Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Jordan Ponzi: The First Journey

3

Jordan Ponzi: The First Journey

Jordan Ponzi: The First Journey
The First Journey from bassist, educator Jordan Ponzi is a classic trio side which delivers a kaleidoscope of textures, tempos, and superb playing. The 7-track recording packs plenty of punch and variety within—and it's a winner.

Jordan Ponzi's eclectic compositions offer fine launch pads for superior improv and great ensemble interaction. "Sign Unseen" is a terrific opening cut that has McNeill's keys calling out over Ponzi's arco bass and ultimately takes off at white-hot speed. "Odd Shuffle" is a multi- metered gem that M.C. Escher would love—it alternates 4/4 time with a 5/4 measure, all tickled with funky contrapuntal lines. It's a highlight and an example of Ponzi's outstanding composition and arranging. Both of those activities are superb on all tracks.

Pianist Michael McNeill shines on the noir-ish and very dramatic "Walking Glass," with Ponzi offering a superb, vocalized bass solo. He carries that same approach on his outstanding solos across the date. McNeill explores atonality and spontaneity on the very spooky "Black Cauldron," before it breaks loose, bolstered by Arbinett Bernahu's powerful drums. "Candela" is a tasty Latin-flavored take that features both Ponzi's and McNeill's fine rides and Berhanu's drive. "Down Beaten," introduced by Ponzi's pulsating bass riff, propels all into a stop-and-go foray over McNeill's comps and Berhanu's rim taps—all highlighted by intense individual solos.

Leader Ponzi is a superb bassist with resonant sound, ace technical chops, and a fine, lyrical solo approach. McNeill's playing indicates he has devoured Ahmad Jamal, McCoy Tyner, and Chick Corea. He has a "bond" to the keyboard, superior technique, and truly gets the most out of his 88. Drummer Bernahu lends fine support throughout and is a most able negotiator with his cohorts.

Ponzi and the team are highly energized throughout this entire session. The exchanges and dialog among this crew are excellent. There are neat subtleties among the players which warrant repeated listening and enjoyable dissection.

The First Journey gets this crew off on a fine expedition. Tag along.

Track Listing

Sign Unseen, Odd Shuffle, Walking Glass, Black Cauldron, Candela, The One Inspired, Down Beaten.

Personnel

Album information

Title: The First Journey | Year Released: 2020 | Record Label: Self Produced

Tags

Comments


PREVIOUS / NEXT




Support All About Jazz

Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

The Sound of Raspberry
Tatsuya Yoshida / Martín Escalante
All In Motion
Dave Redmond
Cat & The Hounds
Colin Hancock's Jazz Hounds Featuring Catherine...

Popular

Old Home/New Home
The Brian Martin Big Band
My Ideal
Sam Dillon
Ecliptic
Shifa شفاء - Rachel Musson, Pat Thomas, Mark Sanders
Lado B Brazilian Project 2
Catina DeLuna & Otmaro Ruíz

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.

Install All About Jazz

iOS Instructions:

To install this app, follow these steps:

All About Jazz would like to send you notifications

Notifications include timely alerts to content of interest, such as articles, reviews, new features, and more. These can be configured in Settings.