Poncho Sanchez

For decades as both a leader and a sideman, conguero Poncho Sanchez has stirred up a fiery stew of straight-ahead jazz, gritty soul music, and infectious melodies and rhythms from a variety of Latin American and South American sources. Sanchez’s musical consciousness has been solidified by the likes of John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Cal T. Jader, Mon Go 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. As Sanchez states, "To me, Latin jazz is the world's greatest music. It has the melodic and harmonic sophistication of jazz and American standards, and the flavor and energy of Latin American music. What I’m most proud of is that this music--while it may sound exotic at times--is from America.”