Antonio Sánchez (drummer)

Sánchez was born in Mexico City, Mexico, and started playing drums at the age of five. By his teen years, he had already begun playing professionally. He attained a degree in classical piano from the National Conservatory in 1993 and then moved to Boston, Massachusetts, to study at Berklee College of Music.{{cite magazine |last= |first= |date=June 11, 2021 |title= Antonio Sanchez|url= https://www.moderndrummer.com/drummers/antonio-sanchez/ |magazine=Modern Drummer |location= |publisher= |access-date=October 13, 2024}} After he graduated magna cum laude in jazz studies, Sánchez obtained a scholarship for a master's degree in jazz improvisation at Boston's New England Conservatory of Music.{{cn|date=October 2024}} He is the grandson of Mexican actor Ignacio López Tarso.{{cite magazine |last=Harris |first=Selwyn |date= |title=Antonio Sanchez: Bad Hombre |url= https://www.jazzwise.com/review/antonio-sanchez-bad-hombre|magazine=Jazzwise |location= |publisher= |access-date=October 13, 2024}}

File:Antonio_Sanchez.jpg

While Sánchez was still at the Conservatory in 1997, his teacher, Danilo Pérez, recommended him to Paquito D'Rivera for the drum chair in Dizzy Gillespie's United Nations Orchestra, which led to him touring with the orchestra. Later in 1997, Perez invited Sánchez to be a part of his acoustic trio which resulted in extensive touring, and the recording of the Grammy Award-nominated album Motherland.{{cite web|url=http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/musician.php?id=15301 |title="All About Jazz" Antonio Sanchez Bio |publisher=Allaboutjazz.com |access-date=2011-10-26}} The tour resulted in him being heard by guitarist Pat Metheny who invited Sánchez to join the Pat Metheny Group as its drummer after a series of auditions.{{cite web|url=http://www.drummerworld.com/drummers/Antonio_Sanchez.html |title=Biography in Drummer World |publisher=Drummerworld.com |date=November 1, 1971 |access-date=2011-10-26}}

The group recorded two albums with Sánchez. The first one, Speaking of Now, won a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Jazz Album in 2003. A DVD, under the same name, documenting the tour has been released. The second album, The Way Up, was released in January 2005. Sánchez has been a part of various quartets and trios under Metheny's direction. The Pat Metheny Trio (Metheny on guitar, Sánchez on drums, and Christian McBride on bass) released Day Trip in January 2008 to wide acclaim among jazz critics.{{cite web|last=Pareles |first=Jon |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/28/arts/music/28choi.html?_r=1&ref=arts&oref=slogin |title=New York Times new album reviews |work=The New York Times |date=January 28, 2008 |access-date=2011-10-26}} In 2012, he was the drummer on Pat Metheny's album Unity Band.

In 2006, Sánchez joined the faculty of New York University (NYU).[http://steinhardt.nyu.edu/music/jazz/faculty/sanchez NYU Faculty Bio] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071202131422/http://steinhardt.nyu.edu/music/jazz/faculty/sanchez |date=December 2, 2007}} The next year, he recorded his first solo album, Migration, on CAM Jazz. The album includes Pat Metheny, Chick Corea, Chris Potter, David Sánchez, and Scott Colley. All About Jazz called it "One of the best debuts of 2007."{{cite web|url=http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=27805 |title=All About Jazz album review |publisher=Allaboutjazz.com |date=January 8, 2008 |access-date=2011-10-26}} Sánchez said of the album: "I didn't want people to say this is a drummer's album...I wanted it to be something that could be from any instrumentalist. I thought in terms of music, not how many solos I got and if I blew enough chops or not. I wanted the music to be very melodic and accessible and with a lot of really good interplay."{{cite web|url=http://www.moderndrummer.com/updatefull/200001635 |title=Ken Micallef from Modern Drummer |publisher=Moderndrummer.com |access-date=2011-10-26 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110928165049/http://www.moderndrummer.com/updatefull/200001635 |archive-date=September 28, 2011}}

In 2010, Sánchez released his second solo album, Live in New York at Jazz Standard, to positive reviews. The double live album was recorded at the Jazz Standard in New York City after a U.S. tour of Antonio's band, which included Miguel Zenón on alto saxophone, David Sánchez on tenor saxophone, and Scott Colley on acoustic bass guitar.

The year 2013 marked the release of his third solo album. New Life was recorded in January 2012. It includes 8 original compositions and features Thana Alexa on vocals, David Binney on alto saxophone, Donny McCaslin on tenor saxophone, John Escreet on piano and Matt Brewer on bass. All his solo albums have been released under the Cam Jazz label.

