Poncho Sanchez - Cantaloupe Island

If music were about pictures, percussionist Poncho Sanchezs music would best be described as a kaleidoscopic swirl of some of the hottest colors and brightest lights to emerge from either side of the border. At any given show, on any given record, fragments of Latin Jazz, Swing, Salsa and other infectious grooves collide and churn in a fiery swirl, with results that are no less than dazzling. All of these sounds and more come together in Psychedelic Blues (2010), Sanchezs twenty-fourth recording on Concord Records. The last couple records have gone a little heavy on the soul music, which has gone over really well in our live shows, but we wanted to do more of a straightahead Latin jazz record this time something in the tradition of our earlier Concord records that we made back in the 80s. Along with Synowiec is the same lineup that has backed Sanchez on several records and countless live shows: keyboardist/arranger David Torres; saxophonist Javíer Vergara; trumpeter/flugelhornist Ron Blake; trombonist/arranger Francisco Torres; bassist/vocalist Tony Banda; timbalero George Ortiz; and percussionist/vocalist Joey De León. Even a couple alumni from earlier configurations of Sanchezs band baritone saxophonist Scott Martin and percussionist Alfredo Ortiz step back in to lend a hand on Psychedelic Blues. Although born in Laredo, Texas, in 1951 to a large Mexican-American family, Sanchez grew up in a suburb of L.A., where he was raised on an unusual cross section of sounds that included straightahead Jazz, Latin Jazz and American soul. By his teen years, his musical consciousness had been solidified by the likes of John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Cal Tjader, Mongo 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. At 24, after working his way around the local club scene for several years, he landed a permanent spot in Cal Tjaders band in 1975. I learned a great deal from Cal, says Sanchez, but it wasnt as though he sat me down and taught me lessons like a schoolteacher. Mostly it was just a matter of being around such a great guy. It was the way he conducted himself, the way he talked to people, the way he presented himself onstage. He was very elegant, very dignified, and when he played, he played beautifully. The touch that he had on the vibes nobody has that sound. To me, he was and is, and always will be the worlds greatest vibe player. Premier Latin trumpeter Arturo Sandoval Sanchezs friend since their first gig together at a festival in Sardinia, Italy, some twenty years ago makes a guest appearance via a rendition of Freddie Hubbards Crisis. The track showcases Sandovals respect and reverence for the American bebop maestro who had passed away just a few months before the Psychedelic Blues sessions. The title track is a fast-moving mambo, originally written by Sonny Henry and arranged here by Francisco Torres, who attaches a surprise at the end of the track. The intriguing centerpiece to the album is a Willie Bobo medley featuring I Dont Know (a Sonny Henry piece commonly associated with Bobo), the laid back Fried Neckbones and Some Homefries and the slightly more urgent Spanish Grease. All three of these songs merge effortlessly to create a nostalgic nod to the revered Latin and Afro-Cuban Jazz percussionist of the 60s and 70. Further into the set, Sanchez and the band turn Silvers Serenade originally a swing tune by Horace Silver into a mambo with personality to burn, thanks in large part to solo work by Francisco Torres. When Poncho himself steps forward to deliver some syncopated conga lines, the net result is an infectious groove. "There's room for a lot of different sounds in our music," he says. "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. This is the real thing." Buy CD: http://www.amazon.com/Psychedelic-Blues-Poncho-Sanchez/dp/B002HWUU4A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1268691433&sr=8-1

Added 1 May 2026