Jean-Luc Ponty, Stanley Clarke and Bela Fleck Concert

Mel and I were treated to an evening of great jazz/fusion music at The Florida Theatre on Friday night. I've been a fan of Ponty's for a long time and was ecstatic to finally see him live. The fact that he was playing with two other artists I liked was just icing on the cake. Ponty easily lived up to his reputation as the greatest living jazz violinist and, quite frankly, surpassed all expectations. I never realized how short he was (he might be 5 feet tall), but his tone and stage manner were larger than life.

As for the others, they were brilliant. Stanley Clarke positively abused his upright bass with his frenetic fingerwork and percussive slappings. And he pulled some intense faces, as well! Banjoist Bela Fleck impressed me thoroughly with his eclectic riffing, and I really liked the way his style and tone blended with the others.

Each musician had his own contingent in the audience, though it seemed Clarke and Ponty drew the most uproarious applause (both performers inspired a certain amount of commentary with various audience members). I especially liked how the show was interspersed with each performer playing a ten-minute solo alone onstage. (Fleck took this opportunity to play some amazing bluegrass.)

All in all, a night of wonderful music!