An album should reflect an artistic personality; the music becomes the sum of several influences in a creative mix. When Concord Records acquired the Rhythm n’ Blues label Stax, percussionist Poncho Sanchez gained access to a group of musicians and repertoire that influenced his musical development. The resultant album, Raise Your Hand, combines Sanchez’s Latin Jazz group with a variety of guest artists. The collaboration results in an album full of Latin Jazz, Salsa, and classic Rhythm n’ Blues tracks.

Top Notch Latin Jazz: Straight Ahead and Cooking
Sanchez and his band sound best on this album playing straight ahead Latin Jazz. The arrangements stay rooted in jazz harmony, but also remain exciting through creative rhythmic ideas. A diversity of rhythmic feels lets the band explore different musical ideas. Soloists get plenty of space to express themselves, with improvisation as the main focus. The rhythmic section plays strong, enticing listeners to dance. These are Sanchez trademarks that consistently produce interesting Latin Jazz albums.

The four Latin Jazz tracks are definitely the album highlights. The band rides “Tropi Blue” through an up-tempo romp on a set of blues changes. A lengthy trombone solo by Francisco Torres displays the Sanchez band’s finest qualities - the true jazz history apparent in the band. The mood changes completely with the laid back Cha Cha Cha “Rosarito”. Ron Blake’s sensitive trumpet work explores the chord changes with jazz phrasing and exceptional melodicism. Pianist David Torres contrasts Blake’s lyricism with his solo’s rhythmic exploration of the Cha Cha Cha’s chords. The funky Cha Cha Cha “Maceo’s House” provides the perfect stage for guest alto saxophonist Maceo Parker. Parker’s biting tone, bluesy phrasing, and funky rhythmic ideas build into an exciting solo over the band’s vamp. The band creates a contemplative quality to the 6/8 rhythm of “Gestation”. Here, Vergara’s jazz side shines brightly, as his sax soars through a beautiful set of chord changes. These songs strongly uphold the high Latin Jazz standard that Sanchez values.

Swinging Salsa: Danceable and Full of Jazz
Sanchez stamps his unique mark on the Salsa tunes, balancing jazz aesthetics with a dance sensibility. The songs move from singers improvising over standard Salsa structures into jazz chord changes with complimentary melodies. Soloists take large pieces of songs in which to make a statement, often getting more play time than the singers. The Sanchez rhythm section plays like a machine, moving forward with constant swing. In many ways, the line between the Salsa and Latin Jazz songs are blurred, creating a new mixture that screams fun, excitement, and Sanchez.

The band charges through these three songs with zest and flare. “El Agua De Belen” stands out as the album’s hit dance tune. Guest vocalist Andy Montañez knows his way around a pregon; his vocal is confident and spontaneous. Ron Blake offers an extended trumpet solo, full of melodic invention all while he playfully works around the clave. “Dónde Va Chichi?” features guest vocalist José “Perico” Hernández, another complimentary addition to the Sanchez band. Vergara moves his sax through a major vamp, and Sanchez delivers an energetic conga solo on a minor montuno. “Amor Con Amor”, the most straight-ahead salsa tune arrives near the end of the album. The chord changes are more simplistic here, but the band approaches the song with same drive and dedication. The composers provide the spice here – Sanchez with a strong vocal and Torres with an inspired trombone solo. These songs create a balance to the Latin Jazz, and the vocal emphasis diversifies the whole album.

Classic R n’ B: Fun But Out of Place
The three Rhythm ‘n Blues tracks on this album sound good on their own merit. The band performs them well, with an addictive and laid back feel. They are fun dance numbers with tight, professional arrangements. These tracks will undoubtedly earn a good deal of radio play. Added into the Sanchez live repertoire, they will get the party crowd out of their chairs and onto the dance floor. Pure Rhythm n’ Blues doesn’t get much better than this, and Sanchez should see some commercial success from this recording.

The three tracks break up the album in different ways. “Raise Your Hand” starts off the album with a funky groove. Guest spots from vocalist Eddie Floyd, organ player Booker T. Jones, and guitarist Steve Cropper helps solidify that down-home feel. An old Motown classic, “Shotgun”, arises next, with vocals from Sanchez. Parker pops up here again, filling in with bluesy sax licks throughout the song. The album closer is another Stax classic, “Knock on Wood”. Floyd and Sanchez share the vocals on this one, moving through a fairly stock arrangement of this song.

The Sanchez band makes an outstanding R ‘n B band, but their Latin Jazz roots vanish here. Sanchez has always included a funky influence on his past albums, yet he always prioritized the Latin element. Older recordings seem more like Boogaloo takes on classic R n’ B songs, similar to the Mongo Santamaria approach. On this recording, Joey Heredia provides a drum kit track that pushes the congas and timbales into the background. The jazz element also completely disappears - solos are relegated to short burst of sound; they seems like more a novelty than a necessity. Despite the excellent performances on these tracks, they seem out of place on this album.

What The Future Holds . . .
Sanchez needs to be applauded for the outstanding work on Raise Your Hand, and taking the risk to explore his musical influences. His band carries the Latin Jazz tradition proudly, giving equal doses of improvisation, tight arrangements, and solid Latin rhythm section work. The Salsa performances reflect a distinct approach that has been refined over many years. Sanchez and his band have obviously contemplated the amount of jazz and dance music mixed into the Salsa. I’m curious to hear where the Rhythm n’ Blues influence will go on future efforts. These tracks seem to be a step back for Sanchez – I’d love to hear him embrace his past “Latinization” of R n’ B, and then push the musicality further. For now, Raise Your Hand provides a glimpse of Sanchez in all three pieces of his musical personality.

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