IMAGINARY VOYAGE

Fusion: a union by or as if by melting as a merging of diverse, distinct, or separate elements into a unified whole.

It may seem strange to start a review with a definition of a dictionary of the word fusion, but I believe hat in the case of Imaginary Voyage it's essential, because this single album describes perfectly what the word fusion should really mean.

Ponty takes different influences (As we'll see later) and blends them with his own unique personality, not to obtain a hybrid but to create a new and different sound without loosing his essence and distinctive touch, but yet with obvious references to the specific genres from which he takes the influences.

In other words, less talented songwriters mix sounds and genres randomly, a great composer like Ponty blends everything with delicacy to create a different conception of music with a very defined personality.

But lets go back to the album, Ponty changes the "Aurora" lineup, Patrice Rushen is replaced by Alan Zavod on keyboards and Norman Ferrington by Marc Craney on drums and percussion. In the case of the drums I feel no dramatic difference but I like much more Rushen's more classical approach to piano than Zavod's eclectic style, even when the second one is more versatile, but the quality doesn't change because all the members are very talented including Stuermer and Fowler.

The first track "New Country" is an excellent fusion of Jazz and USA folk/Country, the interesting thing is that Jean-Luc creates the country sound with his violin and the rest of the band keeps playing in a jazzy style, specially the powerful rhythm section. At one point of the song Ponty uses the piccicato technique (playing the violin with the fingers instead of the bow) creating the illusion of a banjo sound, a perfect lesson of how two styles should be blended.

In the second song "The Gardens of Babylon" the band members change the role, violin, piano bass and keyboards play a clear jazz oriented song while Darryl Stuermer adds a wonderful touch of Flamenco or classical guitar, again a new lesson of how things must be done when you want to blend two absolutely different genres without creating a mess, wonderful track.

"Wandering on the Milky Way" is a violin solo where Jean-Luc allows himself to play with his favorite instrument using all the electronic devices in which he's pioneer in order to create a spacey atmosphere, not my favorite track, but after the first two masterpieces the man is allowed to have some fun.

"Once Upon a Dream" is a classic Jazz/Fusion song where the violin and piano take the leading role while Marc Craney keeps a perfect timing with his drums, probably with a strongest bass would have sounded much better, again not in the level of the first two tracks but very good.

Now it's time for some aggressive playing "Tarantula" is the perfect blending of Jazz with Rock, Ponty and Stuermer work perfectly together the rock oriented section while Fowler's strong bass and that human metronome named Marc Craney keep the Jazzy atmosphere alive, but Zavod deserves a special mention because he keeps changing from one genre to the other supporting each duet when necessary. Another masterpiece.

Maybe some purist Progheads won't be really satisfied because they would like something more Prog' oriented, well the epic "Imaginary Voyage" gives them more than anybody could expect on a Fusion album. This epic is divided in 4 parts:

Part I is clearly oriented towards Symphonic Prog with some references to ELP, but again Ponty is too proud and talented to copy any band, he just plays with those influences with his own unique sound, even when this part sounds 100% Symphonic, there's still alive some Jazzy sound, but very subtle to be obvious.

Part II is a return to Jazz and Ponty's brilliant violin sections while the band perfectly supports him, specially Zavod who does an spectacular work with the keyboards.

Part III starts with a spacey atmosphere somehow reminiscent to Pink Floyd, but again the development leads the song towards Jazz/Fusion a territory where Jean-Luc Ponty is more comfortable even when some Psychedelic touches (Similar to Santana) are evident, without doubt the richest and my favorite part of this excellent epic.

If there was any genre not worked by Ponty in this album it's Blues, but for the pleasure of those who like me love it, Jean Luc closes this album with "Imaginary Voyage" Pt IV mostly oriented toward Blues, with again an excellent work by Daryl Stuermer, this section of the epic also recapitulates atmospheres from the other three parts, a great closer.

A few hours ago I would have rated "Imaginary Voyage" under "Aurora", but when writing this review gave a new listen to the album and now I can't decide which is better.

