Poncho Sanchez - Sculler’s Jazz Club (Boston, MA; Feb. 9, 2008)

Fresh off a cross-country flight and battling the flu, conguero Poncho Sanchez wanders onto the stage in his signature Kangol Tropicap, sits at his congas and pounds out a slow four count before the band launches into their first song, Steve Huffsteter’s “Night Walk.” With that, the man who leads arguably the best (and certainly the most active) band in Latin jazz brought some of the 75 degree, sunny weather of his Southern California with him into Sculler’s Jazz Club, if only for an hour or so.

While the horn section starts off just slightly out-of-sync, by the time they go back to the head of the first song, they are as tight as any unit out there, seamlessly producing a single, unified sound from three instruments (trombone, trumpet and tenor sax).  Bassist Tony Banda and piano player (and musical director) David Torres are absolutely rock solid, simultaneously driving the tunes forward while laying back to feel the groove and highlight the soloists.  The percussionists are also fantastic, with George Ortiz keeping the beat, adding accents and tastefully filling on the timbales, while Joey De Leon spices things up on bongos, washboard and some of the strangest percussive instruments you’re ever likely to see.

By the time the band hits their third song, the horn players are unconsciously swaying together in time, the soloists are ripping off long runs (including a scalding hot solo by trumpet player Ron Blake) and the house is hopping.  The crowd seems mesmerized, as though transported to tropical locales, prompting trombonist Francisco Torres to comment “you guys are so quiet!” There’s no question it’s not for lack of interest, as Torres’ incredibly powerful solo on the next song, “Meeker’s Blues” (penned by brother David) receives a particularly enthusiastic round of applause.  Here, Mr. Torres shows himself to be the standout of the horn section, his strong voice marking him as a truly special player.

The highlight of the night, however, comes when the band launches into their second song, “Tropi Blue” (penned by Sanchez and Francisco Torres) off Sanchez’s 2007 release, Raise Your Hand.  After a run-of-the-mill solo by sax player Javier Vergara, Sanchez absolutely blows the crowd away with a hot, powerful, yet unbelievably lyrical conga solo, smoothly taking the song back to the head and a big finish.  You don’t go to a Poncho Sanchez show specifically to see virtuosity, it’s more about watching the band as a whole.  Still, this brief look reminds the crowd that Sanchez is not just a phenomenal bandleader, advancing his beloved Latin jazz into the 21st century, but also a landmark percussionist with a unique voice who has earned his place in the pantheon of great congueros like Mongo Santamaria, Ray Barretto and Carlos “Patato” Valdes.

Sanchez will say they play “pretty much straight ahead Latin jazz,” but the band expertly weaves their way through Afro-Cuban and more traditional jazz styles, eventually finishing with a Latin version of the Herbie Hancock classic “Watermelon Man.” Unfortunately, Sanchez’s he was unable to sing due to his illness (he began his career as a singer long before picking up the congas), and consequently the band didn’t get a chance to play any salsa or meringue numbers.  Still, varied tempos, great covers (“Watermelon Man” and a tribute in Mongo Santamaria’s “Afro Blue”) and Sanchez’s witty banter with the audience made this show anything but monotonous.

As I told Sanchez later in the night, “if you want to go see Latin jazz, you go see Poncho Sanchez.” The man and his band are at the forefront of this important musical style, and even newbies should not pass up the opportunity to see a seminal band doing what they do best.  At the very least, you’ll be whisked off to a steamy beach club somewhere in the tropics, even if just for a little while. 

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