KOMBO COOKS
AT THE BAKED POTATO!
By Paula Edelstein- Sounds of Timeless Jazz.com
Photo by: Tom Watson/fotoagency.com
The groovin' jazz duo of Ron Pedley and Jon Pondel cooked up
some great grooves at The Baked Potato in North Hollywood, California
Tuesday, March 27th. With special guests Chris Clark on bass
and Pam Antonino on drums plus a great surprise appearance by
drummer Steve Ferrone sitting in on two songs, the group played
an excellent set featuring songs from their latest GRP release
COOKIN OUT and from their debut THE BIG BLAST.
From the opener, co-leaders Ron Pedley on Hammond B3 organ and
Rhodes/Wurlitzer electric piano, and using vintage Leslie 122
speakers, and Jon Pondel on electric guitar, created a force
to be reckoned with. The packed house grooved on funky retro
beats, and undiluted rock licks that took you back to the 60s
but with a 21st century kick. Pondel's guitar solo on "Tip of
the Hat" was awesome. Utilizing an array of wah wah cries and
whammy bar depressions, Pondell pulled off an amazing set with
his sheer facility and musical abandon.
Ron Pedley was getting some serious notes out of his Hammond
B3 organ all night long and his performance tonight was enough
to solidify his name among the great Hammond B3 organ players
like Smith, McDuff, Goldings and DeFrancesco. His lightning
chops were astonishing as he got into each song, standing, rocking,
awesome pedal work and alternating on the electric piano to
the left and back to the Hammond B3. What a workout! He smoked
on his solos from "Lower Deck" and later brought down the house
with Steve Ferrone on "Tight" and the title track, "Cookin'
Out."
Pondel told the story of how he was inspired to write "Dirty
Martini" (a popular drink on the New York scene) and for those
of us on the West Coast cafe laite and juice scene, we were
grateful to get the explanation of what a dirty martini actually
is! The song in itself is great with its Horace Silver influence.
This song captivated the audience and when all is said and done,
Pondel's interaction with the audience provided a nice relief
and chance to continue the flow of the stories behind the songs.
At the core of this great show were some great songs, ones that
allowed the audience to re-acquaint themselves with Kombo's
funky, fun, groovin' musical tastes. They still "Talk That Talk"
and gave this audience a refresher course in 60s retro grooves,
intensive energy and soul jazz. Kombo is funky, and tonight,
with a great rhythm section contributing to their contemporary
jazz stylings, they were really COOKIN' OUT at the Baked Potato!
BUY THE CD Cookin' Out
Gig
and Tour Information
email:
pedfly2002@yahoo.com
