A man who needs no introduction in the circles of Latin Jazz; Poncho Sanchez is self-taught and is described by many as the hardest working musician in the genre. Sanchez is a world renown congero that has amassed great fame in recent history. Aside from being a great musician, arranger, composer, lead man, and band-leader, he was recognized by the Grammy’s in 2002 for his album titled Latin Soul. Sanchez went on to win his nomination, defeating other great figures such as trumpet player, Bobby Rodriguez, and Cuban Pianist, Chucho Valdez. I initially met Sanchez back in 2001 for the 6th Annual Latin Jazz Caravan. I figured since Sanchez was in town and I needed to write a critique, he would do just fine.
Poncho Sanchez was born on October …show more content…
I observed Sanchez use his fingertips, entire palm, some fingers, and even his elbow. The sound of the conga is comparable to that of a deep bass drum. On percussion, bongo, cowbells, and guiro (scrapper) was Jean Carlos Anderson. I found that the function of all these instruments was to keep the rhythm in line and add flair to the sound. I would categorize the sound of these instruments as background support, but nonetheless, brings the spirit out of the song. Joey De Leon was on timbales, kettle Drum and a couple of riding cymbals. Latin Jazz bands don’t typically have a drum kit. Aside from keeping the timing and rhythm, I interpret the timbalero as being the glue that keeps the song together. Francisco Torres was on trombone, Rob Hart on tenor & alto sax, and Ron Blake on trumpet and flugelhorn. This was the horn section of the band. What I most enjoyed about the performance was that every horn player took turns equally in performing solos, everyone stood out at different stages of the song. It was apparent that the entire band fed off each other and are a cohesive group of musicians. Albert Salas was on piano providing a “steady pulse” and John Pittcock, on electric bass, provided the “tumbao” (pg. 246). Some of the songs featured on his set were, “Coco My My,” “Poncho Sanchez Medley,” “Mambo Inn and on Green Street,” and “Watermelon …show more content…
As the song progressed, the horn section was urging the song to speed up. The trumpet was sort of slurring the notes and held them for at least two to three beats. The song then broke into a trumpet solo that was bright and intense. As soon as the trumpet ended its solo, the trombone player began with almost a muted sound. He also made his way atop the scale. At this point, the front man urged the crown to begin shouting “hey” for at least four to six measures of time, that was followed by shouting “watermelon man” both accented by the trumpets staccato sound. This was the crowd favorite; everyone was dancing in their seats; including my teenage daughter that I brought to the performance. My daughter had been around Jazz earlier in life but had not experienced the music lately. My daughter was just as in the moment as everyone else. Sanchez had worked the crowd into a frenzy. At this point, the timbalero became more prevalent and was striking the cymbals at every count. This was the lead into the congueros solo. By this time, the crowd was anticipating the front man’s solo. Suffice to say, he delivered the goods. Something of a surprise to me was when Poncho got off his Congas and allowed the percussionist to play the congas. Poncho picked up the cow bell and guiro, and performed vocals on the next