Antonio Sanchéz, the multi-Grammy-winning drummer, composer, and bandleader, secured a central place in worldwide jazz conversations after settling in New York City during 1999. Although his contributions appear on hundreds of sessions spanning many artists, his nine recordings alongside guitarist Pat Metheny stand out as the most prominent. He additionally composed for both film and television, delivering the Grammy-winning score to the 2014 Oscar recipient Birdman and supplying music for the Epix series Get Shorty. Twelve widely praised albums have appeared under his own leadership, among them the 2007 release Migration, 2014’s Three Times Three, the 2017 Grammy-winning sociopolitical electronica & drums exploration Bad Hombre, 2018’s Channels of Energy with the WDR Big Band, and 2022’s Shift (Bad Hombre, Vol. 2).
Born November 1, 1971, in Mexico City, Sanchéz took up drums at age five and began professional performances while still in his early teens. He studied classical piano at the National Conservatory in Mexico before relocating to Boston in 1993 to attend Berklee College of Music, from which he graduated magna cum laude in jazz studies. After moving to New York City in 1999, he quickly ranked among the most sought-after drummers on the international jazz circuit. Engagements and recordings followed with major jazz figures, most notably in the Pat Metheny Trio with Christian McBride, the guitarist’s expanded ensemble, and the reunion group featuring Metheny, Steve Swallow, and Gary Burton. Additional leaders include Chick Corea, Michael Brecker, Charlie Haden, Toots Thielemans, and Joshua Redman.
An interest in education brought Sanchéz onto the faculty at New York University in 2006. Alongside performance and teaching duties, he has led clinics and master classes while appearing at drum festivals globally, among them the Modern Drummer Festival Weekend, Zildjian Day, and Montreal Drum Festival. Magazine covers featuring him have included Modern Drummer, Musico Pro, Percussioni, and Drums & Percussion.
His solo career opened with the 2007 album Migration, followed a year later by Element and the 2010 concert recording Live in New York at Jazz Standard. The third studio album, New Life, arrived in 2013 with saxophonists David Binney and Donny McCaslin, and that same year he recorded Ocaso alongside pianist Abraham Barrera and bassist Aarón Cruz.
Wide recognition arrived for his inventive score to director Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s Academy Award-winning 2014 film Birdman. Although Golden Globe and BAFTA nominations followed, Sanchéz was controversially ruled ineligible for an Academy Award for Best Original Score because the picture incorporated substantial preexisting classical material. He nevertheless received the Critics’ Choice Movie Award for Best Score and the Satellite Award for Best Original Score.
The Meridian Suite appeared the next year. After nine albums with guitarist Metheny across eighteen years, Sanchéz resumed solo activity with his sixth album, the 2017 Grammy-nominated Bad Hombre. Created entirely alone as a sociopolitical statement in electronic music & drum exploration, the project responded to anti-immigration stances promoted by nationalist president Donald Trump.
Three albums emerged in 2018. Channels of Energy was recorded with the WDR Big Band and featured arrangements of the drummer’s music by Vince Mendoza. The score for Get Shorty was also released, while Lines in the Sand, made with his Migration ensemble including pianist John Escreet, bassist Matt Brewer, and vocalist Thana Alexa, reached the Top 20 on the Jazz Albums charts. The following year he formed Trio Grande with saxophonist/pianist Will Vinson and guitarist Gilad Hekselman; their self-titled debut came out on Whirlwind in 2021 and was supported by a tour.
Shift (Bad Hombre, Vol. 2) appeared in August 2022. In contrast to the first volume, the drummer/composer recruited an international roster of remote collaborators during the pandemic. Guests included Dave Matthews and Pat Metheny (“Eh Hee 2.0”), Chilean-French rapper Ana Tijoux (the single “Mi Palabra”), Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (“I Think We’re Past That Now”), Lila Downs (“Risa de Mujer”), Meshell Ndegeocello (“Comet, Come to Me”), Rodrigo y Gabriela (“M-Power”), and others.
