Learn Jean-Luc Ponty - 1970 [1993] Manly Soul Monarch Kong

King Kong: Jean-Luc Ponty Plays the Music of Frank Zappa (or only King Kong) is an album past times French jazz fusion artist Jean-Luc Ponty get-go released inward 1970 on Liberty Records' World Pacific Records subsidiary label in addition to after released on Blue Note. The album contains numerous selections Zappa had previously recorded either amongst the Mothers of Invention or nether his ain name, including:

• "King Kong", originally included on the Mothers' 1969 album Uncle Meat
• "Idiot Bastard Son", from the Mothers' 1968 album We're Only inward It for the Money
• "Twenty Small Cigars", from Zappa's 1970 album Chunga's Revenge
• "America Drinks in addition to Goes Home", from the Mothers' 1967 album Absolutely Free

In addition, the rails "Music For Electric Violin And Low Budget Orchestra" includes the themes from "Duke of Prunes", from Absolutely Free, in addition to "Pound for a Brown", from Uncle Meat.^[3] Zappa excised those themes, in addition to everything that followed them, when he after recorded the slice himself nether the championship "Revised Music For Guitar And Low-Budget Orchestra", which was get-go released on his 1978 album Studio Tan.
George Duke, who would eventually bring together Zappa in addition to Ponty inward the Mothers, is featured on pianoforte on all tracks. Ernie Watts is featured on alto in addition to tenor saxophone on all tracks except for "Music for Violin in addition to Low Budget Orchestra". Zappa himself plays guitar on i selection, in addition to Mothers members Ian Underwood (tenor sax) in addition to Art Tripp (drums) contribute to the album every bit well.

Rolling Stone's Bob Palmer called it "one of the approximately rewarding in addition to boundary-obliterating collaborations" in addition to said "Zappa, donning his Jazz Composer - Arranger suit, emerges every bit a first-rate practitioner of the art: his previous lack of credence past times the jazz community is in all likelihood due to the same bizarre touches that endear him to his younger audiences. Here he is reminiscent of Charles Mingus, non musically (except for the Mingus-like tune in addition to violin-tenor voicing of "Twenty Small Cigars") but inward the agency he examines in addition to finds novel expressive possibilities inward his before pieces, in addition to combines them amongst novel music that refers to broad areas of experience without centring inward whatever i stylistic bag.

Not exactly an album of interpretations, King Kong: Jean-Luc Ponty Plays the Music of Frank Zappa was an active collaboration; artist/frank-zappa-mn0000138699">Frank Zappa arranged all of the selections, played guitar on one, in addition to contributed a new, nearly 20-minute orchestral composition for the occasion. Made inward the wake of artist/ponty-mn0000228299">Ponty's appearance on artist/zappa-mn0000138699">Zappa's jazz-rock masterpiece Hot Rats, these 1969 recordings were pregnant developments inward both musicians' careers. In price of jazz-rock fusion, artist/zappa-mn0000138699">Zappa was i of the few musicians from the stone side of the equation who captured the complexity -- non exactly the experience -- of jazz, in addition to this projection was an indicator of his growing credibility every bit a composer. For artist/ponty-mn0000228299">Ponty's part, King Kong marked the get-go fourth dimension he had recorded every bit a leader inward a fusion-oriented milieu (though artist/zappa-mn0000138699">Zappa's construct of experimentalism didn't actually foreshadow artist/ponty-mn0000228299">Ponty's ain subsequent work). Of the repertoire, 3 of the 6 pieces had previously been recorded past times the Mothers of Invention, in addition to "Twenty Small Cigars" presently would be. artist/ponty-mn0000228299">Ponty writes a Zappa-esque topic on his lonely original "How Would You Like to Have a Head Like That," where artist/zappa-mn0000138699">Zappa contributes a nasty guitar solo. The centerpiece, though, is manifestly "Music for Electric Violin in addition to Low Budget Orchestra," a novel multi-sectioned composition that draws every bit much from modern classical music every bit jazz or rock. It's a showcase for artist/zappa-mn0000138699">Zappa's love of blurring genres in addition to artist/ponty-mn0000228299">Ponty's versatility inward treatment everything from lovely, unproblematic melodies to creepy dissonance, measure jazz improvisation to avant-garde, nearly costless grouping passages. In the end, artist/zappa-mn0000138699">Zappa's personality comes through a piddling to a greater extent than clearly (his compositional trend pretty much ensures it), but King Kong firmly established artist/ponty-mn0000228299">Ponty every bit a risk-taker in addition to a strikingly original novel vocalisation for jazz violin. 

Tracks Listing

1. King Kong (4:54)
2. Idiot Bastard Son (4:00)
3. Twenty Small Cigars (5:35)
4. How Would You Like to Have a Head Like That (7:14)
5. Music for Electric Violin in addition to Low Budget Orchestra (19:20)
6. America Drinks in addition to Goes Home (2:39)

Total Time: 43:42

Personnel

    Jean-Luc Ponty – electrical violin, baritone violectra
    Frank Zappa – guitar
    George Duke – piano, electrical piano
    Ernie Watts – alto in addition to tenor sax
    Ian Underwood – tenor sax
    Buell Neidlinger – bass
    Wilton Felder – Fender bass
    Gene Estes – vibraphone, percussion
    John Guerin – drums
    Art Tripp – drums
    Donald Christlieb – bassoon
    Gene Cipriano – oboe, English linguistic communication horn
    Vincent DeRosa – French horn, descant
    Arthur Maebe – French horn, tuben
    Jonathan Meyer – flute
    Harold Bemko – cello
    Milton Thomas – viola