NO ABSOLUTE TIME

By this time in his career (1992), Ponty had applied his violin stylings to just about everything...except African themes (at least for the most part). So, if you want to hear Ponty doing pretty much what he's been doing for the thirty years preceeding this album, except with some different rhythms, then you might dig No Absolute Time.

I have to say, I wasn't expecting much from this album, which may be part of why I'm pleasantly surprised. Unlike other Ponty albums, it sounds like there is some actual interaction/interplay with the band, as opposed to generic background music with a violin on top. In addition, there are some very enjoyable performances, such as a nice bit of bass work (Blue Mambo, for example), catchy keyboarding (Lost Illusions), though the percussion for the most part is forgettable, which seems strange to me for having a number of African themed tunes. Most importantly, there are some nice melodies to be found, which makes Ponty's interspersed noodling much more effective.

Don't get me wrong--this is by no means a great album. There is a certain sanitized, over-produced feel to the tunes, which means that none of the songs have anything close to a killer bite; however, if you want some mellow instrumental music with some time signature changes and fairly intriguing melodies and performances, then you could do much worse than No Absolute Time.