Poncho Sanchez Fires Up His Congas For Some Latin Jazz

When Poncho Sanchez and His Latin Jazz Band bring their show to Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts at 8 p.m. Saturday, March 31, in the Virginia G. Piper Theater, it will be a night full of what the Texas-born conguero calls "the world's greatest music."

That's how Sanchez describes Latin jazz, a sub-genre he attributes to the New York City meeting of conga drummer Chano Pozo and trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie in the 1940s, according to an official biography of Sanchez. He said Pozo and Gillespie were the first musicians to bring elements of Latin music to American jazz, creating the style Sanchez has championed for the better part of four decades.

"(Latin jazz) has the melodic and harmonic sophistication of jazz and American standards, and the flavor and energy of Latin American music," Sanchez said in his biography.

That is the sound Sanchez has explored over more than two-dozen albums in a career that led to recording with Booker T. Jones and Eddie Floyd while earning the percussionist numerous Grammy Award nominations between 1984 and 2010. In 1999, his album Latin Soul won the Grammy for "Best Latin Jazz Performance."

According to MinnPost.com, "If anyone knows the secrets of Latin jazz - an infectious blend of traditional Afro-Cuban and/or Latin American rhythms with jazz, most often bebop - it's Sanchez."

Born in Laredo to a large Mexican-American family, Sanchez grew up in the suburbs of Los Angeles, where he developed an affinity for artists like John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Wilson Pickett and James Brown. He taught himself to play guitar, flute, drums and timbales but eventually settled on the congas as his instrument of choice.

The San Diego Union-Tribune has called Sanchez "one of the top conga players in the land," noting, "He and his brassy group expertly create rhythmic propulsion, whether playing a cha-cha, a James Brown funk classic, a New Orleans-flavored romp or almost anything in between."

Sanchez got his big break at age 24 when he landed a spot in Latin jazz vibraphonist Cal Tjader's band. He played with Tjader from 1975 until the bandleader's death in 1982, the same year Sanchez released his debut album, Sonando.

Las Vegas Weekly has described Sanchez as a "stellar musician" and a "born entertainer." According to the publication, "You don't go to a Poncho Sanchez concert to sit around like a limp potato. His grooves bring your feet to life."

Tickets:
$59 (M $51) / $39 / $29
Free for eligible veterans, students and teachers. Patrons 29 and under, 50 percent off

Photo: Poncho Sanchez and His Latin Jazz Band
Photo Credit: Devin DeHaven