David Sánchez
Released August 29, 2001
Grammy Nominee for Best Latin Jazz Album 2002
YouTube: https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=eAwk4SJIS58&list=OLAK5uy_kxl3xRl-ZqxRRA4BJZqcVxqVKVa5qgITA
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/6JZrMXzk69Pr6E6UI7iMX4?si=bVQT6MRRSD27pT42CqL8MA
About:
After achieving time-honoured success with the historical Melaza, David Sanchez delighted the jazz scene with this invigorating classic which finds him showcasing his tenor or soprano saxophones with absolute conviction. Travesía is another blockbuster hit showcased with utmost vibrato and equal success that resounds with rhythmic excitement, majestic solos and advanced compositional technique that made it such an uplifting classic.
Of Travesía, Sánchez said on the Sony Music website, “Where Melaza was about energy, different forms and folkloric rhythms from Puerto Rico, Travesía is a little more mixed. It has the same kind of drive, but in many ways, has more subtleties.” The album also features a Sánchez trademark–twin saxophones, with alto sax player Miguel Zenón playing counterpoint to Sánchez’s tenor. “With two saxes,” Sánchez explained, “you can really create a lot of emotional contrast. You can be very direct and out front but at the same time very subtle.”
Sánchez always records with the same band members, not just with a group brought together for particular sessions. The result is a unified sound that continues to deepen with each recording. The group includes, in addition to Zenón, Edsel Gomez on piano, Hans Glawischnig on bass, Antonio Sánchez on drums, and percussion player Pernell Saturnino. “It’s a great group,” Sánchez told the Los Angeles Times, “basically reflecting what I want to do with my music. And that makes me happy because I like to feel that honesty is what my music is all about–an organic expression of what happens in the moment.” Of his composing process, Sánchez said on the Sony Music website that he strives for a graceful, unforced flow. “I’ve been learning, year after year,” he said, “how not to chase that muse, and to let it come to me. Sometimes it’s there; sometimes it’s not. Of course, you work every year to make that process more and more of a constant.” And, as he told the Boston Globe, “As far as where I’m trying to go, and how I’ve grown, I’ve been happy–and that basically comes from staying on the road and keeping a band together.”
Track Listing:
1. Prince of Darkness (Wayne Shorter) 6:36
2. La Máquina (Viajando en el Tren) 8:23
3. Paz Pá Vieques (Seis Chorreao) /Peace for Vieques 8:13
4. Ill Wind (Harold Arlen / Ted Koehler) 5:06
5. Joyful 7:08
6. River Tales 5:46
7. No Quiero Piedras en Mi Camino 5:48
8. Karla’s Changes 6:15
9. Pra Dizer Adeus (Edú Lobo / Torquato Neto) 6:22
10. The Power of the Wind 5:55
Personnel:
David Sánchez: tenor saxophone
Miguel Zenón: alto saxophone
Edsel Gomez: piano
Hans Glawischnig: bass
Antonio Sánchez: drums
Pernell Saturnino: percussion
Recorded May 28-31, 2001, at Bearsville Sound Studios, Bearsville, NY
Produced by David Sánchez
Review:
Once again, saxophonist David Sanchez proves he can step outside his Puerto Rican/Caribbean musical heritage without abandoning it. While not wearing his Latin roots on his sleeve, Sanchez has imbued many of the tunes on his recent discs with subtle underpinnings of mostly Puerto Rican forms like the plena, bomba and the seis chorreao and, on top of these, has painted some universal tone portraits with his increasingly maturing technique. Though he remains at times a chameleon-his playing on Traves¡a’s opener, “Prince of Darkness,” recalls the tenor style of the tune’s composer, Wayne Shorter, and the final cut, “The Power of the Word,” has Sanchez snaking around a melody not unlike Ornette Coleman-Sanchez is proving that he can flex his own muscle, particularly in arranging and voicing compositions by himself and others. Though no slouch on the horn (the list of his admirers attests to that), his orchestrating abilities reveal a skill to reckoned with. Witness “La Maquina,” in which the drive of the title’s steam locomotive is achieved without resorting to cheap tricks; “Paz pa Vieques,” which features some imaginative and captivating piano/bass interplay; and the “Prince of Darkness,” which weaves the group through a brilliantly subtle reworking.
On Travesia Sanchez sticks with tenor, and he is paired on most tracks with altoist Miguel Zenon who helps him create a pleasingly warm, thick harmonic fabric. Their expressive playing on “No Quiero Piedras en Mi Camino” sails effortlessly through this old Cortijo classic, carrying the listener to some dizzying heights without ever losing sight of where they will ultimately land, easing back to restate the melody with absolute control and agility.
Sanchez is still young. If he continues to produce at this level, we are in for some exciting rides.
Mike Quinn (JazzTimes)
