Sketch Up & Down – 1967
Jean-Luc Ponty
Ponty and Eberhard Weber on a hard-swinging number
Because the brilliant violinist Jean-Luc Ponty became closely associated with fusion in the 1970s and ‘80s, it is often forgotten that he played creative straight ahead jazz during the mid-to-late 1960s.
In this rare performance from 1967, Ponty solos with a European group in 1967 that also features organist Wolfgang Dauner (who was actually the leader), tenor-saxophonist Gert Dudek, bassist Eberherd Weber, and drummer Fred Braceful.
This uptempo post bop piece not only has fine solos all around (Dauner, Dudek, and Bracefield were superb players) but shows that bassist Weber (who became famous for his ECM recordings) was an excellent straight ahead player too.
-Scott Yanow
Ella Fitzgerald