Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Poncho Sanchez: Soul Of The Conga

204

Poncho Sanchez: Soul Of The Conga

By

View read count
Poncho Sanchez: Soul Of The Conga
Viva La Familia!

Poncho Sanchez’ Latin jazz band is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. And what a way to celebrate. With organist Joey DeFrancesco adding soulful sounds to the band’s vibrant program, this session smokes with deeply rooted traditions. There are the Hammond B-3 organ grooves with powerful horn solos alongside. Then, there’s the lovely two-part vocal harmony Sanchez and Tony Banda express from a simpler, rustic, cultural standpoint. And then there’s Terence Blanchard’s contribution on a timeless ballad. But the biggest surprise comes from the Ortiz Brothers, who sing in the traditional changui style from Oriente, Cuba. Sanchez joins the brothers on congas, as they chant and sing in Spanish with a different kind of soul.

Sanchez has been inviting special guests to work with his band for a long time. Past visitors to the family’s affairs include Freddie Hubbard, Eddie Harris, Tito Puente, Mongo Santamaria, Dianne Reeves and the Jazz Crusaders. For this session, DeFrancesco works for half the album, Blanchard for one ballad, and the Ortiz Brothers for four.

"Haitian Lady" offers one of the most dramatic moments of the program, as DeFrancesco and the band stir up repressed emotions. As always, the three horns in this band’s lineup work together as a tight unit and step forward individually with outstanding solo presentations. Saxophonist Martin soars on alto through three bright numbers, on tenor for three more, and on baritone for a handful more. The combination of baritone saxophone with organ on "Bodacious Q" invites a fun-loving, party atmosphere. Several of the selections sweep gently to a danceable beat. It’s an opportunity for dancing couples to get involved physically with this band’s magic. But when the hot solos erupt, much of the dancing motion stops and the audience crowds around to see it firsthand.

Sanchez sings several of the songs with a natural charm and sincere expression. His powerful conga technique continues to impress. On the closing "Rumba de Po-Tiz," particularly, the leader tears up the place with the kind of percussive tales that he’s been relating for twenty years. Sounds like he’s got the strength to go at least another twenty.

Personnel

Album information

Title: Soul Of The Conga | Year Released: 2000 | Record Label: Concord Music Group

Tags

Comments


PREVIOUS / NEXT




Support All About Jazz

Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Tramonto
John Taylor
Ki
Natsuki Tamura / Satoko Fujii
Duality Pt: 02
Dom Franks' Strayhorn
The Sound of Raspberry
Tatsuya Yoshida / Martín Escalante

Popular

Old Home/New Home
The Brian Martin Big Band
My Ideal
Sam Dillon
Ecliptic
Shifa شفاء - Rachel Musson, Pat Thomas, Mark Sanders
Lado B Brazilian Project 2
Catina DeLuna & Otmaro Ruíz

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.

Install All About Jazz

iOS Instructions:

To install this app, follow these steps:

All About Jazz would like to send you notifications

Notifications include timely alerts to content of interest, such as articles, reviews, new features, and more. These can be configured in Settings.