"…he's the most biting trumpet player Art Blakey has had since Lee Morgan."
- Tim Price, Reading, PA News
“The star of the show is the amazing Ponomarev, With a gritty yet clean sound a neo-bop style, the trumpeter suggests the approach of his idol, the immortal Clifford Brown.”
- Chuck Berg, Lawrence Journal-World
The Jazz Messengers: The Legacy of Art Blakey led by Valery Ponomarev is the nly band officially sanctioned by the Blakey Estate to use the name "Jazz Messengers."
Valery Ponomarev worked with Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers for 4 years. With the Messengers, he performed at major concert halls, clubs, and festivals all over the world and recorded eleven record albums. He also made numerous television appearances with the Messengers in Europe, Japan, and Brazil. In the United States he has made television appearances on "To Tell The Truth," on the PBS network, National Geographic Today, and CNN. He performed at the Clifford Brown Memorial Concert in Wilmington, Delaware, 1991, which featured the music of the legendary Max Roach/Clifford Brown Quintet with Max Roach (leader) on drums, Harold Land, tenor sax, George Morrow, bass, Sam Dockery, piano, and Valery Ponomarev, trumpet.
Valery Ponomarev is a Russian-born jazz trumpeter. He has lived in the United States since 1973. Ponomarev became interested in jazz after hearing it on Voice of America, and felt a particular affinity for Clifford Brown. He dedicated countless hours to transcribing, studying and memorizing legendary jazz trumpet solos. In time he decided to flee the then Soviet Union and ended up joining Art Blakey's group the Jazz Messengers. After leaving, he formed his own band, Universal Language.
As a solo artist, Mr. Ponomarev has completed two tours of Australia, China and numerous European tours, including a special tour with Harold Land featuring the music of Clifford Brown. He has also been featured in several documentaries, including "Messenger from Russia," a documentary by independent producer Jason Scadron about Valery Ponomarev's life.