Violins owned by Jean-Luc Ponty and played on some famous sessions are to be auctioned by Tarisio Berlin from 24 September. The violins are offered through Tarisio by Jean-Luc Ponty himself and are coming to market for the first time.
The instruments for sale include Ponty’s blue five-string Barcus Berry violin featured on the cover of his A Taste For Passion album, the red Barcus Berry violin he played on beside Frank Zappa, and a five-string Jean-Luc Ponty edition Zeta violin. Tarisio say that these violins have accompanied Ponty on stage and in recordings throughout his career: “Starting with King Kong – Jean-Luc Ponty Plays The Music Of Frank Zappa and including Enigmatic Ocean, Imaginary Voyage, Cosmic Messenger and Life Enigma, these violins can be heard on almost every Jean-Luc Ponty album ever recorded.”
Perhaps unaware of Ponty’s countryman and predecessor Stéphane Grappelli and players such as Ray Nance and Joe Venuti, an early press release (later revised) described Ponty as “the father of the jazz violin”. He wasn’t that, but doubtless he was an innovator, and thrice at least – playing bebop on the violin at a level arguably previously unknown (with Trio HLP in Paris in the 1960s), eventually crossing that knowledge and facility with rock in work with Frank Zappa and John McLaughlin, and advancing the use of the electric violin.
The sale will be at Tarisio Berlin (Kurfürstendamm 28, Berlin, 10719) and online, and all lots can be viewed online. Bidding on each lot in the sale opens on 24 September at 11 am CEST. The sale begins to close 7 October at 11 am CEST.
An informative summary of Ponty’s violin history is at tarisio.com/cozio-archive/cozio-carteggio/the-electric-violins-of-jean-luc-ponty/ and a video teaser, more about Ponty than the violins – can be seen at https://www.youtube.com/shorts/IhRLSr4gnyc
