Up there with Tito’s Tacos, Bob’s Big Boy, Tommy’s Burgers, Vin Scully and Pinks Hot Dogs has to be salsa King Poncho Sanchez in terms of LA institutions. If you’ve never been to a club to hear, feel and take in the energetic rhythms of Sanchez’s band, then you simply must be living in a cave, as he’s constantly playing somewhere in the City of Angels. Indefatigable, he dares you to stay in your seat as his concert band creates a volcano of musical energy, just as he has since the Grammy winner started back with Cal Tjader.
His latest release, Chano Y Dizzy, is a tip of the beret to the progenitors of latin jazz, Chano Pozo and Dizzy Gillespie. We caught up with the King of the Congas to learn some secrets of success and life.
HOW DID THE LATEST ALBUM COME ABOUT?
Our latest disc is a tribute to Chano Pozo and Dizzy Gillespie. I’ve had this band together for 31 years. I’ve recorded these tunes before in different settings and ways, but now we’ve put a new twist to them. We’ve made medleys out of them, and with different ideas, and the cd is doing great.
YOU ALWAYS SEEM SO HAPPY AND ENERGETIC. WHAT IS YOUR SECRET?
I really feel that I’m blessed that I came from a big family. I absolutely love the idea that I did, and I thank the Lord that I did come from a large family. I just turned 60 on (Oct 30), and I know I’m blessed. I had my family together. There are eleven of us; I’ve got six sisters and four brothers, and I was youngest! I’m 60, and my oldest brother is 76, so we all hung out with our nephews, nieces and grandkids, and had a ball.
As with a large family, you know, it can be a little dough; you do learn to fight for food! I always wore my brothers’ hand me downs and all that stuff, because there were eleven of us, and my father was working in a dry cleaners, and my mother was a homemaker, so we didn’t have any money. Never the less, there was a lot of love in our house, and my parents were from the old school. We always had to go to church on Sunday, and all of the traditional stuff from the 50s and 60s is what we did. It was great; I still love all of my brothers and sisters. We were all together on Sunday, to show that our family still has a lot of love.
WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST EXPOSURE TO LATIN JAZZ?
We were all born in Laredo, Texas. We moved to Los Angeles, California in 1954, and I was 3 ½ years old, and here is where my brothers and sisters caught the first wave of the Mambo and Cha-Cha-Cha music that came from Cuba and Puerto Rico by way of NYC to LA in the late 50s. My sisters got hold of the radio in LA, as in Laredo, Texas, there was not much on the radio besides Mariachi and Tex Mex. Which was cool, and we like it, too. But, they LOVED the style of the Mambo and Cha-Cha-Cha, the Merengue, and then they used to dance the Pechanga at that time. And my sisters went crazy! They used to dance every day in the house; they’d listen to Tito Puente, Machito, Tito Rodriguez, Mongo Santamaria and Cal Tjader.
So, as a young boy, I grew up in my house listening to that music every day, and watching my sisters dance every day. They’d push the furniture in the room to the side, and I ‘d sit there for hours and watch my sisters dance with each other. There is where I’d hear the rhythm of the conga, bongos and timbales, and I’d hear the rhythm of my sister’s feet on the floor. They’d be dancing with their shoes on, so I could hear them scraping the bottom of the floor, so you could hear the rhythm going. So, I learned a great deal about rhythm just by watching my sisters dance, and none of them are musicians, but they all LOVE music.
YOU SEEM TO PUT A LOT OF IMPORTANCE ON TRADITIONAL VALUES. THIS REMINDS ME OF A QUOTE BY GK CHESTERTON WHO STATED “MOST PEOPLE IGNORE ETERNAL VALUES LIKE FAITH , FAMILY AND FRIENDS, AND INSTEAD EMPHASIZE TEMPORAL THINGS LIKE MONEY, SPORTS AND ENTERTAINMENT.
That’s right. My mother and father made sure we emphasized family and faith. My sisters would dance a lot when my father was at work, because when he came home, he was very tired because he always worked overtime. So, he didn’t want to hear a lot of racket going on in the other room. But, they got it all out of their systems before my dad came home, because he always arrived late in the evening, and he just wanted it quiet. But, as soon as they got home from school, there we were for 2-3 hours just hanging out in the room just cranking the records on the little player in order. We grew up in an LA suburb called Norwalk, and at that time no one knew about that type of music except my sisters and their girlfriends down the street. What happened was that they caught on to the radio programs of Chico Sesma, who’s still alive today and now a good friend of mine.
HOW DID LATIN RADIO PLAY A ROLE IN YOUR INTEREST IN MUSIC?
Chico Sesma was a trombone player and he had a big band. He was also the first Latin (now called Salsa) Music disc jockey in Los Angeles in the 50s and 60s. He had a show called “Sabor Latin” which means “with Latin flavor.” He used to come on for only one hour once a week, and then he got more popular, so he came up with 2 hours twice a week. My sisters used to wait for that program to come on the radio to dance to it, and to learn which records to buy.
