Trane's Delight

by Poncho Sanchez

Overview

In 1962, Poncho Sanchez purchased the album Coltrane on Impulse. He was 14. It was the first album he'd bought with his own money. He'd been under the saxophonist's spell for years, listening to him on the radio in Los Angeles. Trane's Delight, the first album by Sanchez in seven years, is a thank you, a tribute to one of his musical pillars. Issued by Concord, the conguero's home since 1982, the date is a heartfelt homage to the saxophonist's influence as well as a seamless extension of Sanchez's signature brand of Latin jazz. The 11-track set features Sanchez's longtime band: trombonist and musical director Francisco Torres, trumpet and fluegelhorn master Ron Blake, saxophonist Robert Hardt, pianist Andy Langham, bassists Rene Camacho and Ross Schodek, and percussionists Joey DeLeon and Giancarlo Anderson. There are three Coltrane tunes here -- "Liberia," "Blue Train," and "Giant Steps" -- as well as a Latinized read of Duke Ellington's "The Feeling of Jazz," from 1963's Duke Ellington and John Coltrane. Sanchez takes insightful and wide liberties with the material. In his liner notes, jazz historian and author Ashley Khan argues that this is just as it should be given the saxophonist's boundary-extending example. "Giant Steps" is offered as a spirited mambo with dueling percussion and a complex horn chart structured in staggered rhythms. "Liberia" is delivered as hard-swinging, spiritual, Afro-Cuban hard bop, with fiery montunos from Langham and a burning trombone solo by Torres. "Blue Train" is a deep-hued cha-cha. The latter comes across as a bluesy swagger that gives way to Hardt's sweet-toned alto in a sprightly bebop vernacular, and the up-mixed percussion section percolates right alongside it. But Sanchez offers his own Latin jazz nod to 'Trane with the band's reading of Hubert Laws' "Soul Bourgeoise" -- immortalized by the conguero's early idols the Jazz Crusaders on 1965's landmark Chile con Soul. It' a funky cha cha with a roiling tenor solo from Hardt. "Si Te Dicen" is a rich, silky bolero that juxtaposes the Joe Cuba Sextet version with Coltrane's warm ballad style. Langham's "Sube" melds mambo, salsa, modal jazz, and post-bop in a glorious stew, with Sanchez and the percussionists nodding at the influence of Mongo Santamaria. The other originals from Sanchez and Torres include "Yam'mote," a smoking salsa blues with fine soloing from the trombonist and "Poncho Sanchez's Medley #2" -- "Baila Me Gente," "El Sabroso," and "El Shing-A-Ling" -- which offer seamless, impeccably arranged salsa with fine singing by Sanchez and a wondrous flute break by Hardt. The title cut readily references the bop frame of Tadd Dameron's "Our Delight" inside a hard-hitting mambo. The closer is a modernized read of Bobby Manrique's sparkling salsa "Todo Termino" (it appeared on a Sammy Gonzalez y Los Torbellinos album from 1978), with gorgeous vocals from Norell Thomas. Trane's Delight is savvy, sophisticated, and funky: a personal tribute that reveals the joy offered by Coltrane's inspiration. More, it is a welcome return for Sanchez, a jazz giant and creative inspiration in his own right. ~ Thom Jurek

Product Details

Release Date:	09/20/2019
Label:	Concord / Concord Picante
UPC:	0888072109889

Tracks

1. Soul Bourgeoisie
2. Liberia
3. The Feeling of Jazz
4. Giant Steps
5. Si Te Dicen
6. Sube
7. Blue Train
8. Yam'mote
9. Poncho Sanchez Medley No. 2: Baile Mi Gente/El Sabroso/El Shing-A-Ling
10. Trane's Delight
11. Todo Termino

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Poncho Sanchez   Primary Artist,Congas,Vocals,Percussion
Francisco Torres   Vocals (Background),Musical Direction,Trombone
Andy Langham   Piano
Joey De Leon, Jr.   Timbales,Percussion,Vocals (Background)
Rene Camacho   Bass,Vocals (Background)
Robert Hardt   Flute,Sax (Alto),Sax (Tenor)
Ron Blake   Trumpet,Flugelhorn
Giancarlo Anderson   Bongos,Percussion
Ross Schodek   Bass
Cornelius Alfredo Duncan Jr.   Kalimba
Norell Thomson   Vocals

Technical Credits

Ivory Daniel   Producer,Executive Producer
Hubert Laws   Composer
David Torres   Composer
John Coltrane   Composer
Duke Ellington   Composer
Francisco Torres   Arranger,Composer,Producer
Andy Langham   Composer
Ramon Banda   Composer
Ashley Kahn   Liner Notes
Poncho Sanchez   Composer,Producer
George T. Simon   Composer
David Torres, Jr.   Composer
Jorge Velasco   Engineer
Bobby Manrique   Composer
Bobby Troup   Composer
Estevan Oriol   Photography
Oscar Ivan Guiliani   Composer
Bill Bungard   Photography
Luis Henao   Recording Director
Jose Carrillo   Mixing,Engineer,Mastering
Troy Gappa   Cover Art,Packaging
Emily Miao   Photography