Probably according to Jazz/Fusion standards "Aurora" is more consistent, but for most Progheads "Imaginary Voyage" is so rich in styles, influences and sounds that they would like it more. In my case it's a very hard choice, both are essential.

So I have no other option than rate it with another 5 solid stars.

Jean-Luc Ponty reaches a musical peak by releasing this excellent fusion record. Looking at the new line-up here, the talent and reliability of the musicians is not questionable: Mark Craney (Jethro Tull's "A") plays very fast and EXTREMELY elaborated drums. Tom Fowler (Frank Zappa) plays a restless, complex and very melodic bass. Daryl Stuermer is absolutely majestic, playing a beautiful acoustic guitar in unison with Ponty's VERY melodic electric violin. Stuermer shows here that he can also be a decent electric guitar player, as reveals his light wah-wah solo on "Tarantula": however, we feel here his solo sound still not comparable to David Gilmour's "Money" solo. However, he is an EXCELLENT acoustic guitar player, and he should stay in that department. Allan Zavod, on keyboards, does an honest job, although he rather stays in the background.

On side 2, the high-speed recordings in "Imaginary Voyage Part 1" are absolutely breathtaking: the comparison with Yes' "Sound Chaser" is inevitable. The epic track "Imaginary Voyage" may be uninterruptedly listened without any problem, although Stuermer's electric guitar solos have nothing really spectacular.

Rating: 4.5 stars

As with most of Ponty's solo album (in the second part of the 70's anyway), we are always dealing with a relatively soft jazz-rock , not far from ECM jazz but also not that far away from elevator music if the artiste is not careful with his musical intentions.

Apart from the highly problematic opener (meaning I hate it ;-) which is a disco-like jig, the album, this album is a typical Ponty album of the second half of the 70's and has the same flaws as those: generally a directionless instrumental jam-like (although staying very concise) atmosphere but with some of the era's synthesizers (which have aged much worse than their previous generations) and a sense of too little ideas stretched out too long creating a sense of déjà-vu. From the first side of the vinyl, I will single out Babylon and Milky Way as highlights, but none of the tracks (bar the opener) are anything else but good.

The second side is taken up by a frankly too-long 20-min title track with the better moments being the closing ones. The problem is that with this instrumental JR/F is that you are never really sure on which track you are unless you have played them albums countless times. Unfortunately for Jean-Luc, I get tired of the album quicker then I stop counting.

Certainly not his best album, but you could get into this one as well, as most of his album from that period resemble each other. Nothing groundbreaking or essential, but pleasant if a little pointless; Désolé Jean-Luc, on en a un, on les a tous!

Back in the early 70's there was an FM Album Rock station in Milwaukee that featured a program called "Commander Green's Space Headquarters". This album would have fit. Like it's title says, put on a set of headphones and take an "Imaginary Voyage". Indeed a trip. The music gets more and more focused as you move from track to track, everything building to the climax. Until I used the headphones I was not overly impressed with this offering. But all that ended when someone complained that I had the volume too high. I plugged in my Koss, and WHAM! I had to restart the CD, and then listened to it twice. This may not have been the easiest CD for me to get into, but it is more than worth the effort!

Before the masterpiece of Enigmatic Ocean, Jean-Luc Ponty took us on an Imaginary Voyage. Ponty gained his notoriety in the music industry from his various stints with Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention, playing on records such as Hot Rats, Over-nite Sensation, Apostrophe ('), and while this album bares no resemblance to those albums, they certainly helped pave the way for the type of music Ponty was to do. While this album doesn't feature some of the stellar musicians that were on Enigmatic Ocean (although Allan Zavod of future Zappa fame and Daryl Stuermer of future Genesis fame remained on both works), the quality of the music isn't really deterred at all. In fact, the overall sound of these two albums is quite similar, although there are some key changes (mainly Holdsworth's influence on the sound was missing). While not as good as it's follow up, Imaginary Voyage is still an excellent album that has a lot of fantastic instrumental moments.

