Valery Ponomarev Memoir

[fasstrack]

 I came upon this just today, though it came out in 2009. Read through the sample and it was well-written. 'Worth a shot', as they say...

https://books.google.com/books?id=P-iV_MzcUEcC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false 

 

Edited August 22, 2016 by fasstrack

[T.D.]

Good find! That does look interesting.

[ghost of miles]

Thanks for mention of this, fasstrack... I added it to the list.

[fasstrack]

I may just get it after I finish what I'm currently reading. Not every musician is comfortable writing prose. He did a good job..

[JSngry]

Does he talk about wearing the overalls with The Messengers? I always wondered wtf that was all about.

[fasstrack]

Show biz...

[Gheorghe]

8 hours ago, JSngry said:

Does he talk about wearing the overalls with The Messengers? I always wondered wtf that was all about.

Oh yeah, remember that overalls. Well I think that was the late 70´s. The Messengers became a main attraction again, because there was a renewed interest in acoustic jazz. But as much as I remember you were supposed to look casually. It was said that young audiences wouldn´t "buy" artists that wear tuxedos (smile). So that was the fashion.

About Valery: I remember him well, saw him with the late 70´s until 1980 edition of the Messengers, great group, and some great little records like the japanese Philips "Night in Tunisia", and the Cocord "In this Korner", and some on the Timeless label, but I think the "hit" of us youngsters was "Moanin" and Blues March" from the Philips LP. Everybody was into that.

And Valery contributed a nice blues original to the "In the Korner" album "Blues for Two".

Boy, what we spinned those records. Still spin them if I want to remember that beautiful days....

[Dan Gould]

This is probably not the place but I recently acquired his Big Band cd, Our Father Who Art Blakey and can't recommend it highly enough. Golson guests on two tunes and Ponamarev's arrangements are excellent (I like how on Moanin' the whole band plays Morgan's opening notes before the leader's solo).

Looking at the liners it mentions the autobiography and makes it sound like the book inspired a documentary, Trumpeter from Russia.

[jlhoots]

13 hours ago, JSngry said:

Does he talk about wearing the overalls with The Messengers? I always wondered wtf that was all about.

Art wore them too.

[mikeweil]

Overalls were fashionable - I, too, had one during those years, dark grey with red linings. There were many special designs not just for work, but for leisure as well, the girls liked them 

I remember seeing the Jazz Messengers with the Ponomarev/Watson/Schnitter frontline, and the trumpeter's and Blakey's overalls. It was a natural in those days.

Edited August 23, 2016 by mikeweil

[sidewinder]

4 hours ago, jlhoots said:

Art wore them too.

He was wearing overalls when I saw him. Check out also that cover photo on 'Gypsy Folk Tales'.

Ponomarev had left the band the first time I saw the Messengers, replaced by Wynton. 

Edited August 23, 2016 by sidewinder

[Dan Gould]

Past the age of 10 I do not think Wynton wore overalls.