Poncho Sanchez

Grammy-winning bandleader, conguero, and percussionist Poncho Sanchez is among jazz's most influential players. 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 the busy sideman began his career as a leader on Discovery with Poncho (1979), he forged a four-decade-plus relationship with Concord. It resulted in historic dates such as Chile con Soul (1990) featuring Tito Puente, and the following year's Cambios with Freddie Hubbard. Between Conga Blue (1997) with Mongo Santamaria and Live in Hollywood (2012), he placed more than a dozen titles on Billboard's jazz charts, including the Grammy-winning Latin Soul and Chano y Dizzy! in collaboration with Terence Blanchard. Since then, he has delivered the John Coltrane tribute Trane's Delight (2019).