Imaginary Voyage
	Produced by Jean-Luc Ponty
	Released on September? 1976
	US CHART POSITION #67 . . . US JAZZ ALBUMS CHART POSITION #2
	Find it at GEMM
SD 18195 cover w. promo sticker

A softer, more thoughtful album than much of his Atlantic output, Imaginary Voyage finds Jean-Luc Ponty toning down the electric attack to feature acoustic sounds. This is best exemplified in the country/jazz hybrid “New Country,” which provides a fresh perspective on the violinist (although the unreconciled rhythms prove it to be an uncomfortable amalgam of styles). Rock is still the driving force behind tracks like “Tarantula,” but the rest of the songs on side one show a gentler muse at work. “Once Upon a Dream,” which nearly melts in the listener’s mind, and “The Gardens of Babylon” presage the smoother fusion adopted by the next generation of jazz artists, who brought traditional acoustic instruments into their jazzy discourse. The second side is devoted to the four-part title suite, which mixes tortuous arrangements reminiscent of Frank Zappa with swift currents of melody. Ponty, who first appears on keyboards alongside Allan Zavod, soon switches to violin and unleashes some of his most graceful soloing to date. At times sounding more like a progressive rock outfit than a fusion group, Ponty and his band (which now featured Mark Craney on drums) deliver some remarkably good music here, especially the lead guitar work of Daryl Stuermer. Truth be told, some of Jean-Luc’s fusion albums have occasionally suffered from a certain sameness, which is not the case on Imaginary Voyage. By expanding his musical horizons and tweaking his band’s lineup slightly, Ponty keeps things fresh and interesting. This remains one of his best works under the Atlantic aegis, a fusion album with broad horizons.

SD 18195 back cover

TRACK LISTING

1. NEW COUNTRY    3:07
2. THE GARDENS OF BABYLON    5:06
3. WANDERING ON THE MILKY WAY (Violin Solo)    1:50
4. ONCE UPON A DREAM    4:08
5. TARANTULA    4:04
6. IMAGINARY VOYAGE
     Part I    2:22
     Part II    4:05
     Part III    5:28
     Part IV    8:00
   
   All composition and arrangements by Jean-Luc Ponty

CREDITS

JEAN-LUC PONTY -- electric and acoustic violins, organ and background synthesizers
MARC CRANEY -- percussion
TOM FOWLER -- electric bass
DARYL STEURMER -- electric and acoustic guitars
ALLAN ZAVOD -- electric keyboards and acoustic piano
Larry Hirsch -- engineer
Peter D'Aprix -- cover photo
Bill Harvey -- concept & design

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