01/04/12

Story by Diane Carroll, 913-469-3425

Poncho Sanchez

Jazz legend Poncho Sanchez to perform during Winterlude festival

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – Latin jazz legend Poncho Sanchez, who serves up a kaleidoscope of sounds, will appear with his band at 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 21, in the Carlsen Center's Yardley Hall at Johnson County Community College.

The performance by Poncho Sanchez and his Latin Jazz Band represents a partnership between JCCC's Performing Arts Series and Jazz Winterlude, an annual three-day jazz festival presented by the college. For more information on the festival, visit jccc.edu/jazzwinterlude.

Tickets for Sanchez, which are $45 and $35, are available through the college box office at 913-469-4445 or at jccc.edu/TheSeries. Anyone who buys a two-day pass for the festival should call the box office to ask about a discount.

Sanchez grew up in a Los Angeles suburb in the 1950s and '60s on an eclectic blend of sounds that included Latin jazz, gritty soul and melodies from Latin and South America. He taught himself to play guitar, flute, drums and timbales before settling on percussion, specifically the congas.

His imaginative rhythms have made him one of the most influential conga players and percussionists in Afro-Cuban jazz. His latest album, Chano y Dizzy!, pays tribute to two of the many musical giants who influenced him: congo drummer and composer Chano Pozo and trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie.

"These two musicians were the pioneers of what is now known as Latin jazz," Sanchez states on his website. "Chano Pozo was a genius. He's considered the godfather of conga drummers and he's someone whom I respect a great deal. And of course, Dizzy Gillespie was an iconic artist in American jazz. These guys were the first musicians to bring elements of Latin music to American jazz, which has resulted in some of the greatest music of the last 50 or 60 years."

The album, released in September, is Sanchez's 25^th recording as a bandleader by Concord Records. Joining Sanchez on the album are long-time band member Francisco Torres, on trombone and vocals, and multi Grammy winning trumpeter Terence Blanchard.

In 2010, Sanchez produced Psychedelic Blues, which takes a straight-ahead Latin jazz approach. It contrasts with a couple of earlier recordings that were heavy on soul.

"There's room for a lot of different sounds in our music," Sanchez has said. 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."

After the band played in Brooklyn, N.Y., in March 2010, a reviewer for The Epoch Times said Sanchez and his musicians easily established a strong rapport with the audience.

"Indeed, this is fun music that anyone can relate to," the reviewer wrote. "Some more assertive souls even started dancing in the aisles, even though the hall is not optimal for audience participation."

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