ENIGMATIC OCEAN

It was long overdue to dust off the jewel case on a timeless classic that has aged well and sounds as good as it did decades ago.

Ponty has a reputation of someone who is difficult to get along with. On top of that, I am not particularly mad about violins in general, although I do admire the Mahavishnu Orchestra, but not necessarily for the violins alone. But Ponty makes his instrument not only engaging, but almost indispensable in modern Jazz.

A brilliant soloist, composer, what sets him apart from some (Jan Akkerman springs to mind) that he is also a great arranger who brings out the best from the other musicians. The end result is that the works sound like a collective effort by a band and not like star musician with a backup crew of hired hands.

"Enigmatic Ocean" is a well-rounded, all instrumental album, fully in the Jazz-Rock territory. Not too heavy, not too light and with a right balance of great solos by all involved, some lyrical interludes in-between powerful, driving material. Highly recommended as one of Ponty's better works. (Yep, Allan Holdsworth is also part of this crew!)

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