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What do these words have in common: abstruse, Delphic, incomprehensible, indecipherable, inexplicable, oracular, paradoxical, recondite, and unfathomable. According to the dictionary, they’re all synonyms of enigmatic. Sounds like I’m about to give a language lesson. But I’m not. This is about music’s mystery.

Enigmatic sounds might not be your cup of tea.

And, if you think jazz-fusion is as enjoyable as fingernails on a chalkboard, then you might as well move on to something else right now. Because I just had a few jazz-fusion thoughts pop into my head, and, as I’m so often wont (no, not won’t, spellchecker) to do, I’m sharing them here.

Two streams of thoughts sprang out of something I read about the origin of everyone’s favorite instrument. That’s right. The little violin. It’s an instrument that can provide a wide variety of enigmatic sounds. From the lush arrangements in Beethoven compositions, to the fiery fiddle in Charlie Daniels’ Devil Went Down To Georgia.

But where the violin really goes off the charts is in the hands of a jazz-fusion artist. The one I’m most familiar with is playing in my earbuds as I write this. Jean-Luc Ponty. A record story clerk told me about him way back in 1977 as I purchased the Dan Fogelberg Netherlands album I mentioned recently. And the clerk suggested Ponty’s album, Enigmatic Ocean. It goes nicely with my fresh-brewed dark roast coffee.

I bought it.

Don’t listen to it if you don’t like jazz, especially jazz-fusion. Don’t buy it if you don’t care for music from the 1970’s. And definitely don’t even look for it on YouTube (https://youtu.be/Maau6OPVMz8) if improvisation without the benefit of vocals ain’t your thang.

But, if you appreciate a group of musicians playing in sync so well it sounds like they’re using the same brain, then you might find Enigmatic Ocean interesting. And if a rocked-out electric violin piques your interest, Jean-Luc can certainly show you.

As enigmatic the sounds coming off this album are, they’re not my favorite violin expressions. I still say you can’t go wrong with the Maestro, Beethoven. Here’s a nice concerto: (https://youtu.be/hyMfJa8qN2Q)

And there’s nothing like Celtic strings to tug at your heartstrings in an emotional movie scene.

Recently, someone, on social media, shared a picture of the inside of a violin. And they noted how it looks like an amazing concert hall in there. And, sure enough, it does. So, that inspired me to write about the construction of our little friend, the violin. Here’s that tribute…

The Violin

Maple and Spruce and Ebony
Make their way to the symphony.
And intestinal fortitude,
From overture to interlude,
Exude from deep within the space
Beneath a pensive, focused face.
A Pernambuco arrow glides,
And firmly wound white horse hair slides
Across fine-tuned Pirazzi strings.
Divine, inspired, a high voice sings,
Revealing Heaven from within
The soul inside the violin.

© 2022 Tony Funderburk