Gifted guitarist Paul Ponnudurai tunes up for a set at the Penang Island Jazz festival this weekend.

By N. RAMA LOHAN
lohan@thestar.com.my

IF YOU’RE featured in Time magazine, you must be doing something right. And if you’ve been given a two-page spread in the esteemed magazine, then you must have made it. Guitarist Paul Ponnudurai has certainly earned his stripes.

Ponnudurai probably didn’t have any ambitions to eclipse Ukulele Ike when he picked up the stringed instrument at age four, but the guitar allowed him to aspire to greater things. And greater things he certainly has achieved, from starting a professional music career at 17, right up to his current stint at Harry’s (restaurant and pub) in Singapore.

Paul Ponnudurai: ‘I’m always happy to play ... it’s what I do.’

The accomplished guitarist has played in jazz festivals (the most recent being the 9th Jakarta International Jazz Festival last weekend) and performed in many countries including China, Italy, Norway, Australia and New Zealand. He’s also shared the stage with veteran fusion drummer Billy Cobham, Aussie guitar wizard Tommy Emmanuel and husband-and-wife jazz duo Tuck and Patti.

But Ponnudurai’s career isn’t a history lesson – it’s about here and now. And the now is the Penang Island Jazz Festival 2007, which culminates on Sunday, the day the guitarist takes to the stage. The show also boasts appearances by John Goldie, Louis Soliano Quartet, Possicobilities, Anke Helfrich Trio, The Idea of North, and Jose Thomas & Groove Junction, among others.

Speaking from his Singapore base, Ponnudurai says he is as thrilled to be playing at the Penang Island Jazz Festival as he is anywhere else.

“I’m always happy to play ... it’s what I do. But I’m also really looking forward to meeting old friends. I have a lot of buddies in Penang,” he says enthusiastically.

The guitarist is expected to get listeners grooving with his own brand of solo accompaniment – no gimmicks or camera tricks; it’s all about the man, his guitar and his voice. “I’ll be playing my repertoire, basically. I’m pretty well known for the stuff I do as a soloist.”

Though the jazz fest may not be personally significant to Ponnudurai, he believes it can only contribute to the betterment of the music scene. “It’s good for Penang and the music scene in general. This will be my first appearance, though. The Penang Jazz Fest is kept alive by a group of very dedicated people.”

Part of Ponnudurai’s repertoire will surely include cuts from his album Right on Time. The album’s wholly “live” nature – in which the guitarist sings and plays his guitar in a single pass – has received critical acclaim and commercial acceptance.

“The album has been selling well over the Internet. The copies that I printed and had with me in Singapore have all been sold out, too. The album has turned out to be an effective calling card ... people get to hear the music and realise how authentic it is.”

The article about the man, which appeared in Time magazine, has merely heightened Ponnudurai’s appeal to a global audience.

“It’s provided a boost to my reputation. I’ve heard from people from Pakistan, India, Australia and New Zealand since then. They’ve bought the CD or even come to watch me play in Singapore, so that’s really great.”

Christmas is around the corner and Ponnudurai will be enjoying himself this festive season when he hooks up with his friends, Jeremy Monteiro, and Tuck and Patti again for a show on Dec 22 at Singapore’s Esplanade Concert Hall.

“I’ve become good friends with them and events like this are always fun.”

For more details on The Penang Island Jazz Festival 2007, visit penangjazz.com.

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