In 2014, Sánchez composed the film score for Birdman. The soundtrack album was released on October 14, 2014.{{cite news|title='Birdman' Soundtrack Details|url=http://filmmusicreporter.com/2014/09/18/birdman-soundtrack-details/|access-date=October 31, 2014|publisher=filmmusicreporter.com|date=September 18, 2014}} The score earned him nominations for the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score, BAFTA Award for Best Film Music, and other nominations; he won the Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Score and Satellite Award for Best Original Score. However, he was disqualified to compete for the Academy Award for Best Original Score, since the film also contained a significant amount of classical music.

Sánchez's 2017 album, Bad Hombre, earned him a Grammy Nomination for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album.{{cite web|title=60th Annual Grammy Awards|url=https://www.grammy.com/grammys/awards/60th-annual-grammy-awards|website=Grammy Awards|access-date=27 January 2018}}

Sánchez continued working with the Pat Metheny band in 2019 as they toured extensively and released an album of new material in 2020 entitled From This Place.{{Cite web|url=https://www.marlbank.net/marlbank/a-jazz-blog/4690-antonio-s%C3%A1nchez-interview.html|title="Not everyone who voted for Trump is a racist and xenophobe. But every racist and xenophobe voted for him": Antonio Sánchez interview – marlbank|website=www.marlbank.net|access-date=2018-12-21}}

Sánchez's 2022 album, SHIFT (Bad Hombre Vol. II), sees Sánchez joining forces with a diverse range of collaborators, including Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross, Dave Matthews & Pat Metheny, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Meshell Ndegeocello, Kimbra, Lila Downs, Ana Tijoux, Becca Stevens, Silvana Estrada, MARO and Thana Alexa.

Sánchez plays Yamaha drums, Remo drumheads, and Zildjian cymbals and sticks, as well as LP Percussion exclusively.

• Migration (CAM Jazz, 2007)
• Live in New York at Jazz Standard (CAM Jazz, 2010)
• New Life (CAM Jazz, 2013)
• Birdman (Milan, 2014)
• Three Times Three (CAM Jazz, 2015)
• The Meridian Suite (CAM Jazz, 2015)
• Bad Hombre (CAM Jazz, 2017)
• Lines in the Sand (CAM Jazz, 2019)
• SHIFT (Bad Hombre Vol. II) (Warner Music, 2022)

With Michael Brecker

• Wide Angles (Verve, 2003)

With Dewa Budjana

• Hasta Karma (Moonjune, 2015)

With Gary Burton

• Quartet Live (Concord Jazz, 2009)
• Common Ground (Mack Avenue, 2011)
• Guided Tour (Mack Avenue, 2013)

With Avishai Cohen

• Unity (Stretch, 2001)

With Scott Colley

• Architect of the Silent Moment (CAM Jazz, 2005 [2007])

With Chick Corea

• Dr. Joe (Stretch, 2008)

With Bendik Hofseth

• XI (Grappa, 2009)

With Pat Metheny

• Speaking of Now (Nonesuch, 2002)
• The Way Up (Nonesuch, 2005)
• Day Trip (Nonesuch, 2008)
• Tokyo Day Trip (Nonesuch, 2008)
• Unity Band (Nonesuch, 2012)
• Tap: Book of Angels Volume 20 (Tzadik/Nonesuch, 2013)
• Kin (<-->) (Nonesuch, 2014)
• The Unity Sessions (Nonesuch, 2016)
• From This Place (Nonesuch, 2020)

With Enrico Pieranunzi

• Latin Jazz Quintet Live at Birdland (Cam Jazz, 2010)
• Permutation (Cam Jazz, 2012)
• Stories (Cam Jazz, 2014)

{{reflist|30em}}

• [http://www.antoniosanchez.net Official site]
• {{IMDb name|id=1632232}}
• [https://www.namm.org/library/oral-history/antonio-sanchez Antonio Sanchez Interview] NAMM Oral History Library (2008)

• [http://www.jazzespresso.com/en/bad-hombre-antonio-sanchez/ Bad Hombre – an interview to Antonio Sánchez by JazzEspresso]

{{Antonio Sánchez (drummer)}}

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{{Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Composer}}

{{Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media}}

{{Hollywood Music in Media Award for Best Original Score in a Feature Film}}

{{Satellite Award for Best Original Score}}

{{WSA for Best Original Score of the Year}}

{{WSA for Discovery of the Year}}

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Category:1971 births

Category:Living people

Category:Berklee College of Music alumni

Category:Jazz drummers

Category:Pat Metheny Group members

Category:Columbia Records artists

Category:Grammy Award winners

Category:Musicians from Mexico City

Category:Mexican drummers

Category:Mexican male musicians

Category:Male drummers

Category:Mexican jazz musicians

Category:21st-century drummers

Category:21st-century Mexican male musicians

Category:Mexican male jazz musicians