Poncho Sanchez in Laguna Beach

Poncho Sanchez is an American conga player, bandleader and singer, born in Laredo, Texas, in 1951 and raised in Southern California. His music draws on Afro-Cuban jazz, mambo, salsa and soul; key recordings include Latin Soul, Conga Blue and Chano y Dizzy!, a tribute to Chano Pozo and Dizzy Gillespie made with trumpeter Terence Blanchard. Latin Soul earned him a Grammy Award. In 1975, Poncho Sanchez joined vibraphonist Cal Tjader’s band and toured and recorded with him until Tjader’s death in 1982. He then established his own long-running ensemble, performing at the Monterey Jazz Festival and the Playboy Jazz Festival at the Hollywood Bowl.