Rite of Strings (USA / France)
Al di Meola, Jean-Luc Ponty and Stanley Clarke - three outstanding musicians join together to form the 'Rite of Strings' project. The jazz fusion outcome is simply divine.
Line Up:
Al di Meola - guitar
Jean-Luc Ponty - violin
Stanley Clarke - bass
On Stage: 3
Travel party: 5
Biography:
Any time the likes of Stanley Clarke, Al DiMeola and Jean-Luc Ponty are assembled, there is a good chance the results are going to be breathtaking. It was at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1994 that the three brilliant musicians played as a trio for the first time. In 1995 they joined to record an acoustic album under the name 'The Rite of Strings'. The album was followed by a six-month tour bringing the allstar-trio to places in North America, South America, and Europe and earning them intercontinental critical praise. Clarke and Di Meola had played together before in the legendary 'Return to Forever', producing some of the most intense playing in all of fusion and Jean-Luc Ponty had also made several excellent, very diverse recordings and while Clarke an Di Meola were comfortable in the familiarity of knowing each other, Ponty reached in and became a perfect fit. Now the trio is back for another extended tour presenting their mesmerizing performance as a real highlight of 2007. Integrity, musicianship, compositions, and improvisations - all first-rate!
Discography:
1995 Rite of Strings - Gai Saber