Journalist, Political Reporter, Cultural Critic, Editor/Proofreader
Alex V. Henderson
Philadelphia, PA
vixenatr
June 2013
On the Cover
Poncho Sanchez: Standard Bearer
by Alex Henderson
Poncho Sanchez still has vivid memories of his first visit to New York City. It was 1985, and the Los Angeles-based Latin jazz/salsa percussionist and bandleader had arrived in Manhattan for his debut at The Village Gate. Sanchez was excited about performing in the Big Apple for the first time, but he became even more excited when he found out who would be in the
audience.
“I remember when me and Ramón Banda—who is no longer in my band but played timbales with me at
the time—took a cab to The Village Gate off of Bleecker Street in the Village,” Sanchez recalls. “We came
around the corner in the cab and there was a line all the way around the block. I told the cab driver, ‘Hey,
what’s that big long line for?’ and he goes, ‘I don’t know. I’ve never seen a line like that here.’ I said,
‘Maybe they’re showing the new Rocky movie.’ So the line stopped at the Village Gate, and we saw a big sign that said ‘Tonight only: Poncho Sanchez.’ We found out
that long line was for us.”
Sanchez continues: “When we got inside The Village Gate, I couldn’t believe it—all the great Latin
percussionists from New York City were there to see us. Tito Puente was there. Patato Valdés was there.
Manny Oquendo was there. But they weren’t smiling; there were there to see if we could really play and if these guys from Los Angeles could really cut it. Well, long story short: by the second set, we were all hanging out together. So we passed the test and that was almost
30 years ago.”
The days when anyone in New York City or elsewhere expects Sanchez to prove himself are long
gone. In 2013, Sanchez typically hears phrases like “elder statesman of Afro-Cuban jazz” or “standardbearer of the Afro-Cuban tradition” used to describe
him. When Sanchez visits New York City these days, people in the Latin jazz/salsa community roll out the
red carpet for the veteran conguero. And he has the credentials to back it up: 34 years of recording as a
leader and a long résumé that includes playing alongside Dizzy Gillespie, Tito Puente, Celia Cruz,
Mongo Santamaría, Arturo Sandoval, Cal Tjader and
many other Latin jazz and salsa heavyweights. But Sanchez’ southwestern upbringing is not
typical. Many of the great musicians who made their mark in Afro-Cuban jazz and/or salsa came from Cuba,
Puerto Rico or New York City and many of them were of Cuban or Puerto Rican descent. Sanchez, however, is a Mexican-American who was born in Laredo, Texas in
1951 and was only four when he moved to Los Angeles with his parents (both immigrants from Mexico) and 10 siblings. “When I play, people still come up to me
and say, ‘Are you Cuban? Are you Puerto Rican?’ I say, ‘No, I’m a Mexican-American.’ And they’re really surprised. People who don’t know my history usually think I’m Cuban or Puerto Rican when they hear me play for the first time.”
California has a huge Latin music scene, although many Latin music enthusiasts on the East Coast tend to identify California more with regional Mexican music (norteño, ranchera, corridos, mariachi bands) rather than Afro-Cuban jazz or salsa. But California has long had its share of Afro-Cuban activity—you just had to know where to find it and Sanchez did at an early age.
The youngest of 11 kids, Sanchez learned all about mambo, son, guaguancó and cha-cha-chá from his siblings and grew up on a steady diet of AfroCuban jazz, salsa, hardbop and classic soul.
“There’s been a big Latin jazz scene and a big salsa scene in Los Angeles for many years, even before I started,” Sanchez explains. “I’m 61 and my brothers and sisters —who are not musicians—were into that music before me. They caught the first wave of the mambo and cha-cha-chá music that came from Cuba, Puerto Rico and New York City. They caught that first wave in the late ‘50s and early ‘60s, especially my sisters; they used to dance every day after school to
Machito records, Joe Cuba, Tito Rodriguez, Tito Puente, Celia Cruz, Johnny Pacheco. I grew up hearing that music every day and watching my sisters learning to dance the mambo and the cha-cha-chá and the pachanga. For me, it was very natural to play that music because I grew up with it. I grew up in Los
Angeles hearing the same Latin music they were hearing in New York.”
Sanchez got his first major break when, in 1975, he became a sideman for one of the most famous Latin jazz icons on the West Coast: vibraphonist Cal Tjader. Sanchez had spent seven years in Tjader’s employ when his mentor died of a heart attack in 1982. And 31 years after his death, Sanchez still gives Tjader credit for helping him grow not only as a conguero, but also,
as a bandleader and a businessman. “Cal was an
amazing musician,” Sanchez asserts. “I was with him the day he died in Manila in the Philippines on Cinco de Mayo 1982. To me, Cal was the world’s greatest vibes player. He had the right touch, the right feel, the right sound. It was smooth as silk, man—and he never
overplayed. I learned a lot about music from Cal and I also learned a lot about business and how to run a
band. Running your own band is a lot of work; you have to be very dedicated and stay focused on your
goals. And I’ve had my band for over 30 years now.”
Sanchez recorded two albums for Discovery Records when Tjader was still alive: 1979’s Poncho and
1980’s Straight Ahead. But it was after Tjader’s death that Sanchez made his own band a full-time pursuit and he has built a large and diverse catalogue recording
for Concord’s Latin-oriented Picante subsidiary (starting with Sonando in 1982). Sanchez has recorded a
wide variety of albums along the way, ranging from a Tjader tribute (1995’s Soul Sauce: Memories of Cal Tjader) and a salute to percussionist Chano Pozo and Dizzy Gillespie (2011’s Chano y Dizzy!) to an Afro-Cuban
interpretation of Stax Records and southern soul (2007’s Raise Your Hand). Classic soul, in fact, has been an influence on more than a few Sanchez albums: his
R&B guests have included Eddie Floyd on Raise Your Hand, Tower of Power on 2005’s Do It! and Sam Moore (of Sam & Dave fame) and Ray Charles on 2003’s Out of
Sight. But through it all, Sanchez has maintained his strong connection to the Afro-Cuban tradition.
“I like to play Latin jazz and salsa authentically and stay true to the music,” Sanchez stresses. “That’s
what I love: Latin jazz acoustic music—everything done with acoustic instruments and done naturally. But I get different ideas. I do James Brown stuff because
I grew up with James Brown’s music. I’ve done a wide variety of records because I grew up with a wide variety of music. Of course, I’ll always love bebop. I’ll always love John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers. I grew up with Latin jazz, salsa and bebop and I grew up listening to black gospel music, black soul music, rhythm & blues, doo-wop. All
those things have gone into the Poncho Sanchez sound.”
Chano y Dizzy!, Sanchez explains, was both a celebration of Pozo’s alliance with Gillespie and a
celebration of New York City’s contributions to Afro-Cuban jazz. “New York City is the mecca of Latin
jazz,” Sanchez notes. “That’s where Dizzy Gillespie met Chano Pozo in the mid-‘40s. That’s where Latin
jazz was created. Chano and Dizzy were the godfathers of Latin jazz and that’s why it was so important for me to record a tribute album for them. I had done ‘Manteca’
and ‘Guachi Guara’ and ‘Tin Tin Deo’ on my other records, but my manager, Ivory Daniel, said, ‘Why
don’t you do a tribute album for Chano and Dizzy?’ And I had no argument with that.”
Quite a few major Afro-Cuban percussionists have died in the 21st Century—a fact of which Sanchez is well aware. And as he sees it, that makes it all the more important for him to do his part to keep the Afro-Cuban flame burning. “So many of the great Latin percussionists have passed away,” Sanchez laments. “Tito Puente is gone. Ray Barretto is gone. Mongo Santamaría is gone. Patato Valdés is gone. Manny Oquendo is gone. Francisco Aguabella passed away.
Candido Camero is still here, but so many of the other cats are gone. We’re losing all my heroes. But I’m going to hold the fort down, man. As long as Poncho Sanchez has his health and I’m OK, you’re going to get your dose of authentic Latin jazz and salsa and soul music.
After me, I don’t know what to tell you. I just hope the young cats keep Latin jazz going. But as long as I’m
here, you’re going to get the real deal.”
For more information, visit ponchosanchez.com. Sanchez is
at BB King’s Blues Bar Jun. 10th as part of Blue Note Jazz
Festival. See Calendar.
Recommended Listening:
• Cal Tjader — La Onda Va Bien
(Concord Picante, 1979)
• Poncho Sanchez — Sonando (Concord Picante, 1982)
• Poncho Sanchez — Para Todos (with Eddie Harris)
(Concord Picante, 1993)
• Poncho Sanchez — Soul Sauce: Memories of Cal Tjader
(Concord Picante, 1995)
• Poncho Sanchez — Psychedelic Blues
(Concord Picante, 2009)
• Poncho Sanchez/Terence Blanchard — Chano y Dizzy! (Concord Picante, 2011)
Copyright 2022 Alex V. Henderson. All rights reserved.
Alex V. Henderson
Philadelphia, PA
vixenatr