Living Legend Poncho Sanchez Performs at the Festival of Arts Saturday August 13th, Wraps 'Jazz on the Green' Special Event Series With a Bang

LAGUNA BEACH, CA--(Marketwire - Aug 9, 2011) - Saturday, August 13th promises to be the hottest day of the summer -- and by hot, we mean the amazing sounds of living Latin jazz legend Poncho Sanchez and his conga, which will sizzle on stage at the Laguna Beach Festival of Arts as the 2011 special event series "Jazz on the Green" concludes to what will surely be standing ovations.

If music were about pictures, Grammy Award-winning percussionist Poncho Sanchez's music would be best described as a kaleidoscopic swirl of some of the hottest colors and brightest lights to emerge from either side of the border. At any given show, on any given record, fragments of Latin jazz, swing, bebop, salsa and other infectious grooves collide and churn in a fiery swirl, with results that are no less than dazzling. "There's room for a lot of different sounds in our music," Sanchez says. "I think people have come to know that that's what Poncho Sanchez is all about. We put it all together in a pot, boil it together and come out with a big stew. This isn't some marketing strategy to sell records. These are the sounds I grew up with. So when I play this music, I'm not telling a lie. I'm telling my story. This is the real thing."

"In such an intimate atmosphere as the Festival green, with such a celebrated and captivating artist as Mr. Sanchez -- August 13th will be a jazz enthusiast's dream come true!" said Susan Davis, director of special events for the Festival of Arts. "And it's the perfect conclusion to 'Jazz on the Green,' which has seen jazz's best performers, such as Eric Marienthal, Brian Bromber, Jeff Lorber, Greg Adams, Michael Paulo and JessyJ. Poncho's appearance is not to be missed."

Poncho Sanchez will perform on Saturday, August 13th from 1pm-3pm on stage at the Festival green. There is no extra cost beyond admission to the Festival of Arts for guests to enjoy the performance by Poncho Sanchez.

The Jazz on the Green series is sponsored by KSBR. The Festival of Arts and Pageant of the Masters are sponsored in part by Acura, Fidelity Investments, KOST Radio 103.5, the Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel, Vizio, Cox Communications and the Orange County Register. The Festival of Arts is a non-profit organization that produces The Festival of Arts-California's Premier Fine Art Show and the Pageant of the Masters-Where Art Comes to Life. For general information, call 949-494-1145 or visit the website at www.LagunaFestivalofArts.org. The event is located at 650 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach, California. Proceeds support the arts and art education in and about Laguna Beach.

Editor's Note: Interviews with artisans and performers featured in this year's The Festival of Arts as well as images of artwork including slides, photographs and digital/CD's are available upon request.