Track Listing

1. Conguero
2. Ven Pa Bailar
3. Ican
4. Watermelon Man
5. Conga Blue
6. Lisa
7. B�same Mama
8. Guaripumpe
9. Listen Here/Cold Duck Time
10. Cold Duck Time

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #29675 in Music
• Released on: 1999-10-26
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Live
• Dimensions: .22 pounds

Amazon.com
In the past two decades, conguero Poncho Sanchez has emerged as the West Coast's foremost Latin-jazz bandleader. Latin Soul--his 19th release for the Concord Picante label--is a cooking set recorded live at the Conga Room in Los Angeles and Yoshi's in Oakland. This is no loose blowing session, but a showcase for Sanchez's road-tight nonet featuring the Banda brothers Ramon and Tony on bass and timbales, plus a powerful four-piece horn section. Sanchez's conga solos are seldom flashy, just rock solid. He pays homage to the inspiration of Mongo Santamaria on "Watermelon Man" and "Besame Mama" and recalls the golden age of mambo with Tito Rodriguez's "Mama Guela." He sings an invitation to dance on "Ven Pa Bailar" and turns the horns loose on Eddie Cano's boppish "Ican." The soul side of the equation is represented by a funky medley of Eddie Harris's "Listen Here" and "Cold Duck Time." --Rick Mitchell

Customer Reviews

Great music - Great Dancing
Around the time this CD was released, salsa dancing seemed to become the "hot" thing for gringos like me. Fresh out of a few classes with some rudimentary steps under my belt, my date and I stumbled into this little known (to me) club called the Conga Room in Los Angeles where Poncho Sanchez was playing.

At first all I could do was try to concentrate on my steps as I quickly became aware of just how much I needed to learn (the dancers packed into this intimate club are incredible). After I loosened up a bit I started realizing just how good the music was. Before long we both became lost in the music and we danced for hours. Something about the repetitiveness, the rhythms, just waves of pleasure that flow endlessly. What a wonderful time!

Being completely new to this type of music, it wasn't until long after that I realized this guy is practically a legend. Sometimes when you least expect it, life deals you pleasant surprises, you know? No CD could completely recreate the experience of "being there" but I would say this comes the closest. Listening to it makes we want to take the intermediate classes now. :-)

wish I could give this 6 stars
This is an absolutely hot, hot CD. I have given four copies of this to various friends and family who have expressed an interest in Latin Jazz, and I can think of no other album that is a better introduction to this form of music--something for everyone. It's impossible to keep your body still while listening. Some purests don't like live recordings, but since I'm not one, I loved the interaction between the audience and band. Anxiously awaiting his next CD and hope it's half as good as this was is.

Refreshing
Congero at it's best!. This CD gets you into the "Salsa" mood even if you are listening to it at your office--"careful not to get caught by your manager dancing on your desk"-- Full of rich conga sounds and latino brass wraped in fine jazz this is a delighful esperience from the mellow "Besame Mama", to the powerful "El congero"....still there?....get it!