Pony´s Express

THE WILLIAM CLAXTON COLLECTION

180 Gram PURE VIRGIN VINYL LP IN GATEFOLD PACKAGING

Born in New Orleans, saxophonist Pony Poindexter (1926-1988) was a much respected but scarcely recorded musician who played in the orchestras of Billy Eckstine and Lionel Hampton in the late ‘40s and early ‘50s. Like nearly all of the saxophonists of his generation, he was clearly influenced by Charlie Parker. Quickly assimilating the complexities of bebop, he made a name for himself on the West Coast. Poindexter played with the Wes Montgomery group in 1959, but his big break occurred in 1961, when he started a two-year engagement with the vocal trio Lambert, Hendricks & Ross. This relative fame allowed him to cross the Atlantic in 1964. Released in 1962, Pony’s Express marked one of his few albums as a leader, and finds him in the distinguished company of such stars as Eric Dolphy, Dexter Gordon and Pepper Adams.

PONY POINDEXTER, alto & soprano sax on all tracks, plus

• ON TRACKS {A6],[B4]:
• ERIC DOLPHY, SONNY RED (as), CLIFFORD JORDAN, JIMMY HEATH (ts),
• PEPPER ADAMS (bar), GILDO MAHONES (p), RON CARTER (b),
• ELVIN JONES (d). New York, February 16, 1962.

• ON TRACKS [A3], [A5], [B1], [B2]
• PHIL WOODS, SONNY RED (as), SAL NISTICO, CLIFFORD JORDAN (ts),
• PEPPER ADAMS (bar), TOMMY FLANAGAN (p), RON CARTER (b),
• CHARLIE PERSIP (d). On this session Poindexter only plays tenor sax.
• New York, April 18, 1962.

• ON TRACKS [A1],[A2], [A4], [B3], [B5], [B6]:
• PHIL WOODS, GENE QUILL (as), DEXTER GORDON,
• BILLY MITCHELL (ts), PEPPER ADAMS (bar),
• GILDO MAHONES (p), BILL YANCEY (b), CHARLIE PERSIP (d),
• GENE KEE (arr). New York, May 10, 1962.

SIDE A:

• 01 CATIN’ LATIN
• 02 SALT PEANUTS
• 03 SKYLARK
• 04 STRUTTIN’ WITH SOME BARBECUE
• 05 BLUE
• 06 “B” FREQUENCY

SIDE B:

• 01 MICKEY MOUSE MARCH
• 02 BASIN STREET BLUES
• 03 PONY’S EXPRESS
• 04 LANYOP
• 05 ARTISTRY IN RHYTHM
• 06 RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER *

• *Bonus track: From the same sessions, but not included on the original LP.