King Kong: Jean-Luc Ponty Plays the Music of Frank Zappa

Last updated
King Kong: Jean-Luc Ponty Plays the Music of Frank Zappa
Kingkongponty.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedMay 25, 1970
RecordedOctober 6–7, 1969
StudioWhitney Studios (Glendale, California)
Genre
Length43:42
Label World Pacific/Liberty
Producer Richard Bock
Jean-Luc Ponty chronology
Electric Connection
(1969)
King Kong: Jean-Luc Ponty Plays the Music of Frank Zappa
(1970)
Open Strings
(1971)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
All About Jazz Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [1]
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [2]

King Kong: Jean-Luc Ponty Plays the Music of Frank Zappa (or simply King Kong) is an album by French jazz fusion artist Jean-Luc Ponty first released in May 1970 on Liberty Records' World Pacific Records subsidiary label and later released on Blue Note.

Contents

Overview

The album contains selections Zappa had previously recorded either with the Mothers of Invention or under his own name, including:

In addition, the track "Music for Electric Violin and Low Budget Orchestra" includes the themes from "Duke of Prunes" from Absolutely Free (1967), and "Pound for a Brown" from Uncle Meat (1969). [3] Zappa excised those themes, and everything that followed them, when he later recorded the piece himself under the title "Revised Music for Guitar and Low-Budget Orchestra", which was first released on his 1978 album Studio Tan .

George Duke, who would shortly join Zappa in the Mothers, as did Ponty a few years later, is featured on electric piano on all tracks and acoustic piano on track 5. Ernie Watts is featured on alto and/or tenor saxophone on tracks 2-4 and 6. Zappa himself plays the guitar on track 4, and Mothers members Ian Underwood (tenor saxophone) and Art Tripp (drums) appear on track 1 and tracks 1, 5, and 6 respectively.

Reception

Rolling Stone's Bob Palmer called it "one of the most rewarding and boundary-obliterating collaborations" and said "Zappa, donning his Jazz Composer - Arranger suit, emerges as a first-rate practitioner of the art: his previous lack of acceptance by the jazz community is probably due to the same bizarre touches that endear him to his younger audiences. Here he is reminiscent of Charles Mingus, not musically (except for the Mingus-like melody and violin-tenor voicing of "Twenty Small Cigars") but in the way he examines and finds new expressive possibilities in his earlier pieces, and combines them with new music that refers to wide areas of experience without centring in any one stylistic bag." [4]

Track listing

All songs by Frank Zappa unless otherwise noted.

Side One

  1. "King Kong" – 4:54
  2. "Idiot Bastard Son" – 4:00
  3. "Twenty Small Cigars" – 5:35
  4. "How Would You Like to Have a Head Like That" (Jean-Luc Ponty) – 7:14

Side Two

  1. "Music for Electric Violin and Low-Budget Orchestra" – 19:20
  2. "America Drinks and Goes Home" – 2:39

Personnel

Production notes

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jean-Luc Ponty</span> French jazz violinist and composer

Jean-Luc Ponty is a French jazz and jazz fusion violinist and composer.

<i>Hot Rats</i> American rock album

Hot Rats is the second solo album by Frank Zappa, released in October 1969. It was Zappa's first recording project after the dissolution of the original version of the Mothers of Invention. Five of the six songs are instrumental; while "Willie the Pimp", features vocals by Captain Beefheart. In his original sleeve notes, Zappa described the album as "a movie for your ears".

<i>Over-Nite Sensation</i> 1973 studio album by The Mothers

Over-Nite Sensation is the twelfth album by The Mothers of Invention, and the seventeenth album overall by Frank Zappa, released in September 1973. It was Zappa's first album released on his DiscReet label. His solo album Apostrophe (') (1974) was recorded during the same sessions for Over-Nite Sensation.

Ian Robertson Underwood is a woodwind and keyboards player, known for his work with Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention.

<i>You Cant Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 6</i> 1992 live album by Frank Zappa

You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 6 is the last of six double-disc collection volumes of live performances by Frank Zappa recorded between 1970 and 1988. All of the material on Disc one has a sexual theme. Zappa used the monologue in "Is That Guy Kidding or What?", to ridicule Peter Frampton's album I'm in You with its double entendre title and pop pretensions. Disc two includes performances from Zappa's shows between 1976 and 1981 at the Palladium in New York City, as well as material like "The Illinois Enema Bandit" and "Strictly Genteel" that he frequently used as closing songs at concerts. It was released on October 23, 1992, under the label Rykodisc.

<i>Studio Tan</i> 1978 studio album by Frank Zappa

Studio Tan is the 24th album by American musician Frank Zappa, first released in September 1978 on his own DiscReet Records label. It reached #147 on the Billboard 200 albums chart in the United States.

<i>Broken Blossom</i> 1977 studio album by Bette Midler

Broken Blossom is the fourth studio album by American singer Bette Midler, her second album release in 1977 and her fifth on the Atlantic Records label. Just as Midler's three previous studio albums Broken Blossom includes songs from a wide variety of genres, ranging from Edith Piaf's signature tune "La vie en rose", Phil Spector-esque covers of Billy Joel's "Say Goodbye to Hollywood" and Harry Nilsson's "Paradise" and hard rock like Sammy Hagar's "Red", to a jazzy duet with Tom Waits, "I Never Talk to Strangers", and a rendition of "A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes", originally from Walt Disney's 1950 film version of Cinderella. The album reached #51 on Billboard's album chart.

