A good recording of latin jazz, just what I was seeking for. I have many records from this artist, all of them good.

The best yet of Poncho Sanchez. He came to my town about two years ago, had a great time seeing him perform his famous songs. Beautifully arranged music. If you like Poncho's music and songs, you must add this one to your collection.

I bought this CD several years ago after enjoying Sanchez' magnificent Afro-Cuban Fantasy. I did not like Soul of the Conga as much as the other, so this languished on my shelf until recently when I decided to give it another shot.

My small complaint is that there is too much "jungle boogie" here. Maybe its a little more authentic, and it seems to give Sanchez more spotlight for his percussive skills, but I prefer some of the band's horn and organ driven selections more.

Here are my favorites:

1)Joseito-A grand, rousing instrumental that opens the action. Organ reminiscent of Brian Auger.

4)Moon Pie-A powerful sax-driven piece.

5)Haitian Lady-Yet another powerful instrumental

6)Cosas del Alma-The best vocal. A simmering romantic ballad.

8)Virtue-a fine and hard-driving horn-based instrumental.

9)Days of Wine and Roses-another funky, horn-driven tune.

and

12)Bodacious Q-A funky cut with keyboards evocative of Ramsey Lewis.

Despite that I give Soul of the Conga just three stars, that doesn't mean I dislike it. In this case, the three star rating comes because though I like the instrumental selections a lot, I find most of the vocal cuts to be merely decent and often repetitious. Its truly a mixed bag. But there are plenty of tunes to like, and at the price its being offered here, you can't lose!

The conga master does it again...from "Joseito" to "Rumba De Po-Tiz"; Soul of the Conga is a full-fledged Latin Par-tay! I first heard about Sanchez after he won the Grammy for Latin Soul and this CD picks up where that one left off. Soul of the Conga finds Poncho on another spirited journey of Latin Jazz with plenty of festive fire. In fact, if you're a fan of Afro Cuban Jazz, then this CD is a definite must. Poncho has a killer band (especially the Torres Brothers), but also brings some very special guests along for the ride, Hammond B-3 maestro Joey Defrancesco (on Henry Mancini's "Days of Wine and Roses"), trumpeter Terence Blanchard (on "Stella by Starlight") and the Ortiz Brothers, five brothers who add a festive vibe with their group singing (check out track 2, "Oye Lo"). Bar none, Poncho Sanchez continues to prove that he is the premier conga player on the scene today.

When I lived in Long Beach, CA, I had the pleasure of seeing Poncho Sanchez play live and shop for records, both within the space of a month...his live act was both tight and not uptight, while his taste in music was eclectic...I ran into him in the Gospel section at Tower Records...It is not overstatement to say that this is his best recording yet...several songs are straight out of the rhumba tradition of Cuba, with the Ortiz brothers making sounds that could be a hundred years old, classic Son from Cuba...amazing! And then there is the meeting of Joey De Francesco with Poncho Sanchez's group, which works in a fantastic way. Mr. Sanchez manages to keep his recordings fresh by bringing in guests...this is the most musically satisfying of his recent efforts and perhaps all recent salsa recordings.