The album opens with the piece New Country, which feels more like a disco piece with a violin as the lead instrument (mainly because of the relatively simple drum pattern that has the constant bass drum beat that's common with disco). Stuermer is fantastic on this track with a fantastic acoustic guitar performance, and his exchanging of solos with Ponty is quite stunning as well. It may not be the best piece on the album, but it's far from bad. The Gardens of Babylon features a fantastic bass line from Tom Fowler (of Mothers of Invention fame) that ranges from simple root notes to a beautiful counter melody underneath the steady Ponty violin melody. Allan Zavod also provides a beautiful keyboard solo showing his incredible abilities on the black and whites. Stuermer provides some more brilliant guitar play, he really shows that he can play the guitar (his work on Enigmatic Ocean was a bit subdued with Allan Holdsworth in the fold at the time). Wandering on the Milky Way is essentially a 1:50 violin solo, with Ponty utlizing echo effects and a phaser on his violin (which was a revolutionary thing at the time). Although it's mainly just noodling, I'm quite impressed with the experimentation of effects, which really makes this piece exciting.

Once Upon a Dream has a bit of an unsettling piano/guitar motif that is augmented by a main melody on the violin. Zavod provides an interesting synthesizer solo here, and it has a Zappa feel to it (and funnily enough, Zavod in the early 80s would find his way into Zappa's touring group). It's one of the weaker pieces on the album, but it's not a bad piece in the least bit. Tarantula utilizes a great unison bass/guitar melody with some blocky violin textures over it. Ponty goes off on a tangent in this piece, giving a frenetic run up and down the violin strings, also utlizing a subtle wah effect in the process. Stuermer provides arguably his best guitar performance here, hitting high speed runs and melodic interludes as well (he's a fantastic guitarist).

The album ends with the Imaginary Voyage suite, a 19 minute opus spread out over four parts. Opening with a spacious synthesizer motif, the track quickly picks up pace and has the feel of one of Bill Bruford's pieces from One of a Kind with the frenetic runs and the precision of the rhythm unit. Utilizing a frantic 7/8 melody the first part quickly evolves into a more subtle and laidback second part. Fowler is once again superb on the bass for this part and Ponty really comes into his own with his first of many precision violin solos. The second part breaks way into the third after a fantastic Zavod keyboard solo. The third part begins with an increasingly faster theme and some interesting guitar arpeggios after everything mellows out. Stuermer comes in again and offers a clean and sharp sounding guitar solo that makes good use of the frets (and he makes a few fantastic unison runs with Ponty). Although it's probably the weakest part of the suite, it still has its moments. The final part opens with a strong groove in the rhythm unit and a phaser pan offering a more mysterious aura to the mix. Throughout the rest of the piece, there are some great moments from all members, particularly that of Daryl Stuermer and Jean Luc Ponty, who mix well together and offer solo and unison runs that do nothing short of make your jaw drop. I will say, though, that the false ending towards the middle of the fourth part was a bit unneccesary and it certainly did throw the flow of the piece off. But that's just an opinion, some may actually enjoy it.

So Imaginary Voyage, how do I rate it? I think it's an excellent album that has very few things I could lower the score for. I will say, though, that some of the pieces don't exactly reach my quota of excellence, but I can't really say I dislike any piece on the album, they all have their merits and their own little interesting things about them. Although not as good as its successor, I recommend Imaginary Voyage highly to those looking for solid fusion or a great violin performance. 4.5/5.

Other than the harmless "New Country", this is prime prog-rock jazz fusion from Ponty.

"The Gardens of Babylon" includes some excellent acoustic guitar flashes from Daryl Steurmer.

"Wandering On The Milky Way" is a spacey violin interlude....

...but it's the last 3 tracks that are a prog-rock fusion fans delight, "Once Upon A Dream", "Tarantula" (Daryl goes wah-wah) and the old LP Side 2 classic (showing my age) title track are all beautifully executed, well-crafted songs...

