Poncho Sanchez - Cantaloupe Island

If music were about pictures, percussionist Poncho Sanchezs music would best be described as a
kaleidoscopic swirl of some of the hottest colors and brightest lights to emerge from either side of the
border. At any given show, on any given record, fragments of Latin Jazz, Swing, Salsa and
other infectious grooves collide and churn in a fiery swirl, with results that are no less than dazzling.

All of these sounds and more come together in Psychedelic Blues (2010), Sanchezs twenty-fourth
recording on Concord Records. The last couple records have gone a little heavy on the soul music, which has gone over really well in our live shows, but we wanted to do more of a straightahead Latin jazz record this time something in the tradition of our earlier Concord records that we made back in the 80s.

Along with Synowiec is the same lineup that has backed Sanchez on several records and countless
live shows: keyboardist/arranger David Torres; saxophonist Javíer Vergara; trumpeter/flugelhornist
Ron Blake; trombonist/arranger Francisco Torres; bassist/vocalist Tony Banda; timbalero George
Ortiz; and percussionist/vocalist Joey De León. Even a couple alumni from earlier configurations of
Sanchezs band baritone saxophonist Scott Martin and percussionist Alfredo Ortiz step back in to
lend a hand on Psychedelic Blues.

Although born in Laredo, Texas, in 1951 to a large Mexican-American family, Sanchez grew up in a
suburb of L.A., where he was raised on an unusual cross section of sounds that included
straightahead Jazz, Latin Jazz and American soul. By his teen years, his musical consciousness had
been solidified by the likes of John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Cal Tjader, Mongo Santamaria, Wilson
Pickett and James Brown. Along the way, he taught himself to play guitar, flute, drums and timbales,
but eventually settled on the congas.

At 24, after working his way around the local club scene for several years, he landed a permanent
spot in Cal Tjaders band in 1975. I learned a great deal from Cal, says Sanchez, but it wasnt as
though he sat me down and taught me lessons like a schoolteacher. Mostly it was just a matter of
being around such a great guy. It was the way he conducted himself, the way he talked to people, the
way he presented himself onstage. He was very elegant, very dignified, and when he played, he played beautifully. The touch that he had on the vibes nobody has that sound. To me, he was and is, and always will be the worlds greatest vibe player.

Premier Latin trumpeter Arturo Sandoval Sanchezs friend since their first gig together at a festival
in Sardinia, Italy, some twenty years ago makes a guest appearance via a rendition of Freddie
Hubbards Crisis. The track showcases Sandovals respect and reverence for the American bebop
maestro who had passed away just a few months before the Psychedelic Blues sessions.
The title track is a fast-moving mambo, originally written by Sonny Henry and arranged here by
Francisco Torres, who attaches a surprise at the end of the track.

The intriguing centerpiece to the album is a Willie Bobo medley featuring I Dont Know (a Sonny
Henry piece commonly associated with Bobo), the laid back Fried Neckbones and Some
Homefries and the slightly more urgent Spanish Grease. All three of these songs merge
effortlessly to create a nostalgic nod to the revered Latin and Afro-Cuban Jazz percussionist of the
60s and 70.

Further into the set, Sanchez and the band turn Silvers Serenade originally a swing tune by
Horace Silver into a mambo with personality to burn, thanks in large part to solo work by Francisco
Torres. When Poncho himself steps forward to deliver some syncopated conga lines, the net result is
an infectious groove.

"There's room for a lot of different sounds in our music," he says. "I think people have come to know that that's what Poncho Sanchez is all about. We put it all together in a pot, boil it together and come out with a big stew. This isn't some marketing strategy to sell records. These are the sounds I grew up with. So when I play this music, I'm not telling a lie. I'm telling my story. This is the real thing."

Buy CD:
http://www.amazon.com/Psychedelic-Blues-Poncho-Sanchez/dp/B002HWUU4A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1268691433&sr=8-1

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