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# Bigger bang at Pier show
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/bigger-bang-at-pier-show/
- Published: 2006-06-29T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T18:37:03.000Z
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: Entertainment, Pier, #archive-import

*Sanchez brings big Latin to Twilight gig*

*By EMILIE PHELPS Special to the Daily Press*

SM PIER — Summertime in Santa Monica means free live music every Thursday, beginning tonight with Latin rock and jazz.

The 22nd annual Twilight Dance Series on the Santa Monica Pier starts today at 7:30 p.m. with Latin rock and jazz master Poncho Sanchez. Backed by his band, Sanchez will rock the crowd on his congas.

Poncho Sanchez is one of the top Latin bandleaders on the scene, with a versatile band that is always busy recording and playing live dates. His rhythms have made him one of the most influential conga players and percussionists in Afro-Cuban jazz.

More than anything else, Poncho Sanchez is a storyteller. And, as leader of the most popular Latin jazz group in the world today, it’s his congas and seasoned ensemble that do the talking. Live in concert or on recordings, they spin vivacious tales that pay homage to the glories of a half-century tradition that was born when Afro-Cuban rhythms merged with bebop. Behind the choice of every song, album title and guest artist, there’s a story Sanchez delights in telling.

A native of Laredo, Tex., Sanchez moved to Los Angeles at 4 years old, where he was deeply influenced by the music he heard in the Chicano neighborhood in which he lived. The youngest of 11 children, Sanchez taught himself to play guitar, flute, drums and timbales before settling on the congas.

After a period playing with local bands, he joined Cal Tjader’s band in 1975 and was an important part of Tjader’s pacesetting group until his idol’s death in 1982.

In addition to recording as a soloist, Sanchez has been featured on albums by the Jazz Crusaders, Eddie Harris, Freddie Hubbard, Tito Puente, Mongo Santamaria, Dianne Reeves, Joey DeFrancesco and Terrance Blanchard.

After more than two decades in music, Sanchez’s efforts paid off when his album, “Latin Soul,” received a Grammy award as Best Latin Album of 1999\. His longevity mirrors that of his mentor, Tjader, and together they represent a melding of Latin music, jazz, soul, rhythm and blues, and pop that presaged the fusion music of Carlos Santana.

“Our main goal is always to keep Latin jazz alive, growing and moving, while being authentic to the music that we love,” Sanchez said. “As I always say in clinics, this music is not just for Latino people. It was born in the United States and it is American music. It is for everybody.”

The free concerts, 10 in total, will run through Aug. 31.

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on June 29, 2006.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/062906.pdf?ref=smdp.com)