artist info

Four time Grammy Award winner Antonio Sanchez is considered by many critics and musicians alike as one of the most prominent drummers, bandleaders and composers of his generation. We're excited to host him on the heels of his brand new release The Meridian Suite (6/9/2015), his most ambitious project to date featuring a 56 minute continuous composition with his band Migration.

In 2013 Antonio was invited by award-winning filmmaker Alejandro Gonzales Inarritu to compose and perform the original film score for his 2014 release Birdman. This unique project featured Sanchez’s drumming as the main musical ingredient and went on to win 4 Oscars! Sanchez was also recognized as the winner for “Best Film Score” in the Critics’ Choice Movie Award, the 19th Annual Satellite Award and the 2014 Venice Film Festival.

Since his move to NYC from Mexico in 1999, Antonio has become one of the most sought after drummers in the international jazz scene. His playing is featured on over a hundred albums and he’s performed and recorded with some of the biggest names in jazz including Chick Corea, Michael Brecker, Charlie Haden, Gary Burton and Toots Thielmans. He has been the drummer of choice for 20 time Grammy winner Pat Metheny and has been part of virtually every project the famed guitarist has put together since 2000. They’ve recorded 8 albums together and 3 of them have been awarded the Grammy.

Antonio’s continuous search as an artist has pushed him to compose and lead his own bands and ensembles. He released 4 critically acclaimed albums under his name. His first one, Migration, was called “…one of the best new releases of 2007” by All About Jazz. His second solo effort Live in New York was recorded during a 4-day run at the Jazz Standard. His 2013 album New Life was made entirely of his compositions and was widely received by critics all over the world. It was the winner of the prestigious German Echo Jazz Award in 2014. Downbeat Magazine said, “New Life is a rare combination of great composing, great players and great musicianship.” 2015 will see the release of two very distinct projects that are important milestones in his solo career: Three Times Three, a double album featuring three stellar trios – Brad Mehldau and Matt Brewer, John Scofield and Christian McBride and Joe Lovano and John Patitucci. The second 2015 release will be with Migration, his working band since 2011. The album will feature a 55 minute long piece written by Sanchez called “The Meridian Suite” which pushes his compositional skills in a way that no other project has done before. (6/9/15,Cam/Sunnyside Records)

He won the Modern Drummer Reader’s Poll for Best Jazz Drummer in 2013 and has been a top contender since the early 2000’s. He’s also been among the top ranked drummers on Downbeat’s critic’s and reader’s polls since 2004.