New Country *** The Gardens of Babylon **** Wandering On The Milky Way *** Once Upon A Dream ***** Tarantula ***** Imaginary Voyage *****

An excellent CD, ***... 4 stars.

When Jazz-Rock meets Country!

For me, Jean-Luc Ponty is a great violin player and composer. His involvement with Mahavishnu Orchestra was seminal and brought his name widely recognized by jazz as well as fusion music lovers all over the world. His style of violin playing is ranging from soft and slow style with acoustic violin to the dynamic and complex ones using electric violin. His virtuosity is at par excellence with Eddie Jobson (UK), David Cross (King Crimson), Didier Lockwood (Gong) and also jazz violin player Stephane Grappelli. Since he joined Mahavishnu Orchestra in early-mid seventies, he changed his music approach into crossover between jazz and rock. That's where exactly his music landed beautifully in my ears and my mind. I have observed that he's not just a great musician and composer but he's also great at putting together musicians who support his compositions. Ralphe Armstrong, Randy Jackson, Daryl Stuermer, Allan Holdsworth are among other musicians who have supported him.

"Imaginary Voyage" represents Jean-Luc Ponty's musical adventures into a mix of jazz-rock and country music. This reminds me to the music of Dixie Dregs. The opening track of this album "New Country" (3:07) demonstrates his interpretation of country music with basic premise of upbeat style and happy / party mood. This can be seen at the beats of the song and inventive violin work backed with acoustic guitar fills. This is a well-composed music which is appropriate as opening tune of any program. The next track "The Gardens of Babylon" (5:06) is another nice composition with dynamic violin work and guitar solo. Ponty then interprets "Wandering On The Milky Way" (1:50) with his violin solo.

"Once Upon A Dram" (4:08) explores synthesizer and violin in constant stream of music with pre-programmed rhythm section. The rhythm tends to be boring but luckily the soloists give good melody for the song. Tarantula (4:04) is an upbeat music with simple arrangements and relatively steady rhythm section. Jean provides excellent violin solo while Allan Zavod gives his skills in playing the keyboard. "Imaginary Voyage" is a collection of songs (Part I - IV) that comprises quite accessible composition with simple to medium complexity using various instruments for solo: guitar, violin and keyboard. This track is a suite of this album.

At album level, I could only say that this is an excellent album that blends various styles: jazz, country, and rock. You would not regret having this album in your collection. In fact, I recommend you to explore other album like "Enigmatic Ocean", "Cosmic Messenger", "Mystical Adventures" as well as Mahavishnu Orchestra's "Visions of Emerald Beyond" - which I have just reviewed all recently. Keep on proggin' ..!

Peace on earth and mercy mild - GW

Thanks for those of you who have sent a PM with respect to Ponty. It mean a lot to me and motivates me to write other Ponty albums. You guys are terrific!

Although jazz rock fusions are often little more than virtuosity exercises diguised as songs, this is not the case. Jean Luc Ponty scapes from most jazz rock trappings with some very good compositions that actually moves the common listener even if he is not himself a musician to understand the band members techniques in general and the violinists in particular.

The album´s opener, New Country, is a good exemple: country jig music that seldom appears on such kind of record, showing off Daryl Stuermer´s fantastic skills on the acoustic guitar. From then on Imaginary Voyage is more or less what you expect from a jazz rock record. Except that the songwriting is superb. The melody rarely is surpassed by those long noodlings jazz rock musicians seem so prone of.

The band is a show apart: all of them fantastic musicians that later played on such different acts like Jethro Tull, Genesis, Frank Zappa, etc. They are really a band, not just a bunch of good musicians. And Jean Luc Ponty was wise enough to give them space to shine. They enriched the album a lot.

A fine CD, that even non jazz rock fans will enjoy. Recommended.

Imaginary Voyage is just one of thousands of progressive rock and funk influenced jazz fusion records that came out in the mid-70s. The songs on this album are good and the musicians are excellent, but I still find myself getting bored when I listen to it.

