Some Latin Jazz musicians deliver unexpected thrills and chills with each new release, providing a different musical adventure with every track while other musicians serve as stylistic rocks, consistently turning out high quality, straight-ahead Latin Jazz. Both types of artists hold strong musical skills, they’ve simply chosen different artistic pathways to define their careers. They also both serve as important pieces of the musical community - the more traditional musician ensures the perseverance of tradition and the experimental artist pushes the advancement of the genre. Both types of artists find a following, but in general, the stylistic rocks retain a greater popularity among a wide audience; their audience knows what to expect from them and they consistently come back for more. They act as the genre’s standard bearers, traveling around the world, sharing their traditional statements. These artists open the door for the more experimental musicians, acclimating people’s ears to Latin rhythms before they face the challenge of unusual artistic approaches. For most people, the rock solid consistent artists serve as the face of the genre and their doorway into the music’s history and depth - they are the first stop in many people’s journey through Latin Jazz, and as a result, their work is of the utmost importance.
For close to thirty years, conguero Poncho Sanchez has firmly held his place in the Latin Jazz world as a stylistic rock, consistently producing top-notch Latin Jazz in a very traditional and very exciting way. As a young musician in the Los Angeles area, Sanchez fed his healthy musical appetite with Latin Jazz artists such as Mongo Santamaria and Tito Puente, Fania era salsa bands, and classic rhythm and blues. His reputation steadily grew until vibraphonist Cal Tjader recruited Sanchez for his band in 1975, effectively sending Sanchez into the big leagues of the Latin Jazz world. Sanchez traveled the globe with Tjader, refining his skills as a percussionist and jazz musician, but also learning the inner workings of the music business. His knowledge grew as Sanchez stayed with Tjader until his death in 1982, and by the time that Concord Records employed Sanchez as a bandleader, he was ready to step into the greater music world. His first Concord release, Sonando!, followed directly in Tjader’s footsteps, presenting solid arrangements of jazz standards over Latin rhythms all anchored by excellent soloists and an extremely tight rhythm section. Sanchez continued this formula with several more albums, including Bien Sabroso, El Conguero, Fuerte, and La Familia, building a loyal fan base and an ever-growing reputation as one of the genre’s best bandleaders. He joined forces with legend Mongo Santamaria on the 1995 album Conga Blue and reflected upon his time with Tjader on the album Soul Sauce: Memories of Cal Tjader, reinforcing his status as an important piece of West Coast Latin Jazz history. Sanchez embellished his sound at times, but never changed it; on the 2007 release Raise Your Hand, Sanchez dives into rhythm and blues, but the album also contains a healthy dose of traditional Latin Jazz. The now classic Sanchez sound has remained constant throughout his career, making him one of the genre’s most important standard bearers and most popular figures throughout the world.
Sanchez releases his twenty-forth album on the Concord Records label next week, Psychedelic Blues, a solid recording that sidesteps the rhythm and blues of Raise Your Hand and focuses firmly upon the classic Latin Jazz approach that has long defined the percussionist. In celebration of this new recording, today’s Weekly Latin Jazz Video Fix will be dedicated to Sanchez with a couple of videos from the Sanchez of past and present. The first video discusses Psychedelic Blues through some interviews with Sanchez, a look at the band’s studio time, and samples of the album’s tracks. The second clip finds the Sanchez band in action, performing their trademark blend of Latin Jazz, salsa, and entertainment with a tune entitled “El Conguero.” Both videos show Sanchez at his best, providing a rock solid link to a classic Latin Jazz tradition. Enjoy!
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Do you have a video to contribute to satisfy our weekly Latin Jazz video fix? If so, send it in - it’s time to feed our addiction. I’m looking for live performances, from any context. I’ll most likely be posting one video per week, but if you’ve got another idea, let’s talk. So come on Latin Jazz videographers, musicians, and fans - let’s share some of our memorable videos! Get my contact info HERE
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