Cbr Latin

Grammy Award-winning California-based percussionist Poncho Sanchez is a Latin-jazz superstar from the old school. His thunderous hand-drumming style is derived from Mongo Santamaria, and he performed with vibes master Cal Tjader for years before he made a name for himself as a leader. On this recording, Sanchez gives you danceable grooves for the head and the heart. Backed by a large ensemble, Sanchez travels the New World in search of Latin sounds, stylistically docking in the musical ports of Havana, New York, and New Orleans. He spices up several Afro-Cuban standards, including the festive Machito anthem "Sambia" and Tito Rodriguez's "Batiri Cha Cha." Special guest Chick Corea wrote the title track and he dazzles the ear with his Afro-Iberian pianisms on a furious folkloric rendering of Wayne Shorter's Blue Note classic, "Ju Ju."

Album released in 1989 in Europe under license, reissue of the original released in 1957 in USA, dedicated to the orchestra that formed the Mexican Johnny Martinez (bass) and the Cuban Juan Cheda (percussion and vocals) since joining in Chicago back in the 40's. The band that they created highlighted by a Cuban style of music, that in this record shows us providing a selection of three of the hottest beats in the 40 and 50: chachacha, mambo and merengue. Latin music to enjoy dancing.

Duke Ellington always absorbed influences from the music he heard as he toured the world, and The Latin American Suite is no exception. Written during his first tour of Central and South America in 1968, Ellington premiered several of the pieces during concerts in the Southern hemisphere, though he didn't record it until returning to the U.S., with one piece ("Tina") being recorded separately over a year after the other tracks. "Oclupaca" is an exotic opener showcasing Paul Gonsalves' robust tenor, while Ellington gets in an Oriental kick during his driving blues "Chico Cuadradino" (jointly written with his son Mercer). Ellington is in a jaunty mood in his bossa nova "Eque," which spotlights both Johnny Hodges and Gonsalves. The infectious "Latin American Sunshine" is buoyed by Harry Carney's sonorous baritone sax and trombonist Lawrence Brown's solo. It's a shame that Ellington chose not to keep any of these originals in his repertoire once work was completed on this album.

As of 2002, conga player Poncho Sanchez had been recording for Concord Records' Concord Picante imprint for 20 years, a good point at which to pause and take stock of his 20 albums for the label. The Ultimate Latin Dance Party does just that, selecting 23 key tracks from 18 of those albums on a two-disc set running over two hours. Sanchez pays tribute to his predecessors on such songs as Herbie Hancock's "Watermelon Man," Dizzy Gillespie's "A Night in Tunisia," and a "Tito Medley" dedicated to Tito Puente and including "Oye Como Va." Among the guest stars joining his band are Joey DeFrancesco, Eddie Harris, Mongo Santamaria, and Puente himself. While this best-of cannot replace Sanchez's extensive catalog for fans, it is a generous compilation for more general listeners, who should be able to get a good idea of the conga player's lively, exuberant style.

The type of record you put on when you want the music to make you feel good, for a long time. Recorded in 1998 it's about as graceful as you can get, a descarga record that just grooves and grooves and grooves; five of the tunes are over nine minutes long. Bebo is on cruise control, his piano figures settling the mostly Spanish band into a groove, letting the soloists take their time. And his improvisations, they're the thing you wait for.