Customer Reviews

Soul of the Conga

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In a fiery follow-up to his Grammy Award-winning "Latin Soul", the master conguero Poncho Sanchez, digs deep into this his latest release from Concord Records - "Soul of the Conga". Here, Sanchez presents his own brand of Latin jazz, infused with soul jazz of the Hammond B-3 phenomenon with Joey DeFrancesco, and the cool-tones of trumpeter Terence Blanchard, featuring the traditional, vintage Cuban roots of changui with The Ortiz Brothers.

Stand outs: "JOSEITO", augmented blues, perfect for DeFrancesco's grooving organ, with Scott Martin the composer of this selection, on tenor-sax with a solid solo - "DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES", from the late great composer Henry Mancini, Latinized version with intoxicating rhythm and DeFrancesco infectious style comes through with flying colors.

Highlight: "STELLA BY STARLIGHT", Victor Young's haunting tune, with the smooth-tones of Terence Blanchard on trumpet, simply classic and never sounding better, by Sanchez and friends.

Wonderful to see Latin jazz music growing all over the world, receiving the recognition they truly deserve. This album and music is not just for Latino people, but for everyone - gets under your skin and spreads enjoyment throughout your soul!

Total Time: 68:45 on 14 Tracks/ Concord Records - CCD 4894 2 (2000)

The conga master does it again...from "Joseito" to "Rumba De Po-Tiz"; Soul of the Conga is a full-fledged Latin Par-tay! I first heard about Sanchez after he won the Grammy for Latin Soul and this CD picks up where that one left off. Soul of the Conga finds Poncho on another spirited journey of Latin Jazz with plenty of festive fire. In fact, if you're a fan of Afro Cuban Jazz, then this CD is a definite must. Poncho has a killer band (especially the Torres Brothers), but also brings some very special guests along for the ride, Hammond B-3 maestro Joey Defrancesco (on Henry Mancini's "Days of Wine and Roses"), trumpeter Terence Blanchard (on "Stella by Starlight") and the Ortiz Brothers, five brothers who add a festive vibe with their group singing (check out track 2, "Oye Lo"). Bar none, Poncho Sanchez continues to prove that he is the premier conga player on the scene today.

A new release by Poncho Sanchez is always a pleasant surprise. On the one hand, Poncho plays what I like to call, fundamental Latin-Jazz. However, Poncho always manages to come up with a few new surprises (and guests) along the way.

On SOUL OF THE CONGA we experience a little "Changui tipico" from Cuba with Poncho and the Ortiz Brothers. Next, some Latin-Jazz with special guest, Joey De Francesco and his Hammond B-3 Organ.

In my opinion, the only other musician that could hold his own in a Latin setting was the late, great Charlie Palmieri. However, Joey De Francesco does an admirable job of adding a new element to the music without overpowering the rest of the band.

Poncho has matured as a band leader since his apprenticeship with the late master of the vibraphone, Cal Tjader.

I really enjoyed this CD and highly recommend it. Thank You Poncho for keeping it real!

The best yet of Poncho Sanchez. He came to my town about two years ago, had a great time seeing him perform his famous songs. Beautifully arranged music. If you like Poncho's music and songs, you must add this one to your collection.

I bought this CD several years ago after enjoying Sanchez' magnificent Afro-Cuban Fantasy. I did not like Soul of the Conga as much as the other, so this languished on my shelf until recently when I decided to give it another shot.
My small complaint is that there is too much "jungle boogie" here. Maybe its a little more authentic, and it seems to give Sanchez more spotlight for his percussive skills, but I prefer some of the band's horn and organ driven selections more.
Here are my favorites:
1)Joseito-A grand, rousing instrumental that opens the action. Organ reminiscent of Brian Auger.
4)Moon Pie-A powerful sax-driven piece.
5)Haitian Lady-Yet another powerful instrumental
6)Cosas del Alma-The best vocal. A simmering romantic ballad.
8)Virtue-a fine and hard-driving horn-based instrumental.
9)Days of Wine and Roses-another funky, horn-driven tune.
and
12)Bodacious Q-A funky cut with keyboards evocative of Ramsey Lewis.
Despite that I give Soul of the Conga just three stars, that doesn't mean I dislike it. In this case, the three star rating comes because though I like the instrumental selections a lot, I find most of the vocal cuts to be merely decent and often repetitious. Its truly a mixed bag. But there are plenty of tunes to like, and at the price its being offered here, you can't lose!

When I lived in Long Beach, CA, I had the pleasure of seeing Poncho Sanchez play live and shop for records, both within the space of a month...his live act was both tight and not uptight, while his taste in music was eclectic...I ran into him in the Gospel section at Tower Records...It is not overstatement to say that this is his best recording yet...several songs are straight out of the rhumba tradition of Cuba, with the Ortiz brothers making sounds that could be a hundred years old, classic Son from Cuba...amazing! And then there is the meeting of Joey De Francesco with Poncho Sanchez's group, which works in a fantastic way. Mr. Sanchez manages to keep his recordings fresh by bringing in guests...this is the most musically satisfying of his recent efforts and perhaps all recent salsa recordings.