Pony Poindexter
Norwood "Pony" Poindexter (February 8, 1926, New Orleans, Louisiana โ April 14, 1988, Oakland, California) was an American jazz saxophonist.
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Background information | |
Birth name | Norwood Poindexter |
Born | New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. | February 8, 1926
Died | Oakland, California | April 14, 1988
Genres | Jazz |
Occupation(s) | Musician |
Instrument(s) | Saxophone |
Years active | 1940sโ1980s |
Labels | Epic Records, Prestige, Inner City |
Poindexter began on clarinet and switched to playing alto and tenor sax. In 1940 he studied under Sidney Desvigne, and following World War II attended the newly founded Candell Conservatory of Music in Oakland, California. From 1947 to 1950 he played with Billy Eckstine. In 1950 he played in a quartet with Vernon Alley. From 1951 to 1952, he was with Lionel Hampton and in 1952 he played with Stan Kenton. Neal Hefti wrote the tune "Little Pony", named after Poindexter, for the Count Basie Orchestra.[1] Through the end of the 1950s Poindexter played extensively both as a leader and as a sideman, recording with Charlie Parker, Nat King Cole, T-Bone Walker, and Jimmy Witherspoon. In the early 1960s he began playing the soprano sax as well.[1]
He recorded with Eric Dolphy and Dexter Gordon on a session for Epic Records around 1962. From 1961 to 1964, he accompanied Lambert, Hendricks & Ross. In 1963 he moved to Paris and recorded with Annie Ross. For eight years he lived in Spain and then moved to Mannheim, Germany before returning to the U.S.[1] He published a memoir, ๐๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐๐ฐ๐ฏ๐บ ๐๐น๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ด๐ด. ๐๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ช๐ณ๐ด ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ข ๐๐ข๐ป๐ป ๐๐ถ๐ด๐ช๐ค๐ช๐ข๐ฏ, in 1985.
Discography
- Pony's Express (Epic, 1962)
- Pony Poindexter Plays the Big Ones (New Jazz, 1963)
- Gumbo! (New Jazz, 1963) with Booker Ervin
- Annie Ross & Pony Poindexter (Saba, 1966)
- Alto Summit (MPS, 1968)
- The Happy Life of Pony (Session, 1969)
- Pony Poindexter En Barcelona (Spiral, 1972 re-issue Wah Wah Records 2000)
- Poindexter (Inner City, 1976)
With Dexter Gordon
- Stella by Starlight (SteepleChase, 1966 [2005])
With Jon Hendricks
- A Good Git-Together (Pacific, 1959)
With Lambert, Hendricks & Ross
- The Hottest Group in Jazz (Columbia, 1959โ62)
With Wes Montgomery
- Far Wes (Pacific Jazz, 1958โ59)
References
- Yanow, Scott. "Pony Poindexter | Biography & History | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 23 January 2017.