LET’S DANCE
Pancho Sanchez releases an album of nonstop Latininfused fun.
Also some Getz, Bowie, Rickie and The Dead
 Poncho Sanchez
Out of Sight!
(Concord Records. Release date: September 12)
I DARE YOU NOT TO DANCE TO THE LATININFUSED, R&B
stylings of legendary percussionist/vocalist Poncho Sanchez (who will
be honored for his work in the community at the Ford Amphitheater’s
9thannual Jazz Pilgrimage series) on his new album, Out of Sight! Go
ahead, try to keep your toes still during the crescendo of horns that the disc on the catchy “One Mint Julep.” See if you can stop your
hips from swiveling to Sanchez’s taut conga beats, which litter the ten
diverse tracks. If the heavily bearded Southern
California native doesn’t get you with all that,
then just wait until he pulls a few secret weapons
out of his trademark Kangol cap.
 Imagine organ virtuoso Billy Preston casually offering to contribute
to Sanchez’s album, and you can comprehend the laidback,
innovative atmosphere that must have dominated the
recording sessions, and have succeeded in producing a fun, upbeat
album. Other guests include Ray Charles and his familiar cries out
to Mary Ann on a rerecording of his old song of the same name,
joined by the wailing wahwahs of Dale Spalding on harmonica,
and backed by Sanchez’s consistent beats.
Sanchez’s percussion skills emerge as the centerpiece of a few
songs, including the groovy “Not Necessarily” and in the tribal,
rustic rhythms of his drum solos on “El Tambor Del Mongo,” his
tribute to the late Cuban percussionist Mongo Santamaria.
Particularly fun is the funky vocal repartee between Sanchez and guest Sam Moore (of Sam and Dave) on the soulful “Hitch it to the
Horse,” and two James Brown tribute tracks that pay adequate homage to the man who inspired them.“JB’s Strut” is an instrumental interpretation
of Brown’s funky vocals and moves, with the moaning saxophone effectively capturing the energy of every acrobatic twirl and a
gruff trombone replicating every famous grunt. Sanchez continues the tribute by taking vocal control on a cover of Brown’s “Out of Sight,”
layering his R&Btinged vocals over an infectious jazz vibe.
Out of Sight! is essentially a pastiche of Latin jazz and R&B, conveyed through myriad instruments. Everything from chirping flutes to
agile guitar strums enhances an already eclectic album, while Sanchez keeps the beat through it all. With the elegant melodies and salsa
cadence, your feet will, too.
 Stan Getz
Bossas and Ballads:The Lost Sessions
(Verve. Release date: September 9)
“Are we rolling?” asks one of the musicians as the first track begins.Yes, the tape was definitely rolling,
and the band was in a groove on this 1989 recording but the nine songs of this session would be lost for
nearly 15 years before resurfacing for this posthumous release. Getz, who died in 1991, ranks at the top of
tenor sax players. Best known for his recording of “The Girl From Ipanema,” with Joao Gilberto in 1963,
Getz had a long history in jazz, starting out as a teenager with Jack Teagarden’s band in the 40s before
moving on to play with Woody Herman, Charlie Byrd and countless others.
For Bossas and Ballads, Getz teamed with pianist Kenny Barron, a longtime musical partner who composed five of the album’s songs,
bassist George Mraz, and drummer Victor Lewis.Though recovering from a heart attack and suffering from liver cancer at the time, Getz
played with great power and clarity. And while ballads are more in evidence than bossa novas, what’s most apparent on this recording is a
firstrate jazz ensemble playing with great creativity and joy. — Chris Rubin
 David Bowie
Reality
(ISO/Columbia Records. Release date: September 12)
Deviating from the blend of tasteful rock, electronica, and trance on the millionselling previous release
Heathen, this time David Bowie enchants us with Reality, an album infused with the kind of raw energy
reminiscent of earlier works such as Scary Monsters or even the emotionallycharged Heroes. Reality has
everything a classic rock album must have: cosmopolitan inyourface lyrics, fearless emotion, and impeccably
crafted instrumental arrangements adorning ingeniously accessible melodies. Somewhat dark, transcendent
lyrics underlie the surging, almost danceable, straightahead rock of “New Killer Star,” a reflection on
an urban love affair.There’s also a burst of brutally honest emotional revelation in “Days,” a wistful love letter to someone left behind
long ago. After decades of creating his own reality while enhancing our own, with his newest release Bowie proves once again that he
still undoubtedly rocks. — Vadim Yesilevsky
 Rickie Lee Jones
The Evening of My Best Day
(V2 Records. Release date: October 7)
A sixyear absence from the music industry is never good. Especially when in those six years the airwaves
have been saturated by the rise of the teenybop pop/punk movement. But Rickie Lee Jones doesn’t
seem at all fazed by the long break. In fact, she seems pleased to have taken the hiatus to work on herself,
and all that introspection shines through in her new release, The Evening of My Best Day, perhaps the
most personal of her 12 albums.“I was listening. I was waiting. I was praying to be restored. And that’s
what happened,” says Jones.“I feel powerful now. Intact. Ready to heal the world.” The album ranges from
70s funk in “Bitchenostrophy,” to blues reminiscent of the Harlem renaissance in “Mink Coat at the Bus Stop.” Songs like “Ugly Man”
and “Tell Somebody” offer her critique of American politics, and although greatly influenced by Bob Dylan and Woodie Guthrie, her
album is not entirely a protest against “The Man,” but more a patchwork of songs that make for one beautiful tapestry. — Andrea Bell
 The Grateful Dead
The Very Best of Grateful Dead
(Rhino Records. Release date: September 16)
The Very Best of Grateful Dead illustrates the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band’s versatility and musicianship
over the 30year musical adventure that earned them legions of devoted “Deadheads” until the death
of guitarist/singer Jerry Garcia in 1995. The compilation runs the gamut, from 1967’s psychedelic “The
Golden Road (To Unlimited Devotion)” to the sweet folk song “Ripple,” which features Garcia’s plaintive
vocalizing of Robert Hunter’s poetic lyrics. The 17song collection contains studio versions of the highly
improvisational group’s bestknown songs, including “Truckin,’” “Casey Jones,” and “Uncle John’s Band,” and
their biggest hit, 1987’s “Touch Of Grey.”Although it cannot capture the freewheeling energy of a concert, the album does contain a live
version of the oftplayed encore,“One More Saturday Night.” Two days after the album’s scheduled September 16 release date, four of the
artists will be performing as The Dead at Irvine’s Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre, keeping the Grateful Dead’s music very much alive. —
Jeff Hoyt
— Danielle Lee
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