He also started copying the dances that they used to do in NYC, at the Hollywood Palladium, which were called the Latin Holiday Dances in NYC, and he called them “The Latin Hollywood Dances,” copying the New York Palladium. He started bringing all of the bands from NY and Cuba. He brought Benny More’, he brought Cal Tjader down from San Francisco. He’d have these dances with all of the local latin bands in Los Angeles at the time, and my sisters never missed these monthly Latin Hollywood Dances at the Palladium. I was just a little kid at the time, just soaking it all in.
WHAT WAS THE FIRST LATIN BAND THAT YOU SAW PERFORM IN CONCERT?
It was not a famous band, but I remember that there was an opening of a Boys Market in Norwalk. That was a big thing back then, people were saying, “Wow! We’re getting a Boys Market in town!” Before that, we’d just shop at the little neighborhood stores on the corner, so we were excited. “Look at the parking lot,man; it’s HUGE!” It was a big deal. The owner or manager of the store had a cousin or uncle who had a latin band, so my sisters said, “We’ll see about that!” Because back then there weren’t many latin bands in our neighborhood. They were more oldies and Tex-Mex bands. So, my sisters took me (I was in about 3rd or 4th grade), and I remember that there were congas, timbales, trumpets, trombones and singers and they all had those big “Babaloo” shirts. I thought, “Wow! They look like they’re from Cuba!” I thought it was a big deal. Then, my sisters started dancing and said, ”Hey, these guys are pretty good!” To this day, I don’t know the name of the local band. I was thrilled, though, as I finally saw congas and timbales for the first time.
HOW DID YOU LEARN TO PLAY THE CONGAS AND OTHER INSTRUMENTS?
I used to hear the music only on records before I saw that band. I learned to play by listening to my sisters’ records, and turning the album covers, and looking over the album covers, and looking at the pictures of the conga players and timbale players. They’d show a picture of Mongo Santamaria raising his hand to smack the conga, and he’d have his hand cupped. In different snap shots, he’d be hitting it in a different way, and that’s how I learned, from looking at his pictures. I tell kids nowadays, “You guys got it made; you’ve got the internet, you’ve got videos. I had albums and the back covers. That was it!!” That’s how I learned.
YOUR CAREER REALLY TOOK OFF ONCE YOU STARTED PLAYING WITH CAL TJADER’S BAND. HOW DID YOU LAND THAT JOB?
By then, I was grown up, out of Excelsior High School, and just got married to my wife Stella. This year, we’ll have been married 40 years, man! Anyway, I was playing with a local band in Norwalk. We were dances while I was working in a foundry in Southgate. We had weekend gigs. This band was called “Sabor” and they were together for about 30 years. So, I was with this band, and at that time, the band played the music of Blood Sweat and Tears and Tower of Power. They were big on Chicago and Mongo Santamaria and Ray Barretto’s music. I played congas with the band, and also sang with the band. It’s funny, I started as a lead vocalist as a 7 year old kid with a band, and I’m still the lead singer with my own band!
I was playing with this local band in Pico Rivera, and a guy walked into the club, called The Latin American Press Club. It was a nice place, about 95% Latinos. So, this white guy walks in with a hat, and a feather sticking out of his hat, smoking a big cigar. I think to myself, “Who’s THIS guy?!?” He walked in like he owned the place, walked up to the bar and got a drink. He stuck out like a sore thumb.
We took a break to buy myself a beer, and he says to me, “Hey, man. You sound great on congas! You want a drink?” “Well, if you buy, I’ll take one!” So, he tells, me, “I’m a personal friend of Cal Tjader.” His name was Ernie Stills. I think he’s still alive. “I’m gonna tell Cal about you.” And I think, “Yeah, right.” By this time, I’d seen Cal Tjader’s band many times at The Lighthouse in Hermosa Beach. Then, there was Concerts By The Sea. After I got my drink, I told Ernie, “Don’t forget to tell your friend Cal Tjader about me.” And I walked away, and told the guys in the band about it. They all started laughing, like “Yeah, and Cal Tjader’s my uncle, too!” We didn’t believe him
Well, Cal Tjader came into town two weeks later at Concerts By The Sea, and we went to go see him. As I was walking down the stairs, I couldn’t believe my eyes. There was Ernie, standing at the box office, talking to Cal Tjader! I almost fell down! He turned and said, “Cal, there’s the guy I was telling you about! Poncho Sanchez!” He walked up to me and introduced us. I was speechless!
So, it ends up that Cal asked me to sit in that night. I was nervous, but I said yes. I played four numbers with him. Right on the spot, he asked for my phone number and address. I went home, and felt like I could’ve lived the rest of my life just with that. My wife asked, “Do you think he’ll call you.” “No, but at least I can tell my friends that I sat in with Cal Tjader.” Sure enough, two weeks later he called me and said, “Poncho, I’m looking for a new conga drummer. I like the way you play, and I’ll hire you for one week.” We played at the Coconut Grove in the Ambassador Hotel, New Years Eve, 1975, opposite Carmen McRae’s band. Oh, man. I grew up quick!
