The latest effort from the cleanly swinging, ever-bluesy plectrist Jimmy Ponder opens with the leader rejoicing and luxuriating in his newly minted D’Leco custom guitar with the solo piece “JP.” From that point Mr. Ponder goes pickin’ for chestnuts as he delivers a program loaded with standard songs, including an extended and loving treatment of “My One and Only Love.”
One of the legion of unsung and underrated jazz artists who are the backbone of the music, Ponder has been largely showcased in funky-butt organ settings. This time around drummer-producer Cecil Brooks III decided to make it lean and simple as Ponder wends his way through the 11 tracks, which include three originals whose credits he shares with Brooks and presumably the label’s Barney Fields, in an understated, clean and swinging manner. His mates also include pianist John Hicks and bassist Dwayne Dolphin.
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