Old Ponte Photos Recently Revived
Ritchie Fusey (AKA Ritchie Rabo) and I worked together at Ponte's in the late 70's early 80's. He has a few old photos he kindly sent, and I've been getting them digitized and cleaned up via photoshop.
The first one ready is this, from the early 80's I think, in the shop on West 48th Street. This is Charlie Ponte (left) and his 
younger brother Frank Ponte, having a discussion about something.
Frank was a trumpet player who managed the brass department upstairs, and retired around 1980 and passed away within a few months after that. I love Franks style - classic NYC, Doc Severinsen trumpet playing bad boy. High rise slacks and always a pen in his golf shirt pocket.
In the background you can see display cases with dozens of new saxes. The case that Franks arm is resting on has been refurbished and is in my current shop, holding FF nylon thread.
Out of sight, behind and above them were a row of square barreled clarinets that the old Greek guys came in for. Next to them were the other old clarinets that Woody Allen and Benny Goodman came in to try out.
4 comments:
This is really interesting stuff. Please tell us more.....
Hi brian,
my name is frank ponte.
frank ponte the trumpet player was my father.i just found your site thru a google search of the ponte music co.by chance do u have any more pictures of my father, my uncle charlie or the ponte music co.
regards
frank ponte
I am so glad to hear from you. Please contact me directly at brian@charlesmusic.com. You did not leave an email address - and signed the blog as anonymous, so I have no way to contact you!
My father took me to NYC in the late 50's to buy a Ponte Oboe. I had it restored 3 years ago and am again attempting to play the oboe after 35 years.
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