Ponpon Chen

[charlieparker]

Guitarist I hadn't heard of before with some impressive Benson style singing while soloing.

[AllanAllen]

I stole licks from this one

Ponpon Chen Beautiful Jazz Guitar Solo How High The Moon #guitartabs #amazingguitar - YouTube

[setemupjoe]

lol. She was my student at musicians institute and was always the star in the jazz workshops. We actually just had lunch today. She’s just finished recording her first album which sounds amazing. I believe she will go far.

Also she got picked up by Gibson for their young artist program this year which for a jazz artist from Taiwan is pretty impressive.
Gibson announces Artist Spotlight program roster for 2026

[AllanAllen]

Got any tips on precision and smoothness?

[GuyBoden]

[AllanAllen]

Yeah, the part at 2:11, it's hip and also easier to play than the turnaround in Ornithology.

[AllanAllen]

Was that the slow intro or after she sped up?

[setemupjoe]

Got any tips on precision and smoothness?

Regarding Ponpon's process, I can say from the first time she performed for the class and every time after she was very prepared. She would find a solo that she liked over the tune we were doing. Sometimes a guitarist but just as often she'd choose something by Chet Baker or some other instrumentalist. She'd memorize the solo and then perform it flawlessly. To the class they didn't know she was playing something she had previously worked out. This is something she continued for a long time. Instead of improvising she'd memorize a solo. She only started building her own solos later. It's not something I told her to do but it's something that felt natural to her and in hindsight I can see how it worked well for her. She never performed something that wasn't perfect in her eyes.

[AllanAllen]

It works for her