Antonio Sanchez interview: Making the world a better place

Image: Antonio Sanchez

Antonio Sanchez is one of the world’s most accomplished and critically renowned jazz drummers, whose work as a bandleader and collaborations with luminaries like Chick Corea and Gary Burton, have made him a go-to name in the world of jazz drumming, mentioned in the same breath as players like Mark Guiliana and Anton Eger.

Recent features on the Miles Ahead soundtrack and his GRAMMY award winning soundtrack for the film Birdman, demonstrate his ingenuity behind the drums, as well as his skills in improvisation and composition.

He's joined by his band Migration for his show at Band on the Wall on Tuesday 26th July featuring pianist John Escreet, saxophonist Seamus Blake, bassist Noam Wiesenburg and vocalist Thana Alexa; a multinational and multi-talented outfit, of whom many appeared on his latest album Meridian Suite.

Ahead of the show, Antonio Sanchez discussed that album, his drum setup and how politics inform his musical approach.

On your latest LP the Meridian Suite, you're exploring the concept of meridians through music. Can you explain how the concept came to you, and how you were able to express the ideas of meridian lines and energy through your composition?

I wanted to try writing a long-form, continuous piece with no time or stylistic constraints. I kept on writing and when the motifs, ideas and melodies of the piece started interacting and intertwining I began to realise that meridians were a good analogy for what was happening in the composition, since they are imaginary lines which also act in similar fashion. That's when things started coming together. 

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As a musician trained in classical piano, does composition tend to begin behind the kit or at the keyboard?

It varies. Even if I'm not sitting behind the kit I always have drums in my head when I write at the piano. One informs the other constantly but the main melodic and harmonic ideas come from the keyboard. 

We've got to talk kit: What addition to your setup has been the most revelatory to your playing? What types of equipment do you favour?

Lately I'm using 3 snare drums tuned very differently ranging from really high to really low. I feel that has opened some very cool sonic possibilities that I'm discovering within my playing. I'm also using a couple of cymbal stacks that have a very distinct trashy vibe. Loving those.

I've been a Yamaha artist for a long time. They're just great. Also been a loyal Zildjian guy for over 20 years. Remo and LP came a little later. 

You were swept up in the aftermath of the UK's referendum during your recent trip to London, and it seems politics in the U.S. and further afield is of importance to you. Do political events directly effect the music that you're making, or more your mindset as a musician?

I think political and socioeconomic events are incredibly important to all of us but definitely to artists. Everything affects and informs our art, our livelihood and our creative process. I feel that as artists, it's our duty to think critically and try to make the world around us a better place however we can. 

You've played with some truly phenomenal musicians, so we have to ask; who would join you in a fantasy quintet?

Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Jaco Pastorious and Pat Metheny.

Your show at Band on the Wall this month is part of Manchester Jazz Festival: you've played festivals around the world, Riviera Maya in your native Mexico, the legendary festival in Montreal; what do these festivals mean to jazz music, and do they provide you with an opportunity to rub shoulders with other greats?

It's always a great opportunity to hang with other musicians but mostly it's the chance to bring our music to a broader audience that matters the most. We're really looking forward to our performance in Manchester!

Antonio Sanchez & Migration Band play at Band On The Wall on Tuesday 26th July - tickets available via the box below. 

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