Verve Music Group

(Kombo) launched his professional music career auspiciously athe age of 21, when he became a member of the Grammy award winning Gerald Wilson Orchestra. Playing alongside such notables as Harold Land, Snooky Young and Marshal Royal for over two years led to further work in night clubs, touring,motion picture soundtrack work and recording sessions, as well as his own career as a recording artist. As a studio musician or playing live jazz he has worked with most of the West Coast luminaries including Art Pepper,Buddy Collete, Chuck Berghofer,Don Menza,Pete Jolly, Warne Marsh, Jim Keltner,Tom Scott, Hal Blaine, Jeff Porcaro, Dennis Belfield(Rufus) Dean Parks,David Hungate, Stanley Clark, Bissonette Bros, Steve Ferrone and many New York stalwarts (including Jim Pugh, Randy Brecker, George Young, Uptown Horns, Will Lee).

In addition to being a clinician and private instructor for over 20 years, he was the guitar and jazz ensemble instructor at Concordia College in Bronxville, NY for four years (9/99 to 6/03). He has also given clinics for Yamaha Corp., Remo drums, CBS Musical Instruments and has been an endorsee for Ibanez guitars and strings. Pondel is a cofounding member and producer of the seminal acid jazz group Jazzhole and the 80's fusion band Uncle Festive. He has done extensive soundtrack work as a guitarist and composer on shows like Miami Vice, Hard Copy, HBO's 'Six Feet Under'and.many NBC movies of the week. He has composed music for Coca Cola, Century 21,McDonald's, Lipton Soup, HBO, Showtime, The Family Channel ,Style Channel and ESPN. He recently co-composed the theme to Court TV's the "I Zone ,"Hollywood At Large" and played on the theme to Court's, "The Ivestigators.

He has accompanied live or recorded with are:
Stevie Wonder,Bob James, Barry Manilow, Janet Jackson, Al Jarreau,Gerry Mulligan,George Benson, Diane Schur, Rick Braun, Aretha Franklin, Joe Williams, Tom Scott, Randy Crawford, Kirk Whalum, Carmen McRae, Dave Koz, Art Pepper,David Benoit, The Dramatics,Melissa Manchester and Stanley Clarke. He has also performed with many of New York'sleading practitioners of progressive jazz including Gene Lake,Rodney Holmes,David Gilmore,Adam Rogers,Billy Kilson, Dave Binney and Scott Colley. Pondel is also a member of Kombo,an organ/guitar based duo whose first albumd debuted in the U.S., Europe and Japan in Fall 1999 and their latest effort "Cooking Out "for the Verve Music Group.