"a student and friend of Jimmy Ponder’s, I have been struck by the conviction of his musical values and their relationship to all aspects of his life. I am deeply indebted to Ponder for sharing his artistic vision with such vehement dedication and will carry his lessons in all of my artistic endeavors. This study is my offering of appreciation for his teachings and lifelong dedication to the art of music."
(In my previous post on Ponder, I opined that Pittsburgh "needs its counterpart to Before Motown: A History of Jazz in Detroit, 1920-1960. Well, Harper, who is currently working toward his doctorate at Duquesne University, has chosen for his dissertation topic "Jazz in Pittsburgh, 1948-1968." Something to look forward to.)
Although I needed nothing more than the title to be drawn to Harper's monograph, I was pleasantly surprised by how much more it contained than the usual thesis ingredients (biosketch, discography, bibliography, quotation, etc.) Among the many topics he explores are: "Soul and Hammond Organ Jazz," "Race and Ideology," "The Chitlin' Circuit," "Authenticity and the Creation of 'Voice' in Jazz," "The Aesthetics of Soul Jazz," and "Ponder as a Band Leader." Harper weaves the content of interviews with Ponder and his colleagues into an historical narrative supported by solid reading, and renders his synthesis with journalistic concision. His brief forays into social theory do not derail but rather enrich his narrative.
(One quibble: I find "meaningful" meaningless, but it seems to be Harper's his one verbal crutch. He never defines it, but uses it seventeen times. It is out of place in a scholarly effort in which he otherwise made the meaning of all his distinctive assertions clear.)
Harper's insights into jazz's social dynamics have forced me to think differently, and harder, about what I have to work on to further my own musical growth. In themselves, one's practice materials, no matter how diligently attended to, can shed no light on the experience of "locking in" with one's fellow musicians or on communicating with the audience.
Other writers have noted the difference between playing before an audience and recording in a studio, but Harper illuminated it for me in a few sentences:
"Part of the creative energy of the live performance is the close proximity of the musicians, which aids their ability to communicate musically, visually, and orally. Separation in a recording studio removes the physical experience of creating music, replacing it with a purely aural one. . . . "
"[M]usicians in a studio environment are conscious of the fact that the performance will become a lasting statement of their abilities and so are less likely to experiment with new ideas. What may feel and sound like an inspired moment in a live environment may appear faulty out of context."
Don't be put off by the words "master's thesis." Minus the scholarly paraphernalia, the text takes up about 90 pages of double-spaced typescript. Think of it as a long magazine article about something you love. Then tell others about it. Jimmy Ponder will be in the foreground of our musical minds in no time.
Now sit back and dig Jimmy's tone and groove on "Jennifer" from his 1976 release for ABC Impulse, Illusions.
I blog about Jimmy Ponder today, not because I have been one of his fans, but because I should have been. In a rare 1994 interview extant online only in a "second-hand" version (because all of the sites associated with guitarist Tim Berens, the interviewer, seem to be defunct), Ponder said some things that touched me both as a guitarist and personally. When you read it, you will know which statements I mean.
We can see Jimmy play beautifully in some grainy online videos. There are too few of them, but they at least give us a glimpse of the soulful playing this site seeks to draw attention to. For example, here's the instrumental (and vocal!) treatment of "Summertime" he provided at a Pittsburgh club:
And this version of "Autumn Leaves" (from August 4, 1984 at Mikell's ['69-'91]) just made me want to play, play, play my guitar:
He has an impressive resume of recordings and performances. His albums have been favorably reviewed over the years. If the comments sections of blogs are an accurate indication, there is a widespread affection for Jimmy Ponder, and deep respect for both his accomplishments and equally deep appreciation to him for the joy he brings his audiences.
He has yet to "break through." Like George Benson, he is a Pittsburgh native, but unlike his near-contemporary he remains a denizen of that "City of Bridges" (which desperately needs its counterpart to Before Motown: A History of Jazz in Detroit, 1920-1960). He is an active player and teacher, but I've never seen his name in a lineup for any New York jazz club or festival. Never.
But who else is doing what he's doing? No one.
He is a (if not the) keeper of Wes Montgomery's Hard Bop/Soul Jazz flame -- "legacy" is the word Wes himself used, according to that interview. Therefore, since Jimmy rightly declares that "there's no guitar player that's aware of jazz that is not aware of me," he must be brought out of the background to the foreground of our minds.