One of the first problems with this record is that it came out in 1976 instead of the earlier part of that decade. If this record had come out before '74 the music would have been fresh and innovative and it would have shown in the musician's playing. Instead, by '76 these guys had already been playing this style, or similar styles, in various bands for more than half a decade. The fact that these guys are on familiar territory shows in the spotless but risk-free solos.

Another problem with this record is the production. For some reason, as the decade wore on, producers felt a need to make jazz fusion into some sort of modern muzak, or fuzak as it has often been referred to. The compression on here is so tight that all the highs and lows in the volume have been taken out leaving a bland sameness. The equalization also aims for that washed-out middle ground. It's a shame because any attempt at high energy playing just doesn't come across on the speakers.

There are two songs on here that deserve special mention, one bad and the other good. New Country is the bad, it consists of a pounding disco beat topped with hoe-down fiddle music, need I say more. The good is Imaginary Voyage part II which is one of those mysterious Scriabin-like chord progressions that used to be popular with John McLaughlin and people who worked with him in the early 70s. This is a style of jazz-fusion that unfortunately has faded over the years.

This isn't a bad record, but it could have been a lot better if the producers hadn't tried to so hard to squelch everything, and if the musicians would have been willing to take a few risks.

Well you could add another star in the evaluation, regarding of the technical skill by J.L. Ponty, sometimes reminding me of another music genius- even though more versatile- such as Eddie Jobson...that' s the point, in 1976 the jazz fusion-genre in the vein of McLoughlin (sometimes disturbed by a more commercial stream, like within the first track "New County") was already an old method to think of introducing a few elements of rock inside a solid basis of experimental jazz...but for instance only one year after that performance (often in the vein of Mahavishnu Orchestra), there was the birth of a new super band like "UK", with the support of A. Holdsworth and the melodic touch by J. Wetton, in order to create an original mix of symphonic music and fusion, but in a modern and intelligent mood...Why wasn't Mr Ponty able to create something like that?! I don't know, but nevertheless "Imaginary Voyage" is a stunning performance anyway! For example the track "The Gardens of Babylon" is a strong tune, where the violin is powerful; but above all the title track (the suite) is a splendid mix between a cool fusion genre in the vein of Return to Forever and a symphonic touch according to the style by Yes...the unique defect is the risk of becoming a little bit repetitive in his performance, but I don't think J.L. Ponty is boring within the present album...perhaps a different modern approach could be more exciting (before I was reminding you of the early "UK", but I could mention also the roots of classical music by Echolyn, inside a strong basis of symphonic fusion...), even though at the end it's a minor defect regarding such a clever French musician like Ponty anyway.

The present work is worth to buy!

Jean Luc Ponty received some recognition at the time of this album in Quebec - his French background probably helped endear him to Quebecois fans even if not a word is uttered on the album. Of course it might have something to do with the man's indisputable virtuosity on the jazz fiddle.

The song that received the most airplay at the time was the barely three minute long opener "New Country", a mesmerizing spot-on approximation of jig music from the New World. Those who suggest the beat belongs to disco simply haven't listened to much celtic music, for while the tune screams hoedown, the rhythm and subtle acoustic guitar syncopation is right out of Brittany and could have just as easily been approximated by the feet of all the attendees of a Fest Noz, for which that beautiful land is well known.

But why, you ask, do I dispense so much analytical energy on barely 7% of the album. Sadly, because most of the rest is a self indulgent bore. It's true that Ponty tries to include and nurture all his bandmates and their considerable talent, but on the title suite it just means everyone gets their turn to be chief doodler, and what we hear vacillates between vapid ELP and a very lite but trite Mahivishnu Orchestra. Only "The Gardens of Babylon" is worth hearing again, as it bridges the sprightly and outward looking opener to the ceaseless fusion rather well, and suggests a route sadly not followed again. Once again Daryl Steurmer shines on acoustic guitar and Allan Zavod's keys work wonders.

