Poncho Sanchez: “I’ve been playing now for 36 years, and I have been all over the world many times. People ask me, ‘Have you been to Paris? Have you’ve been to Japan?’ I’ve been to these places not once, not twice but many times. However, The Long Beach Jazz Festival is one of my favorites!”
A very special guest did appear on Friday night at the KJLH Pavilion, the legendary Stevie Wonder, who performed a few songs to the excitement of everyone. Later in the evening Stevie Wonder came to the backstage media tent and posed with The Benoits (promoters of the Long Beach Jazz Festival) and Eric Benet.
During the Music Box concert on July 21st, the thirst for that EWF sound was quenched once we heard Larry’s amazing, unique arrangements of “Got to Get You Into My Life,” “Be Ever Wonderful,” “Serpentine Fire,” “Sun Goddess,” “Reasons,” “Boogie Wonderland,” September,” and the number 1 hit “Shining Star,” and so many more cherished EWF songs.
On Romantic Bossa-nova: “We open with a Chick Corea tune of all things. It features me on flute, called ‘500 Miles High.’ This song gets the audience going, because it’s still Latin influence, upbeat but still very romantic in its theme. And the traditional ones like ‘Dindi.’ I think that’s the favorite one that people like the most that I do. We do ‘Berimbau.'”
Did you know “contemporary jazz” used to have a completely different meaning? The definition of words change over time, but when did the shift of “smooth jazz” to “contemporary jazz” actually take place?