Exkluzív interjú Antonio Sanchez-zel (aki mint tudjuk, szombaton Pécsett koncertezik!)

Az imént kaptam válaszlevelet Antonio Sanchez-től neki írt -új CD-jével kapcsolatos- levelemre.

Íme:

Hi Robert,

Here are my answers.

Please tell me why must I have to wait 6 years for the second Migration CD?

This is actually Migration's 3rd CD. The second CD in "Live in New York at the Jazz Standard", a double live album recorded in 2010.

I take my time writing and thinking about the next project. I don't like to put out records just because. It took me some time to write the music for New Life as it was a lot more elaborate.

As the whole group changed since 2007 how did you choose this musicians for the second Migration CD "New Life"?

I needed musicians who could play all kinds of music with ease and that were great improvisers. I think this band is made of people who think very much alike about music and improvisation.

Two of them (saxophone player Donny McCaslin and bassist Matt Brewer) wouldn't come to Pecs, Hungary. Why?

Matt Brewer had another tour that he had booked a long time ago. Donny is busy doing his solo project as well.

Economics make it impossible for me to travel with anything more than a quartet for now unfortunately.

And who recommended to you Orlando le Fleming?

I have played with Orlando many times with David Sanchez and he also played in my band a few times before. I love his sound and his playing.

Say something about the stories behind the compositions. For instance Uprisings and Revolutions is about the history of Mexico? And it has a bit McCoy Tyner-ish feel. Am I right?

Uprisings and Revolutions was more inspired by the Arab Spring and yes, it has a Coltrane-Elvin Jones-McCoy Tyner kind of energy.

And New Life remind me a Pat Metheny Group tune from 1985 when Pedro Aznar was Pat's singer.

I think anything you do with wordless vocals can remind you of the Pat Metheny Group. Having a female singer and two saxophones makes it very different.

But you have to know I like the whole CD.

Thank you!

New Life is about my decision to take on the band leading side of my life more seriously. We're doing a few tours this year and I'm very excited about it.

This is the press release about the compositions:

That journey begins with "Uprisings and Revolutions," which began life as a more placid ballad but took on a new urgency with the inspiration of the Arab Spring. The tension of the rubato opening bursts into the piece's deep groove, mimicking the rush of freedom into the region. "I was inspired by how the Arab people were able to defeat these forces that seemed to be completely undefeatable," Sanchez explains.

Both "Minotaur" and "Medusa" drew from Sanchez's interest in mythology. The former's slow build suggests the minotaur lurking behind one of the twists in his labyrinth through the throbbing bassline and Escreet's simmering Rhodes. For the latter, Sanchez specifically recalled the image of Medusa from the original version of Clash of the Titans, a childhood favorite. The snarling, interweaving melody lines recall the creature's serpentine hair.

"Nighttime Story" is as gentle and soothing as a lullaby, while "Air" is a crystalline gem featuring a caressing soprano melody inspired by Wayne Shorter. "I love the unpredictable, beautiful sonority of his tunes," Sanchez says. "You never know where his tunes are going, but they always go somewhere amazing. I thought this tune had a little bit of that, and it's also full of longing, like a lot of what Wayne does."

The buoyant "The Real McDaddy" was penned with McCaslin in mind, and jokingly references his and Sanchez's habit of referring to each other as "Papi." Sanchez defines the title as defining someone like McCaslin who is "able to be cool in any situation. That tune has a lot of quirky, unpredictable breaks, but to me if you're a McDaddy you can master any situation."

"Family Ties" ends the album on a celebratory note dedicated to Sanchez's own family. "It's such a happy tune," he says. "It represents what my family can be: full of drama but full of happiness at the same time."

A lush, sweeping ascension lasting nearly fifteen minutes, "New Life" is undoubtedly the centerpiece of its namesake album. "It signifies a new life as a composer and a bandleader," Sanchez says. "It's the track that I worked on the most, and the one that was most satisfying to record and listen back to."

The recording also documents a new life for Sanchez in another form - the soaring female vocals are the contribution of singer Thana Alexa, who recently became Sanchez's fiancée.

I promise you next time I try to arrange a concert in Budapest, too.

I hope so too...

See you Friday Robert.

Best,

Antonio

És aki netán március 23-án nem tud leugrani Pécsre, annak itt van az Antonio Sanchez and Migration egész (két hetes...) európai turnéja: