Jean-Luc Ponty - 1967 - Sunday Walk

Jean-Luc Ponty

1967

Sunday Walk

01. Sunday Walk 6:28

02. Carole's Garden 7:42

03. Cat Coach 6:00

04. You've Changed 8:24

05. Suite For Claudia 9:50

Bass – Niels-Henning Örsted-Pedersen

Drums – Daniel Humair

Piano – Wolfgang Dauner

Violin – Jean-Luc Ponty

Recorded June 1967, SABA-Tonstudio Villingen/Black Forest

An early album by French violinist / composer Jean-Luc Ponty, recorded in a quartet setting with a European quartet, which also included German pianist Wolfgang Dauner, Danish bassist Niels-Henning Orsted-Pedersen and Swiss drummer Daniel Humair. The album presents five tracks, one each by Ponty, Dauner and Humair, one by American composer Denny Zeitlin and one standard. The recording was initiated by my friend and Mentor, the producer Joachim Berendt, who wrote the liner notes for the original album, which are respectfully included in this album’s artwork.

At this early stage of his career, Ponty was already recognized as a great talent and continuator of the French violin Jazz school, following in the footsteps of Stephane Grappelli. But Ponty was not a mere keeper of the tradition, as his improvisation was close to John Coltrane and his musical path was about to include stints with Frank Zappa, John McLaughlin and other pioneers of Jazz-Rock Fusion, who established the genre.

The three partners Ponty selected to accompany him on this album were also, despite their young age, already amongst Europe’s most seasoned and talented young musicians. The immediate perfect rapport between the quartet members is evident from the very onset of the music and lasts unbroken till the very last note.

The original material is certainly as good, and in fact better than any standard the quartet might have picked to perform together, and the talents of all three composers was about to flourish for years to come. Although Orsted-Pederson died in 2005 and Dauner in 2020, Ponty and Humair continue their brilliant careers now, fifty-five years after this classic gem was recorded.

Overall, this is one of the greatest gems of early European modern Jazz and a classic album in every respect, which has but a few equals over time. The fact that it is finally available on CD should make countless fans of violin Jazz ecstatically happy. This is an absolute must in every serious Jazz record collection.Side NoteThe legendary German MPS (Musik Produktion Schwarzwald) label, founded by Hans Georg Brunner-Schwer (HGBS) in 1963, first as SABA Records and later on from 1968 as MPS Records, was the most important independent European record label, which had an enormous contribution to the development of European Jazz. For many years MPS cooperated with the legendary German producer / author Joachim Berendt, my friend and mentor, whose visionary approach and open-mindedness brought the crème de la crème of the Jazz (in the broadest meaning of the word) musicians from all over the world to the label. Between 1963 and 1983 MPS produced about five hundred albums, many of which are among the most important Jazz recordings on this planet.

In 1983 the MPS catalog was sold to Universal, which sadly resulted in all those artistic treasures to almost disappear from the face of the earth – a situation not only tragic but culturally criminal. Universal reissued a part of the MPS albums (probably 128 titles) on CD between 1999 and 2011 under the "Most Perfect Sound Edition" moniker.

Since 2008 the German Promising Music label released some of the MPS recordings, but at a very slow pace.

In 2014 the German company Edel AG bought the MPS catalogue from Universal and released a series of 25 MPS albums on CD with a new slipcase graphic design, which brought all those excellent albums back to life. In 2015 Edel AG started to record and release new albums under the MPS moniker. In 2016 Edel AG released a series of 10 classic MPS albums on CD, which were beautifully remastered and re-packaged, presenting the original artwork and liner notes, as well as new liner notes and photographs. An obvious labor of love, these reissues are what the MPS catalogue truly deserves. This project was continued in 2017 with another series of 10 classic MPS albums released on CD. In later years some new reissues were released sporadically.

Although there were two earlier dates led by violinist Jean-Luc Ponty (for Palm in 1963 and Philips in 1964), this was the first album to get much circulation. Originally recorded for the German Saba label and made available in the U.S. on this Pausa LP, Ponty is heard performing in a quartet also including pianist Wolfgang Dauner, bassist Niels Pedersen and drummer Daniel Humair. The music, much more straight-ahead than Ponty's output of the 1970s, is quite advanced, looking toward John Coltrane at times. In addition to "You've Changed" (one of the few standards ever recorded by the violinist), the band performs Denny Zeitlin's "Carole's Gordon" and three group compositions, including Ponty's "Suite for Claudia." Already at this time, Jean-Luc Ponty was a highly original and brilliant player.

A really beautiful early album from the legendary Jean-Luc Ponty – a set that's maybe more straight jazz than some of his later work, and which also represents a pivotal shift in the use of the violin in jazz! Ponty's phrasing here is very different than previous players who handled the instrument in such a setting – almost more informed by a saxophone than earlier instrumentalists – often with notes that are not nearly as sweet as others, and heard to perfection in the company of this quartet! The whole group is great – Wolfgang Dauner on acoustic piano, also straighter than in later years – plus Niels Henning Orsted Pederson on bass, and Daniel Humair on drums.

Legendary drummer Kenny Clarke compared Jean-Luc Ponty to Dizzy Gillespie. Fellow violinist Stuff Smith marveled, “He plays violin like Coltrane plays saxophone.” Born in 1942, the French violinist transported jazz violin playing into the world of modern jazz. On Frank Zappa’s urging, Ponty moved to the States in 1970. Over the next years he toured with Zappa, the Mahavishnu Orchestra, and Chick Corea’s “Return to Forever”. On the 1967 Sunday Walk the band saunters through two blues, a waltz, and a standard before reaching Suite for Claudia which begins at a blistering pace with Ponty’s saxophone-like “brilliance and fire” playing. It then settles into a medium swing groove with Wolfgang Dauner’s infectious piano play followed by a smoldering Ponty. Daniel Humair’s crisp drum solo segues into a heart-felt waltz. After all, this was written for Ponty’s wife. Ponty is here with a group of Europe’s finest at their youthful best. The way they play, it’s all a walk in the park.