Dance" (3:40) never a favorite as Jean-Luc allows his band to take the Funk Road. Ralphe is good here, but the cowbell is too much. Guitars and violin weave together at first but then back off for Ralphe to show off a bit before returning for a recapitulation of their weave before backing down for Jean-Luc to soar away on his e-violin. (8.66667/10)

6. "Fake Paradise" (5:41) the opening 20-second weave sets up a great foundation for the guitarists and violin to have their time in the sun. Ralphe Armstrong is great. At 1:10 everybody remains steadfast over a suddenly shifting rhythm track. Interesting! Then the band returns to the first weave for a synthesizer to take the first solo. Same rhythmic shift at 2:37 (must be intended as the "chorus") but this is when one of the electric guitarists is given the nod. At 3:55 everybody goes back to motif #1 for Jean-Luc's turn. (8.875/10)

7. "Ethereal Mood" (4:03) another one of Jean-Luc's hauntingly majestic beauties. Keys, guitar, bass, congas, second acoustic guitar, strumming, and then soaring electric violin à la the title song. At 1:34 Jean-Luc recommences his melodic solo but then, at 1:55, there is a wonderful short-shift of guitar strumming before everybody returns to the normal for some loose atmospheric violin play. The dramatic "short-shift" occurs two more times, at 2:49 to 2:57 and 3:08 to 3:18, to great effect as Jean-Luc continues to let us think he's fading off into the cosmos. Great song. (9.75/10)

8."Egocentric Molecules" (5:44) a high-speed classic--Casey Scheuerell's best--with one of the electric guitarists stepping up to take the first solo. After a reset bridge at the end of the second minute Ralphe Armstrong ably steps up to the fore giving us an electric bass solo for the ages. Wow! 3:10 reset. Now it's Jean-Luc's turn. Can/Will he be able to top Ralphe's amazing solo? I don't think so but he comes close, he just doesn't match Ralphe's two-note-at-a-time play. At the end of the fifth minute Ralphe's given room to go again, but he holds back due to the horn-like synth at play in the lower end. Incredible tune! Makes one realize how we've been holding our breathes for the past six minutes! (9.75/10)

Total Time 37:47

P.S. Has anyone ever considered all of the guys Jean-Luc has stood toe-to-toe with? Stephane Grappelli, Frank Zappa, George Duke, John McLaughlin, Narada Michael Walden, Jan Hammer, Alan Holdsworth, Daryl Stuermer, Peter Maunu, Joaquin Lievano, Al DiMeola, Stanley Clarke, Ralphe Armstrong, Randy Jackson, Rayford Griffin, Monty Alexander, Patrice Rushen and many more. He must be quite respected on his instrument in order to attract this kind of company.

A/five stars; a masterpiece of fully-electrified, amazingly engaging, Jazz-Rock Fusion--definitely a Top 5 Album from the "Second Wave" of prog's "Classic Era."