MP3 John Pondel - John Pondel

Jazz guitar trio with a modern Brazilian tinge featuring acoustic bass great Scott Colley and Marivaldo dos Santos from Brazil on percussion. David Binney guests on alto sax and flute.

8 MP3 Songs in this album (39:45) !
Related styles: JAZZ: Modern Creative Jazz, JAZZ: Contemporary Jazz

People who are interested in Jim Hall Pat Metheny Toninho Horta should consider this download.


Details:
Guitarist/composer John Pondel (www.johnpondel.com) began his professional music career when he became a member of the Grammy-award winning Gerald Wilson Orchestra. Playing alongside legendary musicians Harold Land, Snooky Young, Marshall Royal, Ndugu and others led to further work as a studio player, jazz performer and touring musician/sideman. George Benson, Bob James, Janet Jackson, Barry Manilow, Rick Braun are just a few artists that he has accompanied on albums/cd's. He is a co-founder of chart topping 80's fusion band Uncle Festive and the seminal acid-jazz group Jazzhole.

Pondel is also one half of the Soul Jazz duo Kombo (Vervemusicgroup) with keyboardist Ron Pedley. As a recording artist, studio and touring musician he has also worked with Al Jarreau, Janet Jackson, David Benoit, Barry Manilow, Kirk Whalum, Randy Crawford,Carmen Mcrae, Art Pepper, Stanley Clark, Tom Scott, Gerry Mulligan, Diane Schurr, Bette Midler, The Dramatics, Warne Marsh, Steve Ferrone,Kirk Whalum, Dave Koz and Tower of Power.

He has also performed with many of New York's leading progressive jazz musicians including Dave Binney, Scott Colley and David Gilmore.John's new self titled album features percussionist Marivaldo Dos Santos (Steve Coleman, Vinicius Cantuaria) and jazz bass great Scott Colley (solo artist, Jim Hall, Herbie Hancock, Chris Potter, Pat Metheny) and special guest David Binney(solo artist, Jim Hall, Medeski, Martin&Wood, Vinicius Cantuaria) on alto sax and flute.


Complete Bio:

Chicago born but raised in California, John began his musical adventures playing flute, accordion and then clarinet in grade school. Although he continued his clarinet studies into the 10th grade, his older brother Roger introduced him to the guitar at age 12. "I pretty much did whatever he did so I gave it a shot.â

He found that he had an affinity for the instrument and progressed rapidly, first learning folk music and then current pop tunes of the day. At 13 the family purchased an FM radio and the first artist John heard was Wes Montgomery playing "Bumpin on Sunset". âThe old jazz station in LA was KBCA and the first DJ I heard on the station was jazz great Gerald Wilson. He played some Wes that day, Horace Silver and Clifford Brown. My folks were not into music per se, so the radio became my portal into the world of jazz as well as funk, r&b and classical music.â

By the age of 20 he was the first call guitarist for the Grammy winning Gerald Wilson Orchestra playing alongside such legendary musicians as Harold Land, Snooky Young and Marshal Royal. Having studied guitar privately for many years with Duke Miller (founder of the Studio Guitar Dept. at the University of Southern California. John also sought instruction from several LA guitar greats that include Joe Pass, Jimmy Wyble and Ted Green. âI also got to hang and get to know Lenny Breau a little bit and he showed me some cool things. He was a brilliant and sensitive human being who we lost much too soonâ. His musical associations led to further work in nightclubs, touring and eventually session work, playing on numerous recordings and televisions shows.

As a studio musician and live jazz performer he has worked with most of the West Coast luminaries including Tom Scott, Art Pepper, Al Jarreau, Warne Marsh, the Condole Bros, Pete Jolly, Bissonette Bros., Buddy Collete, Rick Braun, Dean Parks, Snooky Young ,Chuck Berghoffer, Plas Johnson, Pete Christlieb and many others.. In 1991 he moved to New York and shortly afterward scored a #1 contemporary jazz national radio hit on the Mac Report with his band, Uncle Festive, The band recorded six albums and scored many top 5 and top 10 radio hits.

In the mid 90's his band Jazzhole was signed to Mesa-Blue Atlantic records and is considered one of the seminal groups in the acid jazz genre recording five albums and an ep to date. The band is still active and recording. âIâve been a clinician for Yamaha Music and have been an endorsee of their products as well as for Ibanez guitars and strings. In addition to the clinic work Iâve also taught privately in my own studio, Concordia College (where I taught guitar and jazz workshop classes) and at College of The Canyons (Los Angeles). âIâm currently on staff at the New School University teaching a music technology course.â

In 1999 he and Uncle Festive pal and co-writer Ron Pedley were signed by Tommy Lipuma and Bud Harner to the Vervemusicgroup and their band Kombo, an organ/guitar based duo, had a top 10 smooth jazz hit on their debut album, âThe Big Blast.â Their music has been particularly popular in Japan ever since and has regularly been used on many national television shows and radio programming as well.

In 2004 he played rhythm guitar on Geroge Benson's âTake You Outâ which was nominated for a best Pop Instrumental Grammy. âIâve had a varied carreer as an educator, pop and jazz musician, television composer and producer. Jazz and improvised music however are, and have been my first loves since I was a teenager.â

âIâm very excited about my latest project, which happens to be my first solo album with Scott Colley on bass and Marivaldo Dos Santos on percussion. I feel like Iâm finally following my own path and not thinking about outside music business pressure."

Recording with just a trio was a big challenge for me. Scott and Marivaldo are incredibly supportive as players and friends so the experience was really great. Although the music has a decidedly Brazilian vibe from a rhythmic standpoint (for the most part) it's jazz modern harmonically . Dave Binney is on three cuts playing his familiar alto on one and flute (sounds cool!) on two tracks.â

Other artists he has recorded with or accompanied live are: George Benson, Bob James, Barry Manilow, Janet Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Gerry Mulligan, Rick Braun, Carmen McRae, Dave Koz, Art Pepper, Soul Ballet, Al Jarreau, Aretha Franklin,Kirk Whalum, Dave Binney, Scott Colley, Daniel Sadownick, David Sancious, George Young, Uptown Horns, Randy Brecker, Steve Ferrone, Melissa Manchester.