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Setlist
Tour Dates
05/17/16 North Tonawanda, NY Riviera Theatre
05/18/16 Tarrytown, NY Tarrytown Music Hall 05/20/16 Beverly, MA The Cabot 05/21/16 Northampton, MA Calvin Theater 05/23/16 Ridgefield, CT Ridgefield Playhouse 05/25/16 Albany, NY Hart Theatre 05/26/16 Montreal, QC St. Denis Theatre 2 05/27/16 Quebec City, QC Palais Montcalm Read More
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When talking about wine, people often mention how the grapes will mature with age, giving a fuller-bodied flavor and yield results not previously seen, and also how blended variations can often be better than just a single varietal. With Anderson Ponty Band’s recent two-and-one-half hour musical master class performance, the results were very similar.
Take the classic vocalist of prog–rock legends Yes, Jon Anderson, and match him with a former Frank Zappa band member and premier jazz-fusion violinist, Jean-Luc Ponty, back them with a crack band, and the result is an awakening of old songs, and the discovery of the new.
Anderson reportedly had the idea to collaborate as long as thirty years ago, but the project finally came to fruition after he downloaded one of Ponty’s tracks and sang new lyrics over it, with Ponty liking what he heard.
A resulting live CD/DVD, Better Late than Never (Liaison Records) was released last fall but the rare chance to see the duo perform live in concert, was too good to pass up.
The stage was relatively sparse as Anderson, Ponty and the four-piece band (Rayford Griffin - Drums; Wally Minko - Keys ; Keith Jones - Bass, vocals; Jamie Glaser - Guitars, vocals) entered, but three banners hung above with the band’s logo and a video backdrop was behind the band, showing various color patterns moving about to the music.
The first of two sets clocked in at just shy of an hour, starting with the same intro and song ‘One in the Rhythm of Hope’ that starts the live CD. Anderson proved to be in great voice again (conquering health issues of a few years back) and Ponty and band were musically tight and finessed.
Tackling the ‘80’s Yes hit ‘Owner of a Lonely Heart’ early in the set, Ponty’s violin proved a more than ample replacement for Trevor Rabin’s guitar solo on the original.
‘Listening with Me’ (based on Ponty’s own instrumental ‘Stay With Me’) was Anderson’s first foray of adding new lyrics and the song becomes a panoramic soundtrack to a world-spanning journey. ‘Time and a Word’ converted into a reggae song, with Ponty’s violin adding a gypsy-like quality to the re-invention, with Anderson adding a verse of Bob Marley’s ‘One Love’ on the end.
‘Jig’ was a Ponty tour-de-force and ‘New New World’ was the last song of the set before Anderson “could have a cup of tea… and Jean-Luc a bottle of wine”…with Ponty raising fingers to signify maybe more.
After the spoken word intro, the second set began with a country-western flavor as Ponty and band shifted styles for ‘New Country’ and ‘Never Ever’, moving then to a laid-back jazz club style to interpret Yes’ ‘Wonderous Stories’ and an abbreviated ‘Long Distance Runaround’.
After the Jon and Vangelis song ‘State of Independence’, band members each got their turn in the solo spotlight, notably drummer Griffin, who turned in an impressive solo bookended by the Ponty song, ‘Enigmatic Ocean’.
Anderson reminisced fondly of Yes’ late bassist Chris Squire, and tenderly dedicated ‘And You and I’ to his memory, the song shortened and done in with a jazz lounge flavor. Ponty and keyboardist Minko then shined with a somber, stirring solo that hushed the crowd, before the upswing of Yes’ ‘Roundabout’ ended the 80 min. set.
Sensing time was late, the band ended the evening with ‘Soon’, the end portion of Yes’ “Gates of Delirium” from 1974’s Relayer with the band emerging for three collective bows amidst cheering and a standing ovation.
Unlike some of their contemporaries, Anderson and Ponty are re-inventing and creating new music in a still-growing and very age-appropriate way; not by succumbing to any current musical trends, but effectively combining their collective musical maturity, while still expanding their musical palette.
