Jean-Luc Ponty

小簡介
Jean Luc Ponty于1942年09月29日出生在法國Avreanches的一個古典音樂人的家中。他的父親教授小提琴，他的母親教授鋼琴。在他十六歲的時候，他被允許到巴黎的Conservatoire National Superieur de Musique de Paris 學習，并且在十七歲時以優(yōu)秀的成績畢業(yè)。他立即被當時最主要的三個交響樂隊之一的the Concerts Lamoureux雇傭，并且在那里演奏了三年。在音樂學校的期間，Ponty曾經(jīng)為大學的一個爵士樂隊客串過單簧管手，并和他們在聚會上一起演奏。這個樂隊的領(lǐng)導者教給了他許多關(guān)于爵士的知識。后來，由于他對當時的現(xiàn)代爵士的興趣越來越大，就象Miles Davis，John Coltrane那樣，于是他改吹高音薩克斯。后來，這個興趣讓他有了把高音薩克斯上的音樂轉(zhuǎn)換到他一直學習的樂器－－小提琴上沖動。這對于一個從小接受正統(tǒng)的古典音樂教育的小提琴手來說是一個飛躍。 　　
二十二歲時，他在菲利浦公司發(fā)行了自己的第一張叫做《Jazz Long Playing》的獨奏專輯。接下來便接續(xù)發(fā)行了數(shù)十張令人津津樂道且贊嘆的個人作品。如果你要問誰是當代爵士樂小提琴巨匠，那么首推Jean Luc Ponty莫屬。他驚人的演奏技巧總是讓即興的旋律如同乘著羽翼的歌聲，自在又活躍。六十年代他曾與Stephane Grappelli(史提芬葛瑞波利)、Frank Zappa(法蘭克薩帕)等人合作演奏前衛(wèi)的錄音，著名的"King Kong"就是一例。但七十年代中期之后他就成為技驚四座的爵士小提琴先軀。同時因為他有古典小提琴的背景，從絕對音感到即興獨奏，幾乎再困難的技巧也難不倒他。然而他融合各種樂風，并大膽予以新意的作法，也讓許多樂界人士嘖嘖稱奇。當時相繼邀他共同合作的樂手包括有Elton John(艾爾頓強)、John McLaughlin(約翰麥克勞夫倫)與眾多當時的樂界精英，足是銳不可當。Jean Luc Ponty通過在小提琴上大膽運用電子與合成器效果，把小提琴從演奏純音樂的樂器中解放出來。在爵士和搖滾領(lǐng)域，他是一個無可爭辯的先鋒小提琴領(lǐng)導者。他因為應用他自己獨特的夢幻疾速風格演奏而被大家所尊敬。
by Richard S. Ginell
It has been a long, fascinating odyssey for Jean-Luc Ponty, who started out as a straight jazz violinist only to become a pioneer of the electric violin in jazz-rock in the 70s and an inspired manipulator of sequencers and synthesizers in the 80s. At first merely amplifying his violin in order to be heard, he switched over to electric violin and augmented it with devices that were associated with electric guitarists and keyboardists, like Echoplex machines, distortion boxes, phase shifters, and wah-wah pedals. Classically trained, with an unquenchable ability to swing when he wants to, and consumed by a passion for tight structures and repeating ostinatos, Ponty has been able to handle styles as diverse as swing, bop, free and modal jazz, jazz-rock, world music, and even country, mixing them up at will. Starting in 1977, he also pioneered the use of a five-string electric violin with a low C string. Undoubtedly, he rivals Stéphane Grappelli for the title of the most prominent and influential European jazz violinist.
Pontys father — the director of the school of music in Avranches and a violin teacher as well — got Jean-Luc started on violin at the age of five, and his mother tutored him on piano. He left school at 13 in order to practice six hours a day in the hope of becoming a concert violinist. At 15, he was accepted into the Paris Conservatoire, ultimately winning the premier prix at age 17. He played with the Concerts Lamoureux Orchestra for three years, during which time, thanks to the influence of Grappelli and Stuff Smith, he became interested in jazz. Oddly enough, Ponty began playing jazz first on the clarinet and tenor sax, waiting until 1962 to apply it to the violin. After a hitch in the French Army (1962-1964), Ponty went completely over to the jazz camp, leading quartets and trios in Europe, recording with Grappelli, Smith, and Svend Asmussen on Violin Summit, and visiting the U.S. for the first time in 1967 at a Monterey Jazz Festival workshop. Enriching himself with diverse American experiences in 1969, Ponty recorded with Frank Zappa, joined the George Duke Trio, and upon his return to France, formed the free jazz Jean-Luc Ponty Experience (1970-1972) before settling in the U.S. and rejoining Zappas Mothers of Invention. He toured and recorded with the Mahavishnu Orchestra in 1974-1975 and then set out on his own, compiling a long series of solo albums on Atlantic that pulled away from the more volcanic aspects of fusion toward a more lyrical, European, yet still exciting extension of Mahavishnus idioms.
In 1983, after his records began to sound increasingly formulaic, Ponty switched gears and recharged his creative batteries on the synthesizer. Starting with the Individual Choice album, he began constructing attractive revolving patterns of electronic sounds with the help of sequencers, producing backdrops for his violin that were elegantly indebted to Europop influences. He took this direction with him when he signed with Columbia in 1987, but on 1991s Tchokola album Ponty was on the move again, throwing out the sequencers and recording with West African musicians who provided him with new ostinato patterns to play with. Ponty opened the 21st century with Life Enigma in 2001, following it with Live at Semper Opera that same year. A live Warsaw date from 1999 was released in 2004 as Jean-Luc Ponty in Concert. The Acatama Experience appeared in 2007.