Poncho Sánchez (born Ildefonso Sanchez, October 30, 1951) is an American ''conguero'' (

conga The conga, also known as tumbadora, is a tall, narrow, single-headed drum from Cuba. Congas are staved like barrels and classified into three types: quinto (lead drum, highest), tres dos or tres golpes (middle), and tumba or salidor (lowest ...

player),

Latin jazz Latin jazz is a genre of jazz with Latin American rhythms. The two main categories are Afro-Cuban jazz, rhythmically based on Cuban popular dance music, with a rhythm section employing ostinato patterns or a clave (rhythm), clave, and Afro-Brazil ...

band leader, and

salsa Salsa most often refers to: * Salsa (food), a variety of sauces used as condiments * Salsa music, a popular style of Latin American music * Salsa (dance), a Latin dance associated with Salsa music Salsa or SALSA may also refer to: Arts and ent ...

singer. In 2000, he and his ensemble won the

Grammy Award for Best Latin Jazz Album The Grammy Award for Best Latin Jazz Album is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality works (songs or albums) in the Latin jazz ...

for their work on the

Concord Picante Concord may refer to: Meaning "agreement" * Harmony, in music * Agreement (linguistics), a change in the form of a word depending on grammatical features of other words Arts and media * ''Concord'' (video game), a defunct 2024 first-person sh ...

album ''

Latin Soul Latin soul (occasionally used synonymously with boogaloo) was a short-lived musical genre that had developed in the 1960s in New York City. It consisted of a blend of Cuban music such as mambo, along with elements of Latin jazz and soul music. Al ...

''. Sanchez has performed with artists including

Cal Tjader Callen Radcliffe Tjader Jr. ( ; July 16, 1925 – May 5, 1982) was an American Latin Jazz musician, often described as the most successful non-Latino Latin music (genre), Latin musician. He explored other jazz idioms, especially small group mod ...

Mongo Santamaría Ramón "Mongo" Santamaría Rodríguez (April 7, 1917 – February 1, 2003) was a Cuban percussionist and bandleader who spent most of his career in the United States. Primarily a conga drummer, Santamaría was a leading figure in the pachanga an ...

Hugh Masekela Hugh Ramapolo Masekela (4 April 1939 – 23 January 2018) was a South African trumpeter, flugelhornist, cornetist, singer and composer who was described as "the father of South African jazz". Masekela was known for his jazz compositions and f ...

Clare Fischer Douglas Clare Fischer (October 22, 1928 – January 26, 2012) was an American keyboardist, composer, arranger, and bandleader. After graduating from Michigan State University (from which, five decades later, he would receive an honorary doctorat ...

, and

Tower of Power Tower of Power is an American R&B and funk based band and horn section, originating in Oakland, California, that has been performing since 1968. The band has had a number of lead vocalists, the best-known being Lenny Williams, who fronted ...

Early life

The youngest of eleven children, Poncho Sanchez was born in

Laredo, Texas Laredo ( ; ) is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Webb County, Texas, Webb County, on the north bank of the Rio Grande in South Texas, across from Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Founded in 1755, Laredo grew from a villag ...

and reared in

Norwalk, California Norwalk is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 102,773 at the 2020 census. Founded in the late 19th century, Norwalk was incorporated as a city in 1957. It is located southeast of downtown Los Angeles a ...

, while he attended

Cerritos College Cerritos College is a public community college in Norwalk, California. It offers degrees and certificates in 87 areas of study in nine divisions. History The college was founded in 1955. It was named after Rancho Los Cerritos, a local r ...

. Growing up, he was exposed to and influenced by two different styles of music:

Afro-Cuban Afro-Cubans () or Black Cubans are Cubans of full or partial sub-Saharan African ancestry. The term ''Afro-Cuban'' can also refer to historical or cultural elements in Cuba associated with this community, and the combining of native African a ...

music (

mambo Mambo most often refers to: *Mambo (music), a Cuban musical form *Mambo (dance), a dance corresponding to mambo music Mambo may also refer to: Music * Mambo section, a section in arrangements of some types of Afro-Caribbean music, particul ...

son A son is a male offspring; a boy or a man in relation to his parents. The female counterpart is a daughter. From a biological perspective, a son constitutes a first degree relative. Social issues In pre-industrial societies and some current ...