I met him there, and I played NYE with him. After the first set, he said, “Poncho, the gig is yours.” I told him, “Yeah, for this week, right?” and he said, “No, the gig is YOURS!” I couldn’t believe it, man, and I was with Cal Tjader for 7 ½ years. And I was even with him the day he died. In Manilla, of a massive heart attack. He was 76 years old, 1982.
CAL TJADER HAD A SECRET LIFE THAT HE RARELY SHARED WITH ANYONE
Cal Tjader was a medic in WWII, at 17 years old. The amazing this was that, when we went back to Manilla, the week he died. We landed on a Tuesday; we weren’t going to play at the Performing Arts Center until the weekend. He died on Wednesday, Cinco De Mayo, 29 years ago. As soon as we landed there, he wanted to go to the beach where there’s a statue of General MacArthur. That’s where he fought when he was 17 years old, and hadn’t been there since.
Here’s what happened. Cal told me just before he died, “Poncho, I was 17 years old. My mother desired for me to go into the service. I became a medic. Poncho, let me tell you; that battle on that beach was horrible. Guys were screaming and yelling left and right, with arms and legs blown off. All I could do was run around and shoot everyone with morphine. I did it until until my morphine ran out. He went back there when he was 56, and his wife Pat Tjader later told me that Cal sat there at a bench where the beach and statue was, and he just cried like a baby for an hour. And then he died the next day. Cal was the greatest. I loved that man. He was a sweetheart of a person, and one of the world’s greatest vibe player.
YOU’VE MENTIONED MANY TIMES HOW BLESSED YOU ARE. HOW HAS YOUR RELIGIOUS UPBRINGING AFFECTED YOUR LIFE AND CAREER?
I grew up Catholic, and we went to church every week, whether we wanted to or not. My dad was of the old school! After church, we had the fun-a snow cone or donut. It became real to me about 20 years ago, when I became a Christian, and now I go to church TWICE a week! About 8 years ago, my youngest Julian Tito (who I named after Tito Puente) started going to church with me, and he’s now an ordained minister. I have an older son, Xavier Mongo (named after Mongo Santamaria) has a degree in astro physics, and does work for the government.
What changed was that I knew it was always there, and in the back of my head. And, thank God for my mother’s prayers, because my mother would walk around every night, right as she was putting us all to bed and doing all of her chores by getting the bed ready and making sure we’d all gone to the bathroom. As she was doing all of this, she’d have the Rosary in one hand, and whispering prayers silently as she was winding down the house for the night. She must’ve done that for 50 years. I know she was praying for us, as I had a lot of close calls when I was younger.
When you’re young and a hot shot, you think, “Man, nothing’s going to bother me, I’m great.” But then, things start happening to you in your lives, and then the first thing you turn to is the Lord, when you start getting scared. And that’s when you find out that it’s real. He’s pulled me through a lot of things already. I got hepatitis 28 years ago, I thought “What is this?” I had to lay in bed for 30 days. I thought that my world was finished, and I had no energy. So, I started praying, “Oh, Lord, get me out of this.” And when you’re better, you realize, “Hey, I didn’t get myself well. I can’t save myself.
I know that I am blessed by our Lord, because how else could a young Chicano kid, the youngest of 11, poor people, no education, no videos, no college degrees…how did I learn to do all of this? How did I learn to sing and write tunes? I don’t even know how to write music; my piano players write out the tunes. I just get these ideas. How do I travel all over the world, and get out an instructional book with dvd? Win a Grammy? It’s got to be the Lord.
WITH SO MANY OF THE CLUBS IN LA CLOSING DOWN LATELY, IT’S GOT TO BE AN UPHILL JOB TO KEEP A BAND TOGETHER.
It’s harder than it was before. Twenty years ago, it was booming; we were playing 5 days a week. I couldn’t fit more gigs in. But the last 3-4 years it’s slowed down, and a lot of groups have just withered away. What a lot of bandleaders do is that they’ll just take themselves and their musical director. I’ve taken Francisco Torres with me, and then just hire a band wherever I go. It’s too expensive these days to fly all ten guys around, and pay for rooms and wages. But, you know what, I still do it, and I stand tall. I travel with my band. We’re all going to Boston on a 9 day tour, and I’m taking my band and wife with me, so we’re still doing it.
WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE REMEMBERED FOR?
Just as a good guy, and not a bad musician. Being a good person and family man is the most important thing, and that I respected people as much as I could. I try to treat everyone like they’d want to be treated. If someone treats me bad, I try to just walk away.
It’s hard to argue with a grateful and content man, and Poncho Sanchez exemplifies the qualities of not only a good musician, but a man blessed by his Creator. Check out the new disc, and have him sign it next time you see him in LA.