Has it really been 8 years since Poncho Sanchez’s last studio album? He released a concert one back in 2012, so our ears have been missing some conga sounds. Sanchez makes up for the loss with a hip read of John Coltrane material as well as songs dedicated to the tenor titan. Sanchez’s long time band of musical director Francisco Torres/tb, Ron Blake/tp, Robert Hardt/p, Andy Langham/p, Rene Camacho-Ross Schodek/b and Joe DeLeon-Giancarlo Anderson/perc sizzle and add picante seasonings to Coltrane’s modal moods.
The great thing about Latin music is that, like jazz, it can be a verb as well as a noun, with Sanchez and company taking “Blue Train” and giving it a night club strutting “cha cha” feel, while the classic “Giant Steps” percolates with the percussion riding the crest of the underlying theme stated by the horns, and Hardt sizzling on the white foam. Bright and crisp percussion mix with choppy waters and Blake’s bright horn on “Liberia” and the more obscure “The Feeling Of Jazz” percolates in Sanchez’s hands.
Of the originals, “Sube” features some exotic kalimba playing by Cornelius Alfredo Duncan, and Norell Thomson gives a rich aria on the bright “Todo Termino.” Through it all, particularly on his medley, Sanchez cruises like a 61 Continental on Van Nuys Boulevard on a Friday night, heading to Bob’s Big Boy. What a tasty treat.