CAPA Presents PONCHO SANCHEZ At The Lincoln, Kicks Off 5/2

Poncho Sanchez learned from the masters. As a youngster, he played alongside Cal Tjader, Claire Fisher, and Mongo Santamaria. Now as a bandleader for almost two decades, he has unswervingly preserved a bedrock style of Afro-Cuban Latin jazz pioneered half a century ago by his heroes, while infusing it with his own fresh and engaging interpretations.

In association with the King Arts Complex, CAPA presents Poncho Sanchez at the Lincoln Theatre (769 E. Long St.) on Sunday, May 2, at 8 pm. Tickets are $35 and $30 at the Ohio Theatre Ticket Office (39 E. State St.), all Ticketmaster outlets, and www.ticketmaster.com. To purchase tickets by phone, please call (614) 469-0939 or (800) 745-3000. The Lincoln Theatre Ticket Office will open two hours prior to the performance. Students between the ages of 13-19 may purchase $5 High Five tickets while available. This Caliente Series performance is made possible through the generous support of Univar and series sponsors David and Mo Meuse.

Although born in Laredo, Texas, to a large Mexican-American family in 1951, Sanchez grew up in a suburb of LA where he was raised on an unusual cross section of sounds that included straight ahead jazz, Latin jazz, and American soul. By his teen years, his musical consciousness had been solidified by the likes of John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Cal Tjader, Mongo Santamaria, Wilson Pickett, and James Brown. Along the way, he taught himself to play guitar, flute, drums, and timbales, but eventually settled on the congas.

At 24, after working his way around the local club scene for several years, he landed a permanent spot in Cal Tjader's band in 1975. "I learned a great deal from Cal," says Sanchez, "but it wasn't as though he sat me down and taught me lessons like a schoolteacher. Mostly it was just a matter of being around such a great guy. It was the way he conducted himself, the way he talked to people, the way he presented himself onstage. He was very elegant, very dignified, and when he played, he played beautifully. The touch that he had on the vibes - nobody has that sound. To me, he was - and is, and always will be - the world's greatest vibe player."

Sanchez remained with Tjader until the bandleader's death in 1982. That same year, he signed with Concord for the release of Sonando!, an album that marked the beginning of a prolific musical partnership that has spanned more than 25 years and has yielded two dozen recordings.

Psychedelic Blues, the latest product of that partnership, opens with the simmering "Cantaloupe Island," a Herbie Hancock composition recast in a Latin jazz groove. A number of soloists step forward here-most notably David Torres on trombone and Andrew Synowiec on guitar-all weaving effortlessly above a firmly anchored rhythm section.

Premier Latin trumpeter Arturo Sandova-Sanchez's friend since their first gig together at a festival in Sardinia, Italy, some 20 years ago-makes a guest appearance via a rendition of Freddie Hubbard's "Crisis." The track showcases Sandoval's respect and reverence for the American bebop maestro who passed away just a few months before the Psychedelic Blues sessions.

Whether its salsa, straight ahead jazz, Latin jazz, or even elements of soul and blues, the mesmerizing array of sounds and colors from Poncho Sanchez's youth have telegraphed across the decades and continue to inform his creative sensibilities to this day. "There's room for a lot of different sounds in our music," he says. "I think people have come to know that that's what Poncho Sanchez is all about. We put it all together in a pot, boil it together, and come out with a big stew. This isn't some marketing strategy to sell records. These are the sounds I grew up with. So when I play this music, I'm not telling a lie. I'm telling my story. This is the real thing."

www.ponchosanchez.com

The Ohio Arts Council helped fund this program with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, education excellence, and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans. CAPA also appreciates the support of the Abigail Simpson, Grace K. and Robert L. Rohe, and Martha G. Staub Funds of the Columbus Foundation, assisting donors and others in strengthening our community for the benefit of all of its citizens, and the Greater Columbus Arts Council, supporting the city's artists and arts organizations since 1973.

Owner/operator of downtown Columbus' magnificent, historic theatres (Ohio Theatre, Palace Theatre, Southern Theatre) and manager of the Riffe Center Theatre Complex, Lincoln Theatre, Valentine Theatre (Toledo, OH), and Shubert Theater (New Haven, CT), CAPA is a not-for-profit, award-winning presenter of national and international performing arts and entertainment now celebrating 40 years of service. For more information, visit www.capa.com.

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