Watermelon Man – 2010
Poncho Sanchez
Joyous Latin jazz
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“Watermelon Man” was written by Herbie Hancock in 1962, became a hit for Mongo Santamaria, and has been a Latin jazz standard ever since.
Poncho Sanchez has been a major bandleader and conga player in the Afro-Cuban jazz world since 1982, leading crowd-pleasing bands that combine boppish solos with Latin jazz.
“Watermelon Man” has been in Sanchez’s repertoire for decades; this fine version from 2010 has Sanchez on congas joined by pianist David Torres, bassist Tony Banda, George Ortiz on timbales, Sal Vasquez on bongo, trumpeter Serafin Aguilar, trombonist Francisco Torres, and saxophonist Scott Martin.
-Scott Yanow
Ella Fitzgerald