Poncho Sanchez at the Santa Monia Pier, Thursday 6/29, 7:30

Free, but I'm not sure about the parking. Link

Click here for sample music clips.

King of the conga, Poncho Sanchez, opens the free Twilight Dance Series at the Pier in Santa Monica. From their website:

Grammy-winning artist Poncho Sanchez is the undisputed champion of conga and a musician at the forefront of Latin rock. His imaginative rhythms have made him one of the most influential conga players and percussionists in Afro-Cuban jazz. A native of Laredo, TX, Sanchez moved to Los Angeles at the age of four, where he was deeply influenced by the music he heard in the Chicano neighborhood in which he lived. The youngest of 11 children, Sanchez taught himself to play guitar, flute, drums, and timbales before settling on the congas. After a period playing with local bands, he joined Cal Tjader's band in 1975 and was an important part of Tjader's pacesetting group until his idol's death in 1982.

I saw him perform twice last year, and if he is nearly as old as he looks, his energy is incredible. Your view of the performance will typically be obscured, because so many people get up and dance.