Poncho Sanchez © Devin DeHaven

The Jazz Bakery Movable Feast presents Conguero legend Poncho Sanchez and his Latin Jazz Band at 7:00 p.m. Thursday, August 25th. 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 and have been honored with a Grammy award and four Grammy nominations.  The band includes longtime members Francisco Torres (trombone), Ron Blake (trumpet), Javier Vergara (saxophones), David Torres (piano), Tony Banda (bass), George Ortiz (timbales), Joey De León (bongos & percussion), and of course the master conguero himself, Poncho Sanchez [click here for a review of a recent conert]. This final concert of the 17th annual Culver City Music Festival takes place on Thursday evening, August 25th across the street from the futue home of the Jazz Bakery at the Culver City City Hall Courtyard, located at 9770 Culver Blvd.  (corner Culver Blvd. and Duquesne Ave.). This is a free event.

Poncho Sanchez Latin Jazz Band

Poncho Sanchez, © Devin DeHaven

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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