If it were a wine, consider it a vintner’s reserve.
Anderson, in particular has always been entertaining playing solo, but seems to really excel when collaborating with other artists. His musical blending continues as not only do Anderson Ponty Band consider making a studio album, but he also plans on re-convening with ex-Yes members Trevor Rabin and Rick Wakeman for new music and a fall tour, as well as releasing new music with Swedish Roine Stolt (Flower Kings, Transatlantic). Can’t wait for the resulting harvest.
Take the classic vocalist of prog–rock legends Yes, Jon Anderson, and match him with a former Frank Zappa band member and premier jazz-fusion violinist, Jean-Luc Ponty, back them with a crack band, and the result is an awakening of old songs, and the discovery of the new.
Anderson reportedly had the idea to collaborate as long as thirty years ago, but the project finally came to fruition after he downloaded one of Ponty’s tracks and sang new lyrics over it, with Ponty liking what he heard.
A resulting live CD/DVD, Better Late than Never (Liaison Records) was released last fall but the rare chance to see the duo perform live in concert, was too good to pass up.
The stage was relatively sparse as Anderson, Ponty and the four-piece band (Rayford Griffin - Drums; Wally Minko - Keys ; Keith Jones - Bass, vocals; Jamie Glaser - Guitars, vocals) entered, but three banners hung above with the band’s logo and a video backdrop was behind the band, showing various color patterns moving about to the music.
The first of two sets clocked in at just shy of an hour, starting with the same intro and song ‘One in the Rhythm of Hope’ that starts the live CD. Anderson proved to be in great voice again (conquering health issues of a few years back) and Ponty and band were musically tight and finessed.
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Anderson Ponty Band
photograph courtesy of Cathy Miller
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‘Listening with Me’ (based on Ponty’s own instrumental ‘Stay With Me’) was Anderson’s first foray of adding new lyrics and the song becomes a panoramic soundtrack to a world-spanning journey. ‘Time and a Word’ converted into a reggae song, with Ponty’s violin adding a gypsy-like quality to the re-invention, with Anderson adding a verse of Bob Marley’s ‘One Love’ on the end.
‘Jig’ was a Ponty tour-de-force and ‘New New World’ was the last song of the set before Anderson “could have a cup of tea… and Jean-Luc a bottle of wine”…with Ponty raising fingers to signify maybe more.
After the spoken word intro, the second set began with a country-western flavor as Ponty and band shifted styles for ‘New Country’ and ‘Never Ever’, moving then to a laid-back jazz club style to interpret Yes’ ‘Wonderous Stories’ and an abbreviated ‘Long Distance Runaround’.
After the Jon and Vangelis song ‘State of Independence’, band members each got their turn in the solo spotlight, notably drummer Griffin, who turned in an impressive solo bookended by the Ponty song, ‘Enigmatic Ocean’.
Anderson reminisced fondly of Yes’ late bassist Chris Squire, and tenderly dedicated ‘And You and I’ to his memory, the song shortened and done in with a jazz lounge flavor. Ponty and keyboardist Minko then shined with a somber, stirring solo that hushed the crowd, before the upswing of Yes’ ‘Roundabout’ ended the 80 min. set.
Sensing time was late, the band ended the evening with ‘Soon’, the end portion of Yes’ “Gates of Delirium” from 1974’s Relayer with the band emerging for three collective bows amidst cheering and a standing ovation.
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Setlist
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If it were a wine, consider it a vintner’s reserve.
Anderson, in particular has always been entertaining playing solo, but seems to really excel when collaborating with other artists. His musical blending continues as not only do Anderson Ponty Band consider making a studio album, but he also plans on re-convening with ex-Yes members Trevor Rabin and Rick Wakeman for new music and a fall tour, as well as releasing new music with Swedish Roine Stolt (Flower Kings, Transatlantic). Can’t wait for the resulting harvest.
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Anderson Ponty Band at the Ames Center, Burnsville MN (10 May 2016) |
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