, cha-cha,

rumba The term rumba may refer to a variety of unrelated music styles. Originally, "rumba" was used as a synonym for "party" in northern Cuba, and by the late 19th century it was used to denote the complex of secular music styles known as Cuban rumba ...

guaracha The guaracha () is a genre of music that originated in Cuba, of rapid tempo and comic or picaresque lyrics. The word has been used in this sense at least since the late 18th and early 19th century. Guarachas were played and sung in musical the ...

, and Changui) by

Tito Puente Ernest Anthony Puente Jr. (April 20, 1923 – May 31, 2000), commonly known as Tito Puente, was an American musician, songwriter, bandleader, timbalero, and record producer. He composed dance-oriented mambo and Latin jazz music. He was also k ...

and others, and

bebop Bebop or bop is a style of jazz developed in the early to mid-1940s in the United States. The style features compositions characterized by a fast tempo (usually exceeding 200 bpm), complex chord progressions with rapid chord changes and numerou ...

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

, including the works of

Dizzy Gillespie John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie ( ; October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, educator and singer. He was a trumpet virtuoso and improvisation, improviser, building on the virtuosic style of Roy El ...

and

Charlie Parker Charles Parker Jr. (August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955), nicknamed "Bird" or "Yardbird", was an American jazz Saxophone, saxophonist, bandleader, and composer. Parker was a highly influential soloist and leading figure in the development of beb ...

. Originally a

guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...

ist, he discovered his talent for singing during an audition for the R&B band The Halos that rehearsed across the street from his residence. Sanchez became the lead vocalist of The Halos, and would go on to teach himself the

flute The flute is a member of a family of musical instruments in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, producing sound with a vibrating column of air. Flutes produce sound when the player's air flows across an opening. In th ...

, the

drums The drum is a member of the percussion instrument, percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, it is a membranophones, membranophone. Drums consist of at least one Acoustic membrane, membrane, c ...

, and

timbales Timbales () or pailas are shallow single-headed drums with metal casing. They are shallower than single-headed tom-toms and usually tuned much higher, especially for their size.Orovio, Helio 1981. ''Diccionario de la música cubana: biográfic ...

before finally deciding in

high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...

to pursue

drumming above all. Sanchez has released dozens of LP and CD albums.

Career

In 1975, Sanchez's idol,

vibraphonist The vibraphone (also called the vibraharp) is a percussion instrument in the metallophone family. It consists of tuned metal bars and is typically played by using mallets to strike the bars. A person who plays the vibraphone is called a ''vib ...

, invited him to perform a set with his band. Seeing the young man's talent, Tjader hired Sanchez for a week before officially making him a full member of the ensemble. Sanchez played a crucial role as ''conguero'' for several years until Tjader's death in 1982. Before he died, Tjader suggested that

Concord Records Concord Records is an American record label owned by Concord and based in Los Angeles, California. Concord Records was launched in 1995 as an imprint designed to reach beyond the company's foundational Concord Jazz label. The label's artists ha ...

founder

Carl Jefferson Carl Jefferson (December 10, 1919 – March 29, 1995) was an American jazz record producer, and was the founder of the Concord Records label. Biography Jefferson was born in Alameda, California. Prior to entering the music business, he owned and o ...

sign Sanchez and his soon-to-be-formed group under the Concord Picante label. Tjader's wishes were honored, and the first two records were composed and arranged by long-time Tjader collaborator

. Sanchez went on to produce 19 albums for the label, eventually garnering a

Grammy The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...

for his work.

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

described Sanchez as "among the most influential percussionists in jazz." He has been performing frequently in venues varying in size from concert halls to local jazz festivals. His 2005 CD, ''Do It!'', features the funk band

on two tracks, as well as South African

trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz musical ensemble, ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest Register (music), register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitche ...

. Sanchez is a frequent collaborator with bandleader

José Rizo José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced very differently in each of the two languages: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ). In French, the name ''José'', pronounced , ...

