Ponguru (sonorous, resonant, deeptoned, gruff) is a unique New Zealand recorded work conceived, composed and performed by ngā taonga pūoro artist Al Fraser and double-bassist Phil Boniface. ​ Phil Boniface and Al Fraser 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 direction as jazz double-bassist and composer lead him abroad. For more than a decade he was based in Canada where he played with many 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 ngā taonga pūoro in an exploration of timbre, space, melody and dialogue. ​

Working in collaboration with Steve Garden, this album will be released through Rattle Records. With a history of integrity, experience, as well as releasing the finest albums of contemporary New Zealand music, Rattle is enabling the work to develop, reach its full potential and join the labels discography of award winning and critically acclaimed albums.