
L-R:
Jimmy Weber (clarinet/saxophone), José
Ponéira (piano), Jim Cordupel (bass), Ed
Sersen (drums)
The José Ponéira Quartet at the
Rancho don Carlos, 650 Pembina Hwy.
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada 1958.
Owen Clark
Collection. Photo contributed by
Ed Sersen. Photo ID: OC-ES11.
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José Ponéira was born in
Lubeck, Germany on February 8, 1923.
His father, Alexander Ponéira, came from
an affluent German family and was a
doctor. His maternal grandfather was
Wilhelm von Humboldt, founder of the
Humboldt University of Berlin. The
Humboldtian university concept profoundly
influenced higher education throughout
Europe, and later, the modern western
education system.
The family left their homeland in 1934
during the period when far-right
totalitarian ideology was coming to the
forefront. Taking up residence in
Spain, the Poniéras operated a ranch until
the Spanish Civil War of the late '30s
caused them to relocate once again,
returning to Germany where they remained
until 1941. They escaped to Cuba,
staying for a period of six months, before
settling in Argentina.
In Argentina, José developed a life-long
love of Latin music that would later
influence his career as a musical
performer. In 1947, he moved to New
York City where he became a fixture in the
nightclub scene, playing at the famed
Waldorf Astoria and the popular Harwin
Club, where he met his wife, Gladys.
“He knew all the stars and celebrities and
moved in that circle,” Richard Ponéira
said, adding his father once played at a
party for actor Robert Mitchum in 1949,
and one of Jose’s trios provided the music
for the engagement party of Grace Kelly
and Prince Rainier of Monaco.
José Ponéira arrived in Winnipeg in 1955,
and for several decades fronted trios and
quartets on the nightclub circuit
throughout Canada and the United
States. The late 50s/early 60s
Ponéira appeared regularly at the Rancho
Don Carlos in Winnipeg. From 1962 to
1964, he hosted his own national weekly
show - A Song For You - on CBC television.
Ponéira spent the latter part of the 1960s
and early 1970s in Toronto and Vancouver,
returning to Winnipeg in 1976. He
was at the piano for Sunday brunch in the
Fort Garry Hotel’s Palm Room for 20 years,
last playing there for his 90th birthday
in February 2013.
José Ponéira died at Winnipeg on June 22,
2013 after a brief illness.
Compiled from the following sources:
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"At the Rancho, if a singer
was booked, they came with music charts,
and Charlie had to provide the backing
band. Playing with some of the
big-name acts meant you had to be able to
read quickly and learn fast because you
generally had one rehearsal. I don't
think the musicians in this city would
have developed as quickly without the
Rancho. He gave local musicians a
chance to play with major artists.
Also, musicians got to see and interact
with some of the finest musicians on the
North American scene. I never ever
heard any local musicians say anything bad
about Charlie.”
Owen Clarke
Musician and jazz historian in a 2015
interview
The following video is a clip of Cab
Calloway at the Rancho Don Carlos with the
José Ponéira Quartet backing
him up for the 1959 televised
performance of The Cab Calloway Show.
"Very unusual line up for
Cab with a clarinet, but Jimmy WEBER
proves on several tunes that he can play
some fine riffs. But
the best of all is definitely the
drummer Ed SERSEN who endures a
scat/drum battle on “I’ll Be Glad When
You’re Dead” with Cab and gets great
applause by the audience, and
consideration by Cab himself! The best
part of the show."
Keller
Whalen
As
published on The Hi De Ho
Blog
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