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 major ...

after hearing it on

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, and felt a particular affinity for

Clifford Brown Clifford Benjamin Brown (October 30, 1930 – June 26, 1956) was an American jazz trumpeter and composer. He died at the age of 25 in a car accident, leaving behind four years' worth of recordings. His compositions "Sandu", "Joy Spring", an ...

. 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 transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

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 be ...

, Sid Simmons, Ken Walker, and

Billy Hart Billy Hart (born November 29, 1940) is an American jazz drummer and educator. He is known internationally for his work with Herbie Hancock's "Mwandishi" band in the early 1970s, as well with Shirley Horn, Stan Getz, and Quest, among others. Bi ...

, (Reservoir, 1997) * ''Live at Vartan Jazz'' – with Francesco Bearzatti, Sid Simmons, Kenny Walker and

Ben Riley Benjamin Alexander Riley Jr. (July 17, 1933 – November 18, 2017) was an American jazz drummer known for his work with Thelonious Monk, as well as Alice Coltrane, Stan Getz, Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, Ahmad Jamal, and as a member of the group Sp ...

, (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 economic ...

Peter Washington Peter Washington (born in Los Angeles on August 28, 1964) is a jazz double bassist. He played with the Westchester Community Symphony at the age of 14. Later he played electric bass in rock bands. He attended the University of California, Berke ...

, Don Braden and, Victor Jones, (Reservoir, 1993) * ''Profile'' – with

Joe Henderson Joe Henderson (April 24, 1937 – June 30, 2001) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. In a career spanning more than four decades, Henderson played with many of the leading American players of his day and recorded for several prominent l ...

Kenny Barron Kenny Barron (born June 9, 1943) is an American jazz pianist, who has appeared on hundreds of recordings as leader and sideman and is considered one of the most influential mainstream jazz pianists since the bebop era. Biography Born in Philadel ...

Essiet Essiet Essiet Okon Essiet (born September 1, 1956 in Omaha, Nebraska) is an American jazz double-bassist. Essiet's parents were Nigerian immigrants to the United States.Lara Pellegrinelli, "Essiet Essiet". '' The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz''. 2nd edit ...

and Victor Jones, (Reservoir, 1991) * ''Trip to Moscow'' – Universal Language, (Reservoir, 1988) * '' Means of Identification'' – with

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 ...

, and Kenny Washington, (Reservoir, 1987)

As sideman

With

Art Blakey Arthur Blakey (October 11, 1919 – October 16, 1990) was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. He was also known as Abdullah Ibn Buhaina after he converted to Islam for a short time in the late 1940s. Blakey made a name for himself in the 1 ...

* ''

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 Roulette is a casino game named after the French word meaning ''little wheel'' which was likely developed from the Italian game Biribi''.'' In the game, a player may choose to place a bet on a single number, various groupings of numbers, the ...

, 1977) * ''

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'' (M&I, 1977) * '' In My Prime Vol. 1'' ( Timeless, 1977) * ''

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.

'' (Timeless, 1977) * ''

In This Korner ''In This Korner'' is a live album by drummer Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers recorded at the Keystone Korner in San Francisco in 1978 and released on the Concord Jazz label.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 ...

, 1978) * '' Reflections in Blue'' (Timeless, 1978) * '' Night in Tunisia: Digital Recording'' (

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, 1979) * '' One by One'' ( Palcoscenico, 1979

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* '' Live at Montreux and Northsea'' (Timeless, 1980) With

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

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ponomarev, Valery Russian jazz trumpeters The Jazz Messengers members Living people 1943 births CIMP artists Soviet emigrants to the United States Place of birth missing (living people) Reservoir Records artists