Cantaloupe Island is an album by French violinist Jean-Luc Ponty that was recorded in 1969 and released in 1976 by Blue Note. It combines two previously issued albums: King Kong: Jean-Luc Ponty Plays the Music of Frank Zappa and Jean-Luc Ponty Experience with the George Duke Trio, both recorded in 1969 for the World Pacific label.

Cantaloupe Island
Studio album by Jean-Luc Ponty
Released	1976
Recorded	1969
Studio	Hollywood, California
Genre	Jazz, avant-garde jazz
Length	84:39
Label	Blue Note
Producer	Dick Bock
Jean-Luc Ponty chronology
Cantaloupe Island (1976) Le Voyage: The Jean-Luc Ponty Anthology (1996)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
All About Jazz	(favorable) [1]
Allmusic	[2]
The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide	[3]

Reissues

• Cantaloupe Island was digitally re-mastered and reissued on CD by BGO in 2006.

Track listing

1. "King Kong" (Frank Zappa) – 4:58
2. "Idiot Bastard Son" (Zappa) – 4:01
3. "Twenty Small Cigars" (Zappa) – 5:35
4. "How Would You Like to Have a Head Like That" (Ponty) – 7:18
5. "Music for Electric Violin and Low Budget Orchestra" (Zappa) – 19:25
6. "America Drinks and Goes Home" (Zappa) – 2:42
7. "Foosh" (George Duke) – 9:01
8. "Pamukkale" (Dauner) – 6:33
9. "Contact" (Ponty) – 7:15
10. "Cantaloupe Island" (Herbie Hancock) – 8:28
11. "Starlight, Starbright" (Jean-Bernard Eisinger) – 9:23

Personnel

• Jean-Luc Ponty – violin, electric violin, baritone violin
• Ernie Watts – alto and tenor saxophone
• Ian Underwood – tenor saxophone
• George Duke – piano
• Frank Zappa – guitar
• Wilton Felder – bass
• John Heard – bass
• Buell Neidlinger – bass
• Dick Berk – drums
• John Guerin – drums
• Art Tripp – drums
• Gene Estes – percussion, vibraphone
• Arthur Maebe – flugelhorn, French horn, tuben
• Vincent DeRosa – French horn, descant
• Gene Cipriano – English horn, oboe
• Jonathan Meyer – flute
• Donald Christlieb – bassoon
• Milton Thomas – viola
• Harold Bemko – cello, electronic sounds

Production notes

• Richard Bock – producer
• Frank Zappa – arranger, composer, conductor
• Ian Underwood– conductor
• Leonard Feather – liner notes
• David Brand – engineer
• Dick Klune – engineer
• Andrew Thompson – remastering
• Michael Cuscuna – reissue producer

References