<i>Songs for the New Depression</i> 1976 studio album by Bette Midler

Songs for the New Depression is the third studio album by the American singer Bette Midler, released in early 1976 on the Atlantic Records label. The album was released on CD for the first time in 1990. A remastered version of the album was released by Atlantic Records/Warner Music in 1995. A limited edition remastered version of the album was released by Friday Music in 2014.

<i>The Mad Hatter</i> (album) 1978 studio album by Chick Corea

The Mad Hatter is the eleventh album by Chick Corea. Released in 1978, it is a concept album inspired by Lewis Carroll's 1865 novel Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

<i>Secret Agent</i> (Chick Corea album) 1978 studio album by Chick Corea

Secret Agent is the twelfth album by Chick Corea, recorded and released in 1978. It is a musically diverse release that features Corea’s long-standing collaborators Joe Farrell on reeds and woodwinds, percussionist Airto, and vocalist Gayle Moran. Al Jarreau sings “Hot News Blues”, and a four piece brass section and string quartet also appear.

<i>L.A. Midnight</i> 1972 studio album by B.B. King

L.A. Midnight is the twentieth studio electric blues album by B.B. King released in 1972. It features two extended guitar jams with fellow guitarists Jesse Ed Davis and Joe Walsh. It also features Taj Mahal on harmonica and guitar.. "Can't You Hear Me Talking To You" also features Davis on guitar.

<i>New Life</i> (The Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra album) 1976 studio album by Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra

New Life (Dedicated to Max Gordon) is a 1976 big band jazz album recorded by the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra and released on the A&M/Horizon Records label. The album was nominated for a 1976 Grammy award in the Best Jazz Performance by a Big Band category.

<i>One Shot Deal</i> 2008 live album by Frank Zappa

One Shot Deal is an album by Frank Zappa, posthumously released in June 2008.

<i>Cantaloupe Island</i> (album) 1976 studio album by Jean-Luc Ponty

Cantaloupe Island is an album by French violinist Jean-Luc Ponty that was recorded in 1969 and released in 1976 by Blue Note. It combines two previously issued albums: King Kong: Jean-Luc Ponty Plays the Music of Frank Zappa and Jean-Luc Ponty Experience with the George Duke Trio, both recorded in 1969 for the World Pacific label.

<i>The Magic of Christmas</i> (Nat King Cole album) 1960 studio album by Nat King Cole

The Magic of Christmas is a 1960 album by Nat King Cole, arranged and conducted by Ralph Carmichael.

<i>Amy Holland</i> (album) 1980 studio album by Amy Holland

Amy Holland is singer Amy Holland's self-titled debut album. The album was released on LP record in 1980, and was produced by Amy's future husband Michael McDonald. One of the songs on the album "How Do I Survive" became a big hit and made it to the Top 30 chart. Amy Holland would often perform "How Do I Survive" live on music TV shows such as Music Fair and Young Oh! Oh!. Those live performances of the song can be found on YouTube. Holland mostly recorded some song covers for this album, with one of them being Annette Hanshaw's 1928 jazz-standard Forgetting You. The success of the song How Do I Survive helped Amy earn a Grammy Nomination for Best New Artist in 1981, but she did not win the award. Some of the songs on the album were written by Michael McDonald, such as "Here In The Light" and "Show Me the Way Home". "How Do I Survive" was a hit peaking at #22 on the Billboard Hot 100. Three years later Amy would release another studio album called On Your Every Word.

<i>Friendship</i> (Ray Charles album) 1984 studio album by Ray Charles

Friendship is a studio album by American singer and pianist Ray Charles. It was produced by Billy Sherrill and released in August 1984 by Columbia Records and Epic Records. The album peaked at number 1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart.

<i>Electric Connection</i> 1969 studio album by Jean-Luc Ponty

Electric Connection is one of four American recordings Jean-Luc Ponty made in 1969. In 1969 was it was released on vinyl by World Pacific Jazz and reissued in 1993 on CD by One Way Records.

<i>Harry James and His Orchestra 1948–49</i> 1969 live album by Harry James

Harry James and His Orchestra 1948–49 is a double album by American trumpeter Harry James with The Harry James Orchestra. The album consists of live radio transcripts recorded during 1948 and 1949 and was released in 1969 by Big Band Landmarks.

<i>New Season</i> (Chisato Moritaka album) 1987 studio album by Chisato Moritaka

New Season is the debut studio album by Japanese singer Chisato Moritaka, released on July 25, 1987 by Warner Pioneer. It was produced by Yūzō Shimada, who also produced albums by Akina Nakamori, Naomi Tamura, and Aco. At the time of the album's recording, Moritaka had not started to write songs; instead, the album's songs were written by several composers such as Hiromasa Ijichi, Hideo Saitō, and Shingo Kanno.

References

  1. Kelman, John (2011). "Jean-Luc Ponty |Electric Connection (1969) / King Kong (1970)". allaboutjazz.com. Retrieved 13 August 2011.
  2. Huey, Steve (2011). "Jean-Luc Ponty - King Kong: Jean-Luc Ponty Plays the Music of Frank Zappa (1970) album review | AllMusic". allmusic.com. Retrieved 13 August 2011.
  3. Frank Zappa albums in which song "Music for Low-Budget Orchestra" has appeared at www.Globalia.net
  4. Palmer, B., Rolling Stone, August 6, 1970, p.33