Poncho Sanchez: Ultimate Latin Dance Party

PONCHO SANCHEZ
Ultimate Latin Dance Party

Poncho Sanchez has established himself as one of the top Latin jazz band leaders, becoming in every way the equal of his former employer and mentor Cal Tjader. Sanchez grew up listening to the great mambo and cha cha cha bandleaders Machito, Tito Rodriguez, and Tito Puente. The son of Mexican parents who married in Laredo, he was also exposed to the music of the mariachis and the ranchero and conjunto music from the north of Mexico. Drawn by the harmonic sophistication of bebop and big band jazz, Puente joined and played in Cal Tjader's bands for nearly eight years. Poncho formed his first band as a leader in 1980, and has recorded twenty albums for Concord Records's Picante imprint.

Latin Dance Party features selections from 18 of those 20 albums, so it presents a well-rounded view of the groups Sanchez has led over the past twenty years, but the music itself all has one thing in common: it is happy, celebratory music that says "party time!" A listen to this 2-disc set is all one needs to remember that, long before the Ricky Martins and Shakiras that the record industry has thrown at pop listeners over the past several years, before the so-called "Latin music explosion", there was plenty of real Latin party music around. Sanchez, Tjader, Puente, Machito, Mongo Santamaria, and others have left a recorded legacy of Latin rhythms spiced by the harmonies and exciting arrangements of American jazz.

There isn't one bad track on Latin Dance Party, what with Poncho's hot version of Cal Tjader's signature tune "Soul Sauce," guest appearances by Tito Puente ("Lover, Come Back To Me") and Mongo Santamaria ("Watermelon Man"), a knockout version of "Oy Como Va" (covered by Santana), and "Bodacious Q," with the soulful organ work of Joey DeFrancesco. There's also the beautiful mix of Latin and Creole influences heard on "Going Back to New Orleans" from the recent (and excellent) Latin Spirits album and a "Tito Medley" containing three of Tito Puente's greatest numbers seamlessly blended together in a loving tribute from one percussionist to another.

Disc Two begins with a hot big band arrangement of Dizzy Gillespie's "A Night In Tunisia" featuring the trombone work of Art Velasco, while "Subway Harry," a bit of a tribute to the New York subway system, features tenor saxophonist Scott Martin over a boogaloo blues. "Yumbabmbe" features the high-note trumpet work of Sal Cracchiolo as well as a cornocopia of Latin percussion from Panchez, bongo player David Romero, and timbale player Ramon Banda. Eddie Harris turns up to energize the performance of his own classic "Cold Duck Time," while "Sonando," a cha cha, benefits from the gorgeous trumpet accents of Steve Huffsteter.

Whether you are familiar with the work of Poncho Sanchez or not, you should find plenty of reasons to like this fabulous collection of his work. If you aren't familiar, this sampler could help you make your way through his other twenty CDs for Concord (they're addictive!) Even if you have every one of those other albums, this collection provides a well-programmed trip through the work of one of music's best congueros ever.

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