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Title: "Let Ponder Shine On"
Review: Jimmy Ponder is a rare bird. Largely unknown outside of the people who seek and are rewarded, and of course his knowing peers; James Willis Ponder is simply a master jazz guitar player. He was dubbed "little Wes" early in his career and while certainly a compliment, the monniker served to push him further toward an identity of his own. He succeeded. His blues, phrasing, depth, and color are uniquely Ponder. While Wes Montgomery settled in to a style, Jimmy Ponder still stretches the boundaries of his own talent and genious. This CD is an example. Even while being stepped-on by an out-of-place sax, Ponder continues to stay true to the spirit of the title; not by outdoing the reedman (he could with ease), but by playing soulful melodies IN SPITE OF the frenetic sax. His work on "We Three Kings" is a study in master subtlety. No sax, 5 Stars.
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