In spite of two lovely short tunes, this voyage should have retrenched early on rather than insist on dragging us through a spectacular yet utterly barren terrain.

Jean-Luc Ponty could be a great musician (and he is sometimes when plays as collaborator with some really great musicians :) ). But his solo albums are very often too cheesy, polished and unfocused.

Imaginary Voyage isn't Ponty's bad album (as isn't the best his album as well). There he shows all he knows best - very melodic viloin soloing with support of buck-up band. And even if for the some first minutes the listener really enjoy Ponty's violin sound, very soon he feels like listening endless pleasant but empty musical sounds.

Ponty adds country, disco or symphonic elements in his sound, and it not always the bad thing. Bigger problem is that all these elements are used as raw material to build his polished wall of (violin) music, which is always the same (doesn't matter what he uses as bricks for his wall).

Complex enough music possibly could be much better without this polished sound production and with more (not pop-) rock elements in it. In few best moments compositions sounds almost as good jazz-rock, but too often they just remind elevators music.

The album is still good enough if you like melodic, slightly cheesy simphonic jazzy sound, polished production and comfortable listening. I prefer to listen Ponty's violin when played under control of real jazz-rock masters.

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 pianist Allan Zavod, fledgling guitarist Daryl Stuermer, bassist Tom Fowler and drummer Mark Craney. 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 not.

It was obvious that by mid-70's Ponty was searching for long-time collaborators so he could focus on a personal career.For his second album on Atlantic, besides Darryl Stuermer and Tom Fowler, he recruited new keyboardist Allan Zavod and drummer Mark Craney, who later had a brief involvement in the Jethro Tull line-up.''Imaginary voyage'' was recorded at the Kendun Studios in Burbank, California during the summer of 1976, before seeing the light the same year.

Ponty was already familiar with the American tradition, after so many years living and working in the USA, so the first part of this album even contains some Country flavors among the Classical workouts of Ponty and his violin.The style remains a pleasant and enjoyable Jazz/Fusion with very melodic violin drives and solos, still there is plenty of room for some nice synthesizers and electric piano.Some boogie grooves in the vein of THE DIXIE DREGS just strengthen the link between Ponty and his inspiration from the American way of living.The flipside of the LP is captured by the 20-min. all instrumental 4-part suite ''Imaginary voyage'' in an attempt by Ponty to come up with a composition having also proggy vibes among his typical Fusion stylings.This suite shows Ponty moving away from the Mahavishnu Orchestra-style of Jazz/Fusion for a more WEATHER REPORT-approach and is dominated by some incredible and dreamy synth solos, doubled by electric piano, while Stuermer's presence is more apparent in the last and longer part, offering tasteful jazzy guitar solos.Complex rhythms and tight interplays are also present, especially in the opening parts, in a track that maintains a rich and virtuosic delivery all the way.

Ponty begins to establish himself as a competetive composer alongside his undoubtful playing skills.A very good album of technical yet melodic Jazz/Fusion, characterized by series of smooth interplays and careful solos.Recommended.

I find the album more streamlined and accessible than the previous two fusion records, it also shows a small development and more mid 70's sound. Tracks are more melodic, perhaps better compositional skills or mood by Ponty.

The first track is an excellent country-jazz-fusion track with a beautiful acoustic guitar solo + ruling violin. The second track has first hints of a more energetic smooth jazz with still quite good soloing.

"Once upon a dream" could be remotely related to a relaxed Mahavishnu mood, violin synthentizer is an interesting sound addition. "Tarantula" is a bit whimsical track with tiny bits of funy rhythms.

The best is left to the end - the title suite of different tastes: 1. a very dynamic and complex even overblown intro 2.relaxing keyboard/violin part with great soloing 3.the most beautiful part thanks for an uplifting and intensive violin melody - trademark by Ponty, also listen to the killer bass lines 4. more experimental violin/guitar interplay and complex rhythm.

Another fusion highlight by Ponty.