Ponty played a freer kinda jazz up until he joined Zappa's Mothers, then kinda slid into increasingly dull chops-oriented fusion during his Atlantic years. Live At Montreux (Sonata Erotica) is pretty much in the same headspace as some of the more meditative moments on Weather Report's Live In Japan.  There's some excellent playing by Ponty on acoustic violin and echo box, Joachim Kuhn on Fender Rhodes, and Nana Vasconcelos, who drops a really sweet extended berimbau solo halfway through the first side.  [DW]

_Canteloupe Island_ is the one to get! It combines BOTH _Experience_ and _King Kong_ on 2 platters. Great early fusion!
[freeform]