Peter Ponzol

Peter is a well-known American jazz saxophonist.  He  grew up in the Philadelphia area and had the good fortune to study with some of the teachers of the great players such as John Coltrane, Benny Golson, Wayne Shorter, Hank Mobley and many other greats.

Peter spent time in Miami, and San Francisco before settling in NYC in the 70's, where he was a very active jazz and studio player. After receiving a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Performance Grant in 1977 he recorded his first solo album, Prism, and began playing in Europe. He received a grant from the German Academic Exchange Service in 1980 to come to Germany as a visiting artist. He moved to Germany in 1981 where he remained until returning to the US in 1993. While in Germany he was often a guest with the Radio Frankfurt Jazz Ensemble and played in many European  Jazz clubs and festivals.

Some of the many people Peter has played with include; Monty Alexander, Ira Sullivan, Paul Chambers, Jimmy Cobb, Elvin Jones, Doug Carn, Pharoah Sanders, Paul Bley, John Taylor,  Art Resnick, Richie Havens, Airto, Ken Werner, Jeff Baxter and Larry Young.

Peter has also made a name for himself as a maker of high end saxophone mouthpieces and designer of saxophones for Buffet Crampon, Keilwerth and Antigua.

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