All About Jazz is celebrating Jimmy Ponder's birthday today!
An excellent guitarist, and sometimes vocalist, with a soulful sound and the ability to uplift any funky jazz date, Pittsburgh native Jimmy Ponder has appeared on many recordings during his long career, over 80 as a sideman and 15 as a leader. Ponder, a self taught musician, began playing guitar when he was 14 and considers Wes Montgomery and Kenny Burrell to be his two main early influences and Thornel Schwartz later on. After hearing Montgomery, he would abandon the use of a pick and, like his mentor, play with his thumb. Offered a job with Charles Earland after having only played guitar three... Read more.
