What a surprising and joyous collaboration this is. Stanley Clarke, one of the most celebrated bassists in jazz, going back to his days with Return to Forever four decades ago. Jean-Luc Ponty, French violinist extraordinaire, first heard by many of us with Zappa or the Mahavishnu Orchestra and prolific ever since. And Biréli Lagrène, also French, a virtuoso guitarist steeped in the gypsy tradition of Django Reinhardt but always adventurous enough to leap into new areas. They first played together as a trio at a concert marking Ponty’s 50th year as a professional and agreed to record together. D-Stringz is entirely acoustic, drumless, three masters exploring commonalities. Of course there’s a Reinhardt number, “Nuages,” ebullient and exuberant. Coltrane gets retooled, his “Blue Train” emanating a whole different kind of soul. The familiar melodic hook of “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy,” the Joe Zawinul composition made famous by Cannonball Adderley, is quickly disposed of as the trio takes it to places it’s never known. And then there are the originals, equally impressive—among them Clarke’s “Bit Of Burd,” ostensibly a Charlie Parker tribute but primarily a vehicle for Lagrène and Ponty to astound us. Despite the consistent display of off-the-charts technique though, D-Stringz never feels like a contest; its effervescence is what shines through.