Label: Arts Music, 2022

Personnel - Antonio Sanchez: drums, percussion, electric bass guitar, keyboards, mandolin, synthesizer, ukulele, vocals + Guests - Dave Matthews: vocals; Pat Metheny: guitar; Ana Tijoux: vocals; Becca Stevens: vocals, guitar; Trent Reznor: vocals; Atticus Ross: synth; MARO: vocals; Thana Alexa: vocals, beat box; Lila Downs: vocals; Meshell Ndegeocello: vocals, electric bass; Silvana Estrada: vocals; Kimbra: vocals, guitar; Rodrigo Y Gabriela; guitars; Ignacio López Tarso: featured artist.

Renowned Mexican-born drummer Antonio Sanchez is a prominent bandleader (Migration is probably his best project) and valuable sideman (Gary Burton, Pat Metheny) with an eclectic taste. His second insdtallment of Bad Hombre (the first was released in 2017 on CAM Records) comprises 16 tracks where he plays several instruments. 14 of those tracks feature guest artists and were recorded remotely in its vast majority, but the super-polished production winks to a more commercial audience.

The themes are sculpted with some rhythmic provocations, but as a whole, this work is less successful than what I was hoping for, struggling to maintain momentum. The mix of styles presented here is definitely not my thing, and while some collaborations gain an unschooled spark, others curb the impetus by adopting a fairly restrained temperament.

The album opens with the words of Sanchez’s grandfather, the 97-year-old Mexican actor Ignacio López Tarso, on top of a light and cool instrumentation. Yet, the standout tracks are: “Eh Hee 2.0”, a glamorous push into a sort of trad-rock arena featuring the American singer-songwriter Dave Matthews (who penned it) and the iconic crossover jazz guitarist Pat Metheny; “I Think We’re Past That Now”, a dark and muscular ebb and flow of industrial rock and electronic music with Nine Inch Nails’ members Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross on board; and “Alambari”, a dreamy sound cloud fronted by Portuguese singer Maro, which starting with odd-meter disposition, is ultimately rounded up to a symmetric cycle.

There’s also “The Bucket” (feat. Becca Stevens), which probes an alternative pop/rock style driven by shifting textures and peculiar beats; “Trapped (Red Room)”, whose mysterious and dark tones à-la NIN are embraced by Croatian American vocalist Thana Alexa; and the nu-soul incursions of “Waiting”, a solo effort, and “Comet Come to Me”, where Meshell Ndegeocello sings atop of a strong dub vibe and exotic rhythms.

Favorite Tracks:
02 - Eh Hee 2.0 ► 05 - I Think We’re Past That Now ► 06 - Alambari

Label: Whirlwind Recordings, 2020

Personnel - Will Vinson: tenor and soprano saxophones; Gilad Hekselman: guitar; Antonio Sanchez: drums.

Virtuosic things are expected to be found when we hear Trio Grande, a collaborative bass-less trio of high-caliber bandleaders with different backgrounds and influences. In fact, the New York-based group co-led by British saxophonist Will Vinson, Israeli guitarist Gilad Hekselman and powerhouse Mexican drummer Antonio Sanchez, doesn’t disappoint, setting out an aesthetic stall that suits their rare flexibility and vision.

Their eponymous album kicks in with Sanchez’s “Northbound”, a marvel of a piece that slickly walks groovy avenues while blending jazz and rock physiognomies into a distinct contemporary character. Expect enthralling sax/guitar parallelism, an adventurous soprano solo and roiling drum work in due time.

The drummer also brings “Firenze”, a composition that was previously recorded with the sax player Joe Lovano and bassist John Patitucci, and in this version, ends up in a trance-like circumnavigation that invites us to dance; and “Gocta”, a rhythmic spectacle in seven that manages to knit sluggish and energetic threads together. The immensity of ‘lost’ chords infuses a spatial volubility that contrasts with the quicksilver forcefulness of the pulse and texture. Here, the group seems to explore possibilities within the rock, post-bop, dance music, and avant-garde spheres.

Hekselman’s punctilious “Elli Yeled Tov” champions Israeli folklore, yet, in a way, it brings Lionel Loueke-vibes to mind as it flourishes with a celebratory rhythm, clapping, and expressive staccato melody.

Vinson contributes two pieces to the program. Whereas “Oberkampf” soars with melancholic crispness and evocative riffs, “Upside”, retrieved from his 2016 album Perfectly Out Of Place, is gracefully grounded, shaping up as an odd-metered blues.

Both the guitarist and the drummer are responsible for the rocky backbones of each tune, and on the vibrating “Scoville”, a tribute to master guitarist John Scofield, they really funk things up, capturing the latter’s jazz-funk vibe by bombarding fuzzy sounds and preserving elasticity in the dynamics. The shifts in ambiance operated by Sanchez feel great here, and his drum fills are momentous. He and his associates have fun during the conclusive vamp, assuredly built to keep things rockin’.

The eight pieces on this record are representative of these musicians’ artistic credibility.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Northbound ► 05 - Scoville ► 06 - Gocta