A couple of years ago I set out to shine a light on stellar fusion records in a decade where the genre started running out of ideas, passion and gumption. You May Also Like: Lyle Mays (1953-2020): An Appreciation Lyle Mays, “Eberhard” (2021): One Track Mind

Months before Miles Davis entered the studio with an impressive assemblage of jazz musicians to create his signature jazz-rock masterwork Bitches Brew, a fringe rock star and an little-known jazz violinist from France got together to make some proto-fusion You May Also Like: When Jean Luc Ponty Made a TriumphantRead More

Turns out, this was one funky ship that ran ashore. Our latest Desert Island Disc lists focus on 1970s fusion, and top vote-getters included Herbie Hancock’s thunderously groove-filled 1973 triumph Head Hunters. You May Also Like: Return to Forever’s Surprise ‘Returns’ Smartly Focused on the Past Chick Corea (1941-2021): AnRead More

Return to Forever, as Lenny White proudly told me, was a “jazz quartet on steroids” — with all of the muscular virtuosity and boisterous flourishes implied. Enter violinist Jean-Luc Ponty You May Also Like: Return to Forever’s Surprise ‘Returns’ Smartly Focused on the Past How ‘Stanley Clarke Band Featuring Hiromi’Read More

Steve Smith left Journey to focus on jazz, his first musical love, in the late 1990s – but he has remained close with the band’s co-founding guitarist. You May Also Like: No related posts.

When I learned that Clara Ponty was coming out with a new album, I got curious, and to be completely upfront about it, I was curious because she is the daughter of famed violinist Jean-Luc Ponty. You May Also Like: No related posts.

On this special edition of Something Else! Reviews’ One Track Mind, we hand the reins over to Steve Smith, who’s had memorable tenures with Journey and Jean-Luc Ponty and now leads the fusion jazz group Vital Information. You May Also Like: When Jean Luc Ponty Made a Triumphant Return WithRead More

Steve Smith discusses the anniversary of his jazz band Vital Information, and an amazing career that includes stops with Journey, Jean-Luc Ponty, Ronnie Montrose and the Buddy Rich Big Band.

Back in January we covered two of JLP’s albums from the early eighties at once, to examine a turning point in this French violinist’s approach to jazz-rock. This time around, there’s a brand new release to examine and twenty-five years later, Ponty is still effectively leveraging much of the sameRead More

by S. Victor Aaron When I initally got into fusion jazz in the mid to late seventies, Jean-Luc Ponty was one of the first artists I became a fan of, and I still dig his music today. He’s been an enduring figure on the scene, having been recording for overRead More