Poncho Sanchez

More than anything else, Poncho Sanchez is a storyteller. And, as leader of the most popular Latin jazz group in the world today, it’s his congas and seasoned ensemble that do the talking. Live in concert or on recordings, they spin vivacious tales that pay homage to the glories of a half-century tradition that was born when Afro-Cuban rhythms merged with bebop. One-on-one, the Chicano conguero is equally expressive, recounting in vivid detail the encounters, friendships, and passions that have contributed to his remarkable career as a bandleader and recording artist. Behind the choice of every song, album title and guest artist, there’s a story Poncho Sanchez delights in telling.
Do It!, the latest in a long series of releases that began in 1982 for Concord Picante, is no exception. “Its name is taken from the tune by our trombone player Francisco Torres that was originally called ‘Duet,’” Sanchez explains. “It features a duet between the trombone and tenor sax. For a while, we even called it ‘Brothers Duet,’ and then Francisco suggested we just call it ‘Do It.’ When we announce it at gigs, the audience starts yelling, ‘Do it, do it!’ So, I said, ‘Well, there it is. That has to be the title for the new CD!’”
Do It! is distinct, even by Sanchez’s high standards. The album features on two tracks the entire nine member Tower of Power, an iconic group that has become a high-octane symbol of the funk era of the 1970s. Another two tracks boast the presence of an equally legendary musician, South African Hugh Masekela. Over the years, Sanchez has hand-picked guest artists who have had a special role in shaping his growth as a musician, from trumpeter Freddie Hubbard and saxophonist Eddie Harris, to Latin jazz patriarch Tito Puente, conga titan Mongo Santamaria and the late Ray Charles. The guests invited to participate on Do It! have been among Sanchez’s favorites for decades. “I’m just doing the things I grew up with and that I respect and really love,” he adds. “It’s part of my life.”
He was in high school, Sanchez recalls, when Hugh Masekela’s “Grazing in the Grass” became a hit. “But I was hip to him before that, through his album The Emancipation of Hugh Masekela. On ‘Grazing,’ there was a sound that my friends liked. They hadn’t really understood why I dug him so much until then, but when they heard this recording, they said, ‘Wow, he is pretty cool.’ It was a way for me to get my friends to listen to his Emancipation album, which was a little deeper.” Sanchez first encountered Masekela at a festival on the East Coast half a dozen years ago. Four years later the trumpeter was featured as a guest with Sanchez’s group at the Duke Ellington Jazz Festival in Washington, D.C. That laid the groundwork for his participation on Do It!
A fan of Tower of Power since day one, Sanchez first met members of the group when they shared the stage as part of an all-star band assembled for the eighth anniversary of “The David Letterman show.