Because I'm very busy taking care of last minute details before we leave tomorrow on a three week vacation, this review will be shorter and more simplistic than I'd like, but . . .
After attending the
Master Percussion Class with Poncho and his band on Friday evening, I was really stoked to attend the concert last night, as was my wife.
Poncho cruisin'
Peppercorn and Poncho
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We arrived at the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts, ordered a glass of wine for intermission, then headed for our new season seating assignment. We were very pleased with our placement, very close to the stage and only about ten rows from the front, on the end of an aisle, stage right.
This was our 2006-2007 season opening concert, so there was a lot of anticipation. After some brief announcements, Poncho and his ensemble were introduced to very enthusiastic applause.
The Poncho Sanchez Latin-Jazz Band Personnel:
Poncho Sanchez - congas/vocals
David Torres - piano/musical director
Tony Banda - bass/vocals
Joey DeLeón - bongos/percussion/vocals
Georgie Ortiz - timbales/vocals
Francisco Torres - trombone/arranger/vocals
Ron Blake - trumpet/flugelhorn
Javier Vegara - alto, tenor saxphones/flute
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Poncho got situated behind his three congas, adjusted his microphone stand, then greeted us in his typically warm, easy manner. He stated how glad he was to be back in Alaska again, and that he was also glad that it was considerably warmer than his previous visit.
Now comes the trademark Poncho countoff of their first tune . . . Poncho's fist striking his conga at-tempo, followed by this incredibly tight band entering with unison lines on the opener --
One Mint Julep, which I hadn't heard in years. It was perfect! Great tempo, accessible, fun, familiar . . .
The band effortlessly wove many different styles, approaches and tempos within their overall genre, Afro/Cuban Jazz, keeping things interesting. The dynamics of the band were incredible, as was the tightness. The grooves were stupidly comfortable and infectious, and just when you thought they'd reached the ending . . . there was a flawlessly executed stop-time tactic, then back into the groove for another 5-6 minutes. Delicious stuff!
At one point in the first set, after some incredibly intense, uptempo tunes, Poncho said "we'd like to slow it down a bit now, and play something for you from Duke Ellington --
In A Sentimental Mood." Once again, the fine pen of arranger Francisco Torres shown beautifully, as did his masterful handling of the melody and solos on this piece. His trombone tone and phrasing are particularly fine, to my ears. It was a highlight of the evening, for sure.
They played for 1˝ hours before taking a short break. Short indeed. Fifteen minutes later we were called back into hall for the 2nd set.
Early in the 2nd set, they played the title track from their lastest recording,
Do It!, as well as a tribute to Chano Pozo,
Tin Tin Deo.
Also, in the 2nd set, some additional percussion instruments were utilized, including the incredibly beautiful and fine-sounding shekere made by bassist Tony Banda. Toward the end of the evening, Poncho moved over to the percussionist chair, giving his conga seat to Joey DeLeón. Poncho played maracas and cowbell, in addition to singing.
Now, it was time for some funk . . . a little Tower of Power and James Brown, as interpreted by Poncho. He brought down the house with his vocal treatments
and dancing.
Now, back to the Latin-tinged arrangements, with Javier Vegara shifting primarily to flute, which provided nice contrast to much of what went before.
For an encore . . . what else but a tribute to his friend, Tito Puente,
Oye Como Va.
Dancing in the aisles~
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Poncho and his band are headed back into the studio in about two weeks to record a new album. We heard several of the tunes which will be included on this new album.
Standby for more fun.
Linear Mode
