Conga King

Though its name might give one the impression that Latin jazz migrated from some faraway land, Poncho Sanchez begs to differ.

The style began when Cubanborn percussionist Chano Pozo met trumpet player extraordinaire Dizzy Gillespie in New York City.

“That’s when I think Latin jazz was born,” Sanchez says by phone from his home in suburban Los Angeles. “That’s our music, and I’m very proud of that.”

Proud and proficient, as it turns out.

Sanchez has been performing Latin jazz compositions by the likes of Pozo and Gillespie for more than three decades. The youngest of 11 siblings, he grew to love the genre after listening to his brothers’ and sisters’ recordings by artists such as the Joe Cuba Sextet.

But it wasn’t until September that he released an album as a tribute to the pair, simply titled “Chano y Dizzy,” which uses the Spanish language “y,” meaning “and.” Sanchez and his Latin Jazz Band will showcase many of the works when they perform tonight at the Walton Arts Center in Fayetteville.

Utilizing his trombone player and musical director Francisco Torres, Sanchez and his band worked up new arrangements of many of Gillespie’s and Pozo’s songs, among them a medley of the latter’s “Tin Tin Deo,” “Manteca” and Guachi Guaro.” Sanchez is also fond of a reworking of Gillespie’s “Con Alma,” which the band turned into a 6/8-time Afro-Cuban dance number with a bridge in the style of a cha cha.

For the recording, Sanchezhad Pozo’s conga parts covered, but then came the matter of working with a guest trumpeter.

Of many names considered, jazz trumpeter Terence Blanchard, with whom Sanchez worked previously, got the call.

“Immediately, he said ‘yes,’” Sanchez says. “I knew he was good to work with, and he’s a genius.”

Blanchard’s touring schedule prevented him from rehearsing with Sanchez and the band regularly, so the two principals exchanged demos electronically.

Just before the recording session, Blanchard came in, rehearsed the numbers a few times and nailed his parts, Sanchez says.

When Sanchez and company converge on the Walton Arts Center stage, band member Ron Blake will handle the trumpet duties. In addition to showcasing the works of the newest record, Sanchez also promises he will dig deep into his catalog, playing oft-requested songs such as “Watermelon Man” and “Besame Mama,” both from his Grammywinning 1999 album “Latin Soul.”

The “soul” part of the title is no accident. Sanchez also grew up listening to soul classics such as those by Wilson Pickett and Otis Redding. Sanchez says he and his band will likely perform at least one Latin jazz translation of a soul classic during his performance here.