Poncho Sanchez, photo by Devin DeHaven

The Poncho Sanchez Latin Jazz Band returns to Steamers, 138 W Commonwealth Ave. in Fullerton on Sunday, December 13th, 2009. Conguero 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. In his 2007 Grammy-winning release, Raise Your Hand on Concord Picante, conguero Poncho Sanchez and his legendary band payed homage to some of his soul heroes, as well as reaching into the timeless traditions of Afro-Cuban jazz and son. Poncho Sanchez’s newest album is his twenty-fourth recording on Concord Records and one of his finest. Psychedelic Blues features a more Latin jazz influenced sound honoring the tradition of Sanchez’s earlier work, and is less R&B influenced. The title track is neither psychedelic nor a blues, but a fast-moving mambo, written by Sonny Henry and arranged here by Francisco Torres [listen to streaming audio in QuickTime or Windows Media format].

Poncho Sanchez Latin Jazz Band

Seasoned, versatile, finely meshed, and deeply, masterfully percussive, the Poncho Sanchez Latin Jazz Band is perhaps the premier Latin jazz ensemble working today. They’ve recorded prolifically for the Concord label and have been honored with a Grammy and three Grammy nominations. An evening with Sanchez and his band promises to be a rhythmic, musical pleasure for body and soul. The band consists of longtime members Francisco Torres (trombone), Ron Blake (trumpet), Javier Vergara (saxophones), David Torres (piano), Tony Banda (bass), George Ortiz (timbales), Alfredo Ortiz (bongo, tres), and of course the master conguero himself, Poncho Sanchez.

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

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