PONGURU
Al Fraser and Phil Boniface

Al Fraser (ngā taonga pūoro)
Phil Boniface (acoustic bass)

Ponguru: sonorous, resonant, deep-toned, gruff

Phil and Al began performing together in 1998 while studying jazz performance at Massey University Conservatorium of Music, now the New Zealand School of Music. Al’s journey with ngā taonga pūoro began in 1999 and he is now one of the leading performers of Māori musical instruments. Phil’s journey as a jazz bassist and composer led him to Canada for more than a decade where he played with some of the finest jazz musicians on the West Coast. With Ponguru, Phil and Al bring together the low voice of the double bass and the many voices of taonga pūoro in an exploration of timbre, space, melody, and our shared musical language.