The Blue Note in New York presents Poncho Sanchez with his Latin Jazz Band for four steamy nights from April 26th through the 29th with two shows each night at 8:00 PM annd 10:30 PM.  The Poncho Sanchez Latin Jazz Band features Poncho Sanchez on congas, Ron Blake on trumpet, Javier Vergara on saxophones, Francisco Torres on trombone, David Torres on piano, Tony Banda on bass, George Ortiz on timbales, Joseph DeLeon on bongos/percussion.

Poncho Sanchez is widely respected as one of the top American percussionists of our time. He performs frequently in venues varying in size from concert halls to local jazz festivals. His most recent CD, Do It!, features funk icon Tower of Power on two tracks.

On October 30th 1951 Poncho Sanchez was born youngest of eleven children in Laredo, Texas and raised in Norwalk, California. Sanchez was exposed to and influenced by two very different styles of music: Afro-Cuban music (mambo, son, cha-cha, rhumba, guaracha, salsa) by greats such as Tito Puente, and bebop jazz, including the works of Charlie Parker. Startign as a guitarist and vocalistm Sanchez went on to teach himself the flute, drums, and timbales before finally deciding to pursue conga-playing in high school.

Inspired by the conga playing of Cuban great Mongo Santamaria, he honed his skills as a percussionist and broke into the limelight at the age of 23 when he joined vibraphonist Cal Tjader's famed Latin jazz ensemble in 1975. Poncho performed with him until Tjader's untimely death in 1982. A year later, he began his unprecedented 24-year relationship with Concord Records, which has produced two dozen recordings, several Grammy nominations and in 2000, Sanchez and his ensemble won the Grammy for Best Latin Jazz Album for their work on the Concord Picante album Latin Soul.

Come hear Poncho Sanchez with the Poncho Sanchez with his exciting Latin Jazz Band for four steamy nights from April 26th through the 29th at the Blue Note with two shows each night at 8:00 PM annd 10:30 PM.

For more details visitwww.bluenote.net/newyork