The Atacama Experience

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Atacama Experience
Studio album by Jean-Luc Ponty

Publication
(s)

2007

Label (s) cook

Format (s)

CD

Genre (s)

jazz

Title (number)

14th

running time

59:00

occupation
  • Piano , keyboard: William Lecomte
chronology
Jean-Luc Ponty in Concert
(2003) 		The Atacama Experience -

The Atacama Experience is a music album by French jazz musician Jean-Luc Ponty that was released in May 2007. The title refers to the Atacama Desert on the Pacific coast of South America, which Ponty visited after a concert in Santiago de Chile . In addition to the long-time members of Ponty's band, guitarists Allan Holdsworth and Philip Catherine play as guest musicians.

background

Atacama Desert

The album was recorded between January 2006 and February 2007 while Ponty toured different continents with his band. Ponty u. a. by keyboardist William Lecomte, who has been with the band since 1999. The bassist Guy Nsangué Akwa has also been part of the band since 1991.

The album begins with a recording of the Parisian street noise. The track “Desert Crossing” is the first track that Ponty has ever recorded unaccompanied.

successes

The album reached number 24 on Billboard's Top Jazz Albums chart , the first of Ponty's albums since 1997 ( Live at Chene Park ). It was Ponty's first studio album in six years.

reception

The album was received mostly positively by the critics. Michael G. Nastos awarded four stars out of five and remarked in the review at Allmusic : … this recording is not only a welcome change of pace, but a return to the great music that made Ponty an important figure in contemporary music. There is no hesitation in recommending this (album), and it is the brilliant violinist's best performance in nearly 30 years. John Kelman wrote on All About Jazz : ... a welcome return to form. Captivating through and through, it has the sustained compositional depth and unmistakable solo abilities that kept Ponty's name alive, even in the years when he was not in the public eye.

Track list

All pieces by Jean-Luc Ponty, unless otherwise noted

  1. Intro - 0:15
  2. Parisian Thoroughfare ( Bud Powell ) - 4:39
  3. Premonition - 3:43
  4. Point of No Return - 6:45
  5. Back in the 60's - 4:03
  6. Without Regrets - 4:29
  7. Celtic Steps - 5:52
  8. Desert Crossing - 3:03
  9. Last Memories of Her - 5:21
  10. The Atacama Experience - 2:01
  11. On My Way to Bombay - 4:32
  12. Still in Love - 5:07
  13. Euphoria (William Lecomte) - 4:49
  14. To and Fro - 4:21

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Video presentation of the Ponty album . www.ponty.com. Archived from the original on January 24, 2009. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved July 14, 2009.  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.ponty.com
  2. ↑ In the original text: ... this recording is not only a welcome change of pace, but a return to the great music that made Ponty an important figure in contemporary music. This one is recommended with no hesitation, and is the brilliant violinist's best effort in nearly 30 years.
  3. ↑ ... a welcome return to form. Thoroughly engaging, it possesses the enduring compositional depth and unmistakable solo acumen that's kept Ponty's name alive, even during years when he's been away from the public eye.

Web links