Soul of the Conga
For his 20th (!) Concord album and follow-up to his Grammy-winningLatin Soul, master conguero Poncho Sanchez takes cues from theBuena Vista Social Cluband some homegrown Philly organ soul. Sanchez's music is traditional, but infused with creative brass arrangements, simmering rhythms, and explosive percussion, and his mambos and montunos are impossible to resist. With organistJoey DeFrancesco, trumpeterTerence Blanchard, and traditional Cuban vocal troupe The Ortiz Brothers,Soul of the Congais full-on funky, with popping rhythms and meaty solo excursions.  DeFrancesco boils on "Moon Pie," which recallsEddie Harris, and you'll find the dance floor irresistible when "Haitian Lady" kicks in. The Ortiz Brothers get busy on the fragrant "Asi Asi," the "Oye Como Va"-ish groove of "Oye Lo," and the organ-brass mix of fantasy and melancholia on "Virtue." Throughout, Sanchez's horn arrangements keep everything cooking, like spicy sauce over a percolating percussion barbecue. Alas, Blanchard's lovely brass teases on "Stella on Starlight" do nothing for the album's one dud, which sounds lifeless, airless, and oddly grooveless. But that is a rare moment on a brilliant album, which closes with the heavy conga-bongo jamming of "Rumba De Po-Tiz." Outstanding!--Ken Micallef