Poncho Sanchez

Grammy-winning bandleader, conguero, and percussionist Poncho Sanchez is among the most influential percussionists in jazz. As a member of vibraphonist Cal Tjader's Latin jazz group since the mid-'70s, he's continually woven the thread of a unique musical signature through straight-ahead jazz, gritty soul and funk, and the melodies and rhythms of Afro-Latin and South American sources. Though he began his career as a leader in 1979 with Poncho on Discovery (conducted and arranged by Clare Fischer), he forged a four-decade-plus relationship with Concord. It resulted in historic dates such as 1990's Chile con Soul featuring Tito Puente, and the following year's Cambios with special guest Freddie Hubbard. Between 1997's Conga Blue with Mongo Santamaria and 2012's Live in Hollywood, he placed more than a dozen titles in the Top 50 on the Jazz Albums charts, including the Grammy-winning Latin Soul in 1999 and 2011's Chano y Dizzy! in collaboration with trumpeter Terence Blanchard. In addition to his dozens of recordings as a leader, he has been a sideman to Benny Golson, Art Pepper, Dr. John, and Joe Strummer. In 2018, Sanchez was a featured soloist on the hit single "Tangerine" by jazz trumpeter and L.A.-based Russian emigre Ilya Serov before delivering his John Coltrane tribute, Trane's Delight, the following year.