The conga drum chair was always the position of honor in Cal Tjader's Latin-jazz band. In 1975, California's Poncho Sanchez took over the chair and held it until Tjader died in 1982. Since then, Sanchez has emerged as one ... more »of the top congueros and bandleaders in the genre, because he has synthesized the styles of all his predecessors into a sound that is more fluid than frenetic, more melodic than manic. No one influenced him more than Santamaria, and Sanchez's fifteenth album as a leader reunites the mentor and protégé on half of the 10 tracks. The horn and piano parts are respectable if not special, but the real action is in the percussion section, where student and teacher remind each other of the many ways to chop up a measure of music. --Geoffrey Himes« less
The conga drum chair was always the position of honor in Cal Tjader's Latin-jazz band. In 1975, California's Poncho Sanchez took over the chair and held it until Tjader died in 1982. Since then, Sanchez has emerged as one of the top congueros and bandleaders in the genre, because he has synthesized the styles of all his predecessors into a sound that is more fluid than frenetic, more melodic than manic. No one influenced him more than Santamaria, and Sanchez's fifteenth album as a leader reunites the mentor and protégé on half of the 10 tracks. The horn and piano parts are respectable if not special, but the real action is in the percussion section, where student and teacher remind each other of the many ways to chop up a measure of music. --Geoffrey Himes
Considered by some to be the best Latin Jazz CD of '96-'97
xxx | 07/05/1998
(5 out of 5 stars)
"A truly superb album due to the collaboration with Mongo Santamaria (and the presence of a good horn section).'Conga Blue' (the song) is extraordinary, while 'Dulce Amor' is beautifully rendered by very fine horn work. In other cuts, the congas highlight Sanchez's and Santamaria's talents. For example, 'Watermelon Man' is excellent (better than Santamaria's own rendition of this classic). The whole album sparkles with life. For Poncho Sanchez aficionados, I believe this CD to be noticeably better than the very good "Chile con Soul" CD, because of Santamaria's participation and because Sanchez steps out and takes more risks, all of which work.Highly recommended."
A fantastic display by El Mejor
xxx | 07/16/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Yes, the tempo is slow, but Santamaria and Poncho on the same recording itself is enough to make this worth listening to. The conga interaction with the rest of the percussion and the rest of the instruments is flawless. I could listen to this album all day! I think that this ranks high on my list of Sanchez albums."
Disappointing effort from the master of Afro-cuban rhythms
John K. Reed | Harrisburg, PA United States | 05/24/2000
(3 out of 5 stars)
"I wouldn't just flat out say that this album doesn't rate a puchase, but I would say that I definitely rank Conga Blue far behind the absolutely fabulous live Latin Soul album and the ocasionally average but often fabulous Afro-Cuban Fantasy disc.These recordings, other than a very few, just didn't have much flavor to them. The tempo of the album as a whole is much slower paced than the other listed recordings which is nice but doesn't really turn me on.Check out Latin Jazz first then Afro-Cuban Fantasy and finally if you have to Conga Blue."
One of Poncho Sanchez's Best
William Jones | Rockville, MD USA | 04/22/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"As far as I know, Mongo Santamaria came out of semi-retirement to play on this CD, and his presence adds greatness to an already very good concept album. "Besame Mama" is the vocal highpoint--so good it's chilling. Virtually every selection is a smoker."