Robert “Bob” Sancho—Influential in the Rise of Latin Jazz in the Bronx
Robert Sancho is known for his influential hand in the rise of Latin Jazz in the Bronx. Sancho is passionate about Latin Jazz and is always looking for more opportunities to create a platform for this music form to be popular again. With over 40 years of service, Sancho has selflessly committed his time and efforts to advance the appreciation of Latin Jazz and performing arts through decades of community service in the Bronx area.
Born and raised in the Bronx, Sancho’s love and appreciation for Latin music started at an early age. His mother is Puerto Rican, and his father is Costa Rican. In our interview, Robert Sancho joked, “That makes me more Rican than anybody else.”
While growing up and attending school in a predominantly Puerto Rican neighborhood of the Bronx, Sancho met many musicians and percussionists who attended the same junior high school as him, all at different times. He was able to experience firsthand inspirational Latin musicians like Eddie and Charlie Palmieri, Ray Barretto, and Orlando Marin. He recalled how they would jam on the playground, and how their sound was very influential in his appreciation for Latin music.
Sancho also remembered living just around the corner from a dance hall called El Club Cubano Inter-Americano where many Latin Jazz Artists, like one of Sancho’s favorites, Tito Puente, used to perform. At fifteen, he was able to sit outside the club and hear the beautiful sounds of Latin Jazz from the many bands and musicians who frequented there.
He said this of Latin Jazz, “There’s no way, once you hear it, that you’re not going to be interested in it.”
Sancho explained in our interview that most Latin rhythms came out of Cuba like the cha-cha, guaracha, rumba, and many others. These rhythms from Cuba influenced many Puerto Rican and Dominican artists. One of the greatest Latin musicians who was able to popularize this genre of music was Machito and his Afro-Cubans. Because groups like this were influential in defining this new fusion of music styles that made up Latin Jazz, Sancho was inspired to promote and be a valuable piece in the advancement and popularity of the genre.
Since there is a huge population of Latin Americans in the Bronx, Sancho saw the value in giving Latin Jazz artists a space and stage to gain appreciation and support. Every September over the last twenty years, on a volunteer basis, Robert Sancho produces the Lehman Center for Performing Arts' first concert of the season, which supports and showcases Latin American talent in his community. All profits are donated to the Lehman Center for the Performing Arts.
This year’s concert that Sancho is producing for the Lehman Center for Performing Arts will feature Latin Jazz legends Eddie Palmieri, Nelson González, Johnny Rodriguez and Emilio Morales to name a few.
In addition to his support of Latin American artists in the Bronx, Sancho has passionately supported artists around the world. Since 1989, Sancho has frequently traveled to Cuba and explained how despite the difficulty throughout the course of his career, he’s tried to bring over several Latin American artists to America to perform. One Cuban artist that he worked with was Chucho Valdes. He flew Valdes to America to perform and do concerts in New York City.
In our interview, Sancho mentioned that the first four times he was at the airport with Valdes, they were able to walk around without being bothered, but after his fifth visit to the States, there were over 3,000 people waiting in the airport to see him. Sancho’s influence helped this artist gain more popularity in America, where Valdes now is a regular guest performer at Jazz at Lincoln Center.
When asked how he first got involved with the Latin Jazz and performing arts community, he said, “My favorite artist was always Tito Puente, and Tito lived in the Bronx. So did Tito Rodríguez. Machito lived in the Bronx until the day he passed away. So, I used to see them perform locally. Later on, I worked for the Board of Education for about 12 years. During that time, Tito Puente asked me to be his consultant and advisor for his scholarship fund.”
Because of his work with Tito Puente, Sancho had the amazing opportunity of going to the White House with him in the 90s when Puente performed for former president Bill Clinton. After that performance, Sancho recalled receiving a letter from the White House, addressed to him, because they didn’t have Tito Puente’s address. Sancho still has a copy of that letter with the photo of Puente shaking hands with Bill Clinton. Tito Puente knew many Latin artists across the globe and proved to be a great connection for Sancho in his effort to give Latin artists a bigger platform.
In addition to his direct experience with several Latin Jazz artists, Sancho was also involved in two documentaries promoting and remembering Latin Jazz artists Machito and Puente. These films were called Machito: A Latin Jazz Legacy and In the Life of Tito Puente. Sancho also had the opportunity to get a live band together with several talented Latin Jazz artists to perform live on Channel 13 as a fundraiser for the Latin community in the Bronx.
Sancho has had the opportunity to work with the Mambo Legends Orchestra, Tito Puente and His Orchestra, José Feliciano, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Paquito D'Rivera, Eddie Palmieri, Ray Barretto, Machito Orchestra, Nelson Gonzalez, Johnny Rodriguez, and many other amazing Latin Jazz artists. He also brought in several artists from Cuba including Chucho Valdes and Emilio Morales. In our interview, Sancho said he’s “been able to hang out and listen to all the stories of the old days” because of the many artists he has been able to make connections with.
Robert Sancho’s passion for Latin Jazz has inspired him to create platforms to make this style popular again.
To continue reading this article on NYC Tastemakers, click here.
Comments