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Jean-Luc Ponty

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Violinist

The Resume

    (September 29, 1942- )
    Born in Avranches, France
    Jazz/fusion violinist
    Member of Frank Zappa’s Mothers of Invention (1973), John McLaughlin’s Mahavishnu Orchestra (1974-75), and Chick Corea’s Return to Forever (2010- )
    Recorded the albums ‘Jazz Long Playing’ (1964), ‘Electric Connection’ (1969), ‘King Kong: Jean-Luc Ponty Plays the Music of Frank Zappa’ (1970), ‘Upon the Wings of Music’ (1975), ‘Imaginary Voyage’ (1976), ‘Enigmatic Ocean’ (1977), ‘Cosmic Messenger’ (1978), ‘Civilized Evil’ (1980), ‘Mystical Adventures’ (1982), ‘Open Mind’ (1984), ‘The Gift of Time’ (1987), ‘No Absolute Time’ (1993), ‘Life Enigma’ (2001), ‘The Atacama Experience’ (2007), and ‘Better Late Than Never’ (with Jon Anderson, 2015)

Why he might be annoying:

    He quit regular schooling at age 13 to practice violin six hours a day.
    He recalled that before George Duke invited him to work with Zappa, ‘I was ready to abandon a career in jazz and modern music.’
    He said about his fondness for cats, ‘They remind me of women – you never know what to expect with them.’

Why he might not be annoying:

    He was admitted to the Paris Conservatory at age 15 and graduated at 17 with its highest honor.
    He was named an Officer of the Legion of Honor (2016).
    Fellow jazz violinist Stuff Smith said, ‘He plays violin like Coltrane plays saxophone.’

Credit: C. Fishel


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Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 79 Votes: 48.10% Annoying