Marta Sánchez is currently a member of the David Murray Quartet. Here she leads a trio with bassist Chris Tordini and drummer Savannah Harris, for which she writes some challenging compositions.
The album originates in a journey through a dark period, as the titles of the compositions indicate – I Don’t Want to Live The Wrong Life And Then Die, The Absence Of The People You Long For, and other titles, reflect Sanchez’s introspective