Ponguru (sonorous, resonant, deep –toned, gruff) is a unique New Zealand recorded work conceived, composed and performed by ngā taonga pūoro (traditional Māori musical instruments) artist Al Fraser and double-bassist Phil Boniface that brings together the low voice of the double-bass, as well as the many voices of ngā taonga pūoro in an exploration of timbre, space, melody and shared musical language.

Phil Boniface and Al Fraser began performing together in 1998 while studying jazz performance at Massey University Conservatorium of Music in Wellington, 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.