. He played conga on the Grammy-nominated album ''Mongorama'' produced by Rizo. Sanchez was featured on Ilya Serov's single "

Tangerine The tangerine is a type of citrus fruit that is orange in colour, that is considered either a variety of the mandarin orange (''Citrus reticulata''), or a closely related species, under the name ''Citrus tangerina'', or yet as a hybrid (''Citr ...

", released on January 9, 2018.

Discography

* ''Poncho'' (Discovery DS 799, 1979) * ''Straight Ahead'' (Discovery DS 813, 1980) * '' Salsa Picante'' y Clare Fischer(Discovery DS 817, 1980) * ''

Machaca Machaca is a traditionally dried meat, usually spiced beef or pork, that is rehydrated and then used in popular local cuisine in Northern Mexico and the Southwestern United States. It is also readily available in many groceries and supermarket ...

'' y Clare Fischer & Salsa Picante(Discovery DS 835, 1981] * '' 2+2 (album), 2+2'' ith Clare Fischer & Salsa Picante(Pausa PR 7086, 1981) * ''Sonando'' (Concord Picante, 1983) * ''Bien Sabroso'' (Concord Picante, 1984) * ''El Conguero'' (Concord Picante, 1985) * ''Gaviota'' (Discovery DSCD 930, 1980 el. 1986 with

* ''Papa Gato'' (Concord Picante, 1987) * ''¡Fuerte!'' (Concord Picante, 1988) * ''La Familia'' (Concord Picante, 1989) * ''Chile Con Soul'' (Concord Picante, 1990) with

* ''Cambios'' (Concord Picante, 1991) with

Freddie Hubbard Frederick Dewayne Hubbard (April 7, 1938 – December 29, 2008) was an American jazz trumpeter. He played bebop, hard bop, and post-bop styles from the early 1960s onwards. His unmistakable and influential tone contributed to new perspectives fo ...

* ''A Night at Kimball's East'' (Concord Picante, 1991) * ''El Mejor'' (Concord Picante, 1992) * ''Bailar: A Night With Poncho Sanchez Live'' (Concord Picante, 1990 el. 1993 * ''Para Todos'' (Concord Picante, 1994) * ''Soul Sauce: Memories Of

'' (Concord Picante, 1995) * ''Baila Mi Gente: Salsa!'' (Concord Picante, 1996) compilation * ''Conga Blue'' (Concord Picante, 1996) * '' Freedom Sound'' (Concord Picante, 1997) with

Wilton Felder Wilton Lewis Felder (August 31, 1940 – September 27, 2015) was an American saxophone and bass player, and is best known as a founding member of the Jazz Crusaders, later known as the Crusaders. Felder played bass on the Jackson 5's hits "I Want ...

, Wayne Henderson * ''Poncho Sanchez: The Concord Jazz Heritage Series'' (Concord Jazz, 1998) compilation * ''Afro-Cuban Fantasy'' (Concord Picante, 1998) with

Dianne Reeves Dianne Elizabeth Reeves (born October 23, 1956) is an American jazz singer, who has won five Grammy Awards for her albums. Early life and education Dianne Reeves was born in Detroit, Michigan, into a musical family. Her father sang, her mothe ...

* ''

'' (Concord Picante, 1999) * ''Soul of the Conga'' (Concord Picante, 2000) * ''Latin Spirits'' (Concord Picante, 2001) with

Dale Spalding Dale Spalding is an American singer, harmonicist, guitarist and bassist, best known for his works with Poncho Sanchez and Canned Heat. Biography Dale Spalding grew up in Downey, California, in a family of four children. As a teenager, he be ...

* ''Ultimate Latin Dance Party'' (Concord Picante, 2002) 2-CD compilation * ''Out of Sight!'' (Concord Picante, 2003) with

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential musicians in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Gen ...

* ''Poncho at Montreux''

ive Ive or IVE may refer to: Music * Ive (group), a South Korean girl group * I've Sound (aka "I've"), a Japanese musical group People * Ive (given name), a Croatian and Slovenian given name * Bert Ive (1875–1939), British-born Australian cinema ...

(Silverline/Immergent, 2004) * ''Instant Party'' (Concord Picante, 2004) compilation * ''Do It!'' (Concord Picante, 2005) with

Tower Of Power Tower of Power is an American R&B and funk based band and horn section, originating in Oakland, California, that has been performing since 1968. The band has had a number of lead vocalists, the best-known being Lenny Williams, who fronted ...

* ''Raise Your Hand'' (Concord Picante, 2007) * ''Psychedelic Blues'' (Concord Picante, 2009) * '' Chano y Dizzy!'' (Concord Picante, 2011) with

Terence Blanchard Terence Oliver Blanchard (born March 13, 1962) is an American jazz trumpeter and composer. He has also written two operas and more than 80 film and television scores. Blanchard has been nominated for two Academy Awards for Original Score for ''B ...

* ''Live in Hollywood'' (Concord Picante, 2012) * ''Trane's Delight'' (Concord Picante, 2019) With

Benny Golson Benny Golson (January 25, 1929 – September 21, 2024) was an American bebop and hard bop jazz tenor saxophonist, composer, and arranger. He came to prominence with the big bands of Lionel Hampton and Dizzy Gillespie, more as a writer than a p ...

*'' Killer Joe'' (Columbia, 1977) With

Woody Herman Woodrow Charles Herman (May 16, 1913 – October 29, 1987) was an American jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roo ...

* ''Woody's Gold Star'' (Concord, 1987) With

Art Pepper Arthur Edward Pepper Jr. (September 1, 1925 – June 15, 1982) was an American jazz musician, most known as an alto saxophonist. He occasionally performed and recorded on tenor saxophone, clarinet (his first instrument) and bass clarinet. Active ...

*'' Tokyo Debut''

(Galaxy, 1977

el. 1995 EL, El or el may refer to: Arts and entertainment Fictional entities * El, a character from the manga series ''Shugo Chara!'' by Peach-Pit * Eleven (''Stranger Things'') (El), a fictional character in the TV series ''Stranger Things'' * El, fami ...

With

*''Grace Cathedral Concert'' (Fantasy, 1976) *''Guarabe'' (Fantasy, 1977) *''

Here Here may refer to: Music * ''Here'' (Adrian Belew album), 1994 * ''Here'' (Alicia Keys album), 2016 * ''Here'' (Cal Tjader album), 1979 * ''Here'' (Edward Sharpe album), 2012 * ''Here'' (Idina Menzel album), 2004 * ''Here'' (Merzbow album), ...

(Galaxy, 1977 el. 1979 *''Cuban Fantasy''

(Fantasy, 1977 el. 2003 *''Huracán'' (Crystal Clear, 1978; reissue: Laserlight, 1990) *''La Onda Va Bien'' (Concord Picante, 1979) *''Gózame! Pero Ya'' (Concord Picante, 1980) *''A Fuego Vivo'' (Concord Picante, 1981) *''

Heat Wave A heat wave or heatwave, sometimes described as extreme heat, is a period of abnormally hot weather generally considered to be at least ''five consecutive days''. A heat wave is usually measured relative to the usual climate in the area and ...

'' (Concord Jazz, 1982) with

Carmen McRae Carmen Mercedes McRae (April 8, 1920 – November 10, 1994) was an American jazz singer. She is considered one of the most influential jazz vocalists of the 20th century and is remembered for her behind-the-beat phrasing and ironic interpretati ...

*''Good Vibes'' (Concord Picante, 1981 el. 1984 *''Live at the Monterey Jazz Festival 1958–1980'' (Concord Jazz, 2008) With Ilya Serov *''Back In Time'' (featuring Poncho on "

") (Silky Sound, 2018)

References

External links

Official websitePoncho Sanchez Interview
NAMM Oral History Program (2005) * 2009 concert from SFJAZZ Jazz Fest {{DEFAULTSORT:Sanchez, Poncho 1951 births Living people American jazz bandleaders American musicians of Mexican descent Jazz musicians from California People from Laredo, Texas Grammy Award winners American percussionists Jazz percussionists Afro-Cuban jazz percussionists Conga players Concord Records artists People from Norwalk, California Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winners Jazz musicians from Texas Hispanic and Latino American musicians