Valery Ponomorev

[Brad]

He was at Shanghai Jazz in Madison, NJ this weekend and I saw him this weekend with what I assume is a quartet made up for the event. This is the first time I've seen him and I've wanted to see him since I heard him on a Junior Cook Cd, You Leave Me Breathless (on SteepleChase, which I really recommend BTW). He didn't disappoint. He's much in the style of Clifford Brown. But who really impressed me was his pianist, Mike Ledonne. This guy is good. I was very impressed by him. His solos, his fills, his accompaniment were just things of beauty. He had one song that was done as a trio while Valery sat it out, Neal Hefti's L'il Darling. It was just beautiful. I'm sorry he didn't do more by himself. I'd love to hear with his own group.

[Dan Gould]

Brad,

LeDonne is a very nice player, with multiple discs out on Criss Cross and Doubletime, most are worth hearing for sure.

[BFrank]

I saw him at least a couple of times with Blakey. That was a very tight band that didn't get much recognition. The front line of Valery, David Schnitter and Bobby Watson was first-rate.

[frank m]

BRAD--- My wife and I have often traveled to the Cornerstone in Metuchin to hear favorite musicians. (We're stuck in eastern Long Island, also known as the Jazz Desert) We've never gotten to Shanghai Jazz, which leads me to my questionl. How does it happen that New Jersey manages to support not one but multiple Jazz venues with top jazz musicians usually? and a number of jazz festivals run by the NJ jazz society. I live in a community which is not only similar socio-economically to Jersey, but is close to a college community and which is still jazz hinterlands. How do you people do it? Do you have any idea? I've always been baffled by the terrific disparity between my locale and Jersey.

If anyone asks why we don't go to Manhattan which is on the way to Jersey- the answer is that its too damned expensive compared to Jersey. And they don't throw you out after a single set yet like they do at a number of NY clubs.