(Madsman Records)

Violinist Mads Tolling recently announced his departure from the Turtle Island String Quartet after 9 years to focus on his own band projects. He’s off to a great start with his new recording, Celebrating Jean-Luc Ponty , a substantive tribute to one of the modern masters and heroes of his instrument. Recorded live at Yoshi’s, Tolling leads his own quartet, which includes Mike Abraham on guitar, George Ban-Weiss on bass and Eric Garland on drums. The set is very fusionesque, covering not only Ponty’s compositions, but also works by John McLaughlin, Stanley Clarke, Frank Zappa and Sam Rivers. Tolling soars and paints dreamscapes with his bow in a way that truly captures the spirit of the music of the gentleman to whom this effort is a tribute.