Valery Ponomarev, Russian: Вале́рий Миха́йлович Пономарёв, ''Valery Mikhaylovich Ponomaryov'', (born 1943) is a Russian-born jazz trumpeter. He has lived in the United States since 1973.
Ponomarev became interested in
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...
after hearing it on
Voice of America
Voice of America (VOA or VoA) is the state-owned news network and international radio broadcaster of the United States of America. It is the largest and oldest U.S.-funded international broadcaster. VOA produces digital, TV, and radio content ...
, and felt a particular affinity for Clifford Brown.
He dedicated countless hours to transcribing, studying and memorizing legendary jazz trumpet solos. In time he decided to flee the then
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
and ended up joining Art Blakey's group
the Jazz Messengers
The Jazz Messengers were a jazz combo that existed for over thirty-five years beginning in the early 1950s as a collective, and ending when long-time leader and founding drummer Art Blakey died in 1990. Blakey led or co-led the group from the o ...
. After leaving, he formed his own band, Universal Language.
On September 9, 2006, his arm was broken in an altercation with security at
Charles de Gaulle Airport
Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (french: Aéroport de Paris-Charles-de-Gaulle, ), also known as Roissy Airport or simply Paris CDG, is the principal airport serving the French capital, Paris ( and its metropolitan area), and the largest intern ...
. The altercation involved his intention of carrying his trumpet with him onto the plane.
Ponomarev tours with his tribute big band, playing both originals and music from the Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers repertoire. He teaches privately, and released his autobiography ''On the Flip Side of Sound'' in 2009. He teaches as part of the Wells Fargo Jazz for Teens program in
Newark, New Jersey
Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County and the second largest city within the New York metropolitan area.Don Braden
Don Braden (born November 20, 1963) is an American jazz tenor saxophonist.https://jazzbakery.org/events/saxophoniest-don-braden-quartet-presents-earth-wind-and-wonder saxophonist Don Braden Quartet presents Earth Wind and Wonder
Career
Braden w ...
, Martin Zenker and Jerome Jennings, (
Reservoir
A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation.
Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...
2006)
* ''The Messenger'' – with Michael Karn, Sid Simmons, Martin Zenker and
Jimmy Cobb
Wilbur James "Jimmy" Cobb (January 20, 1929May 24, 2020) was an American jazz drummer. He was part of Miles Davis's First Great Sextet. At the time of his death, he had been the band's last surviving member for nearly thirty years. He was a ...
, (Reservoir, 2001)
* ''A Star for You'' – with
Bob Berg
Robert Berg (April 7, 1951 – December 5, 2002) was an American jazz saxophonist.
Biography
Berg was born in Brooklyn, New York, United States.
Berg started his musical education at the age of six when he began studying classical piano. He beg ...
, Sid Simmons, Ken Walker, and Billy Hart, (Reservoir, 1997)
* ''Live at Vartan Jazz'' – with Francesco Bearzatti, Sid Simmons, Kenny Walker and Ben Riley, (Vartan Jazz 1995)
* ''Live at Sweet Basil'' – with
John Hicks
Sir John Richards Hicks (8 April 1904 – 20 May 1989) was a British economist. He is considered one of the most important and influential economists of the twentieth century. The most familiar of his many contributions in the field of economi ...
Ralph Moore
Ralph Moore (born 24 December 1956) is an English jazz saxophonist.
Early life
Moore was born in Brixton, London, England. His mother was the dancer Josie Woods, and his father was in the US military. He spent his childhood in Brixton, and afte ...
, Hideki Takao,
Dennis Irwin
__NOTOC__
Dennis Irwin (November 28, 1951 in Birmingham, Alabama - March 10, 2008) was an American jazz double bassist. He toured and recorded with John Scofield and the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra among others, and played on over 500 albums.
Bio ...
Gypsy Folk Tales
''Gypsy Folk Tales'' is an album by drummer Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers recorded in 1977 and released on the Roulette label.Roulette, 1977)
* ''
Heat Wave
A heat wave, or heatwave, is a period of excessively hot weather, which may be accompanied by high humidity, especially in oceanic climate countries. While definitions vary, a heat wave is usually measured relative to the usual climate in the ...
In My Prime Vol. 2
''In My Prime Vol. 2'' is an album by drummer Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers recorded in 1977 and released on the Dutch Timeless label.In This Korner'' (
Concord Jazz
Concord Jazz is a record company and label founded in 1973 by Carl Jefferson, the former owner of Jefferson Motors Lincoln Mercury dealership in Concord, California. The label was named after the city in the East San Francisco Bay area, and the j ...
Philips
Koninklijke Philips N.V. (), commonly shortened to Philips, is a Dutch multinational conglomerate corporation that was founded in Eindhoven in 1891. Since 1997, it has been mostly headquartered in Amsterdam, though the Benelux headquarters i ...
981
Year 981 ( CMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
Births
* Abu'l-Qasim al-Husayn ibn Ali al-Maghribi, Arab statesman (d. 1027)
* Giovanni Orseolo, Venetian ...
Junior Cook
Herman "Junior" Cook (July 22, 1934 – February 3, 1992) was an American hard bop tenor saxophone player.
Biography
Cook was born in Pensacola, Florida. After playing with Dizzy Gillespie in 1958, Cook was a member of the Horace Silver Quin ...
*''
You Leave Me Breathless
''You Leave Me Breathless'' is the final album led by saxophonist Junior Cook which was recorded in 1991 and released on the SteepleChase label.
'' (SteepleChase, 1991)
With Charles McPherson
*''Live at Vartan Jazz'' (Vartan Jazz, 1997)
Reflections In Blue // Recorded At Fendal Sound Recording Studios Loenen Aan De Vecht, Holland, December 4, 1978