Poncho Sanchez Biography
30 October 1951, Laredo, Texas, USA. The youngest of 11 children, Sanchez taught himself to play guitar, flute, drums and timbales before choosing the conga. He was raised in Norwalk, California, where he played with local bands although his first engagement was as a singer with an R&B band. Among the artists he listened to in these formative years were Machito, Tito Puente and Cal Tjader, accompanying their records on conga. In 1975, he joined Tjader's group, remaining until the leader's death in 1982. Sanchez had formed a band of his own two years earlier for some sessions during Tjader's lay-offs, recording two albums for the Discovery label with pianist/band leader Claire Fischer. Soon afterwards he decided to make his own band permanent, and signed with Concord Records' Picante label, to which he had previously been recommended by Tjader.
Sanchez's records proved to be enormously successful, culminating in a Grammy Award for Latin Soul. Over the years, guest artists on records have included Puente, Freddie Hubbard, Eddie Harris, Dianne Reeves, the Jazz Crusaders, Terence Blanchard, Mongo Santamaría and Joey DeFrancesco. Touring internationally, Sanchez has been a key figure in advancing audiences for Latin music. He has consistently sought and found an accessible style, playing with infectious rhythmic urgency with the horn section of his regular octet developing boppish solo lines over the pulsating Latin beat.
Source: The Encyclopedia of Popular Music by Colin Larkin. Licensed from Muze.
|
