Antonio Sanchez'Migration overflows with a bracing jazz music that reinvigorates conventions and renews traditions. It bodes well for this extraordinary drummer's future as a bandleader and composer of note.
The freewheeling imagination with which a track such as "Ballade teems is a direct reflection of Sanchez' own playing style. Yet he never dominates the proceedings merely to assert himself as the leader. Even when he is prominent, as when he so emphatically opens Joe Henderson's "Inner Urge, he does not call attention to himself but, rather, sets the stage for the musicians he's playing with. In so doing, he leads by example in being sensitive to the subtlety of his interaction with his peers and theirs with each other.
As a result the interplay present on "Did You Get It?, where saxophonists David Sanchez and Chris Potter intertwine in steep ascension, is sharp and crisp. Still, the individual musicians make their own articulate statements. Bassist Scott Colley, for example, simultaneously sets and maintains the pace with his elegant yet unobtrusive playing on "Greedy Silence.
The star appearances and contributions of original material on Migration are duly notable, of course, but perhaps no more than work of the core quartet. Chick Corea's "One for Antonio is a rollicking opener where author's piano dominates and thereby sets a generally upbeat tone for the album. The quietude of Pat Metheny's "Arena (Sand) is testament to the guitarist's fundamental empathy as an instrumentalist and a composer: he plays and writes not just for himself, but to suit the personalities of the recipients, contributing to the dynamics of the session.
There's some serious musicianship present on this album in the form of formal arrangements, meticulous production and lively improvisation. Nevertheless, no aspect of Migration detracts from the palpable sense of lighthearted play when the musicians coalesce. The reappearance of Pat Metheny's guitar on the concluding cut, Miles Davis'"Solar, functions as a pithy recap of the virtues present within its sixty-six minutes.
It is a fresh vibrant performance that adds to the legacy of the genre and makes a statement on the part of all the musicians involved, but especially that of Antonio Sanchez. - Doug Collette
Drummer Antonio Sanchez's debut recording as a leader is an impressive outing. An alum of both Berklee and the New England Conservatory of Music jazz studies programs, the percussionist has appeared on CDs by Pat Metheny, Michael Brecker, Avishai Cohen and Miguel ZenÛn. He leads a core quartet including bassist Scott Colley plus saxophonists Chris Potter and David Sanchez, with Metheny and Chick Corea as special guests on selected tracks. The leader's four originals hold one's interest, especially his percolating "Challenge Within" and the alternately tense and freewheeling "Greedy Silence." Sanchez dominates the delightful off-kilter arrangement of Joe Henderson's "Inner Urge," playing freely against the twin tenor saxes, while Miles Davis'"Solar" is an unusual guitar/drum duet with Metheny. Corea contributed the infectious Latin-flavored opener "One for Antonio," a trio number with Colley that showcases each of the musicians. The quartet is joined by Metheny for the guitarist's hypnotic Latin ballad "Arena (Sand)." - Ken Dryden
Tracks
01. One For Antonio (Chick Corea)
02. Did You Get It? (Antonio Sanchez)
03. Arena (Sand) (Pat Metheny)
04. Challenge Within (Antonio Sanchez)
05. Ballade (Antonio Sanchez)
06. Greedy Silence (Antonio Sanchez)
07. Inner Urge (Joe Henderson)
08. Solar (Miles Davis)
ANTONIO SANCHEZ drums
CHICK COREA piano
PAT METHENY guitar
CHRIS POTTER tenor and soprano saxophone
DAVID SANCHEZ tenor saxophone
SCOTT COLLEY bass
(01) Recorded January 21, 2007 at Matt Hatter Head Studios, Clearwater, FL
(2-8) Recorded January 10-11, 2007 at Sear Sound Studio, New York
C.A.M. Jazz – CAM 5026