JAZZ REVIEW : African Rhythms Help Boost Ponty to His Best

Jean-Luc Ponty’s discovery of African music has produced some of the best work of his career. His concert at Universal Amphitheatre on Friday night included many of the players and most of the pieces from his fine new album, “Tchokola.”

As on the recording, Ponty’s violin was energized by the “juju,” “makossa” and “zouk” rhythms that filled the evening. Abandoning much of the virtuosic technique that has characterized his fusion jazz, he sounded warmer, more melodic and more in sync with his surroundings.

But was it the tail wagging the dog? Was it yet another example of a big-name Western performer using the sizzle and sting of ethnic music to revitalize his career? Or was there a genuine integration of creative forms?

The answer is that a little of both was true. Ponty’s playing clearly has benefited from the interfacing with African rhythms. But there were times, in many of his solos, in which his scalular, diatonic runs were almost dragged into respectability by the urgent complexities of the African players.

To his credit, Ponty allotted ample space in the spotlight to his associates and often deferred to them musically.

Still, it’s difficult to hear a stylistically mixed program of this sort without wondering why musicians from other parts of the world require certification from someone like Ponty (or, for that matter, Paul Simon) in order to reach a large American audience. The bottom line is that this particular event would have been every bit as exciting without the presence of Ponty.