JEAN-LUC PONTY — Imaginary Voyage (review)

JEAN-LUC PONTY — Imaginary Voyage album cover

Album · 1976 · Fusion

4.5/5 · 2024-10-11
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.