Mads Tolling Quartet – Celebrating Jean-Luc Ponty
A few decades ago, when I first began to grow as a jazz listener, I recall a friend saying that he likes jazz but couldn’t get used to “Jean-Luc Ponty and that violin.” At the time, I was barely aware of Ponty, but I agreed. So used to the notion that violins belonged in a symphony orchestra, it was difficult to appreciate it as a lead instrument in jazz.
That attitude changed over the years, with increased exposure to Stephane Grappelli, Karen Briggs and, of course, Mr. Ponty. So by the first time I saw the name Mads Tolling in a CD liner, I was ready to accept his violin as a key component of the music I was about to listen to. Now, when I see his name, I expect an enjoyable experience.
Celebrating Jean-Luc Ponty by the Mads Tolling Quartet (Madsman Records, 2012), recorded live at Yoshi’s in Oakland, California, is exactly that. From the opening notes of “Lila’s Dance” to the conclusion of “Pontyfication,” this is a fine example of the two-time Grammy winner’s expertise. Also on the recording are guitarist Mike Abraham, bassist George Ban-Weiss and drummer Eric Garland.
Soulchestral Groove is Karen Briggs’ first, long awaited independent release since the grand exposure of PBS Special, Yanni: Live At The Acropolis! Sum up the equation of soul plus orchestral plus groove and this CD exudes it all!
Miles Stiebel defines himself as special event artist. This honorable title is justified by numerous events presenting this musician on his instrument, the violin. A violin in contemporary jazz is rather unusual. Miles has a fearless explanation: “People often tell us how much they like the way we blend the sound of the violin and saxophone or the violin and guitar, so you will hear some nice conversations between these instruments in my music.”
That guitarists are fans of Jimi Hendrix is a common thing, but that a violin player is a disciple of this guitar hero, is somehow unusual. We are talking about the violinist Noel Webb who discovered new directions of music.
