Tequila Don Julio Legends of Latin Music – Conguero Poncho Sanchez @ Chicago.

The Tequila Don Julio Legends of Latin Music Series, a five city music tour which highlights legendary Latin artists, makes its third tour stop at the House of Blues in Chicago on Wednesday, April 3, 2002, with an electrifying performance by Grammy Award winning Latin jazz artist and conguero Poncho Sanchez.

“Poncho Sanchez and his Latin Jazz Band kicked off the Tequila Don Julio Legends of Latin Music Series in November of 2001 and we are pleased we are able to work with him again when the tour stops in Chicago,” explained Rick Tapia, Pernod Ricard USA Marketing Manager for Tequila. “His music is enjoyed by people of all ages and ethnicities in the United States and abroad. He is truly a Latin jazz legend.”

The Tequila Don Julio Legends of Latin Music Series presentation of Poncho Sanchez is a major showcase of Latin culture which precedes the 18th annual Latino Film Festival running April 5-17 in Chicago.

Sanchez’ performance is the third stop of the national music tour which highlights great Latin musicians. The series opened in November with a three-night retrospective on the career of Sanchez and his Latin jazz band in Los Angeles. Salsa king Eddie Palmieri continued the Tequila Don Julio Legends of Latin Music Series by playing his world-renowned style of music in San Francisco. The series continues in May with a six-night performance in Seattle by celebrated classical and jazz artist Arturo Sandoval.

Poncho Sanchez is considered one of the hardest-working men in Latin jazz and celebrates his 21st year as a bandleader with his 21st release, Latin Spirits. The recently released album combines the rhythms of Cuba, Africa and the Caribbean with the soul of Detroit, Philly and New Orleans and then adds the exciting harmonies and improvisional elements of jazz. Growing up in Norwalk, California as the youngest of eleven children, Sanchez has recorded 19 albums, won a Grammy Award (for 1999’s Latin Soul) and has performed at countless number of events around the world. Sanchez says it best, “My band and I really do love Latin jazz. We played this music before it was popular, and I think that we have played a part in helping it become popular again. Our main goal is to keep Latin jazz alive, growing and moving, while being authentic to the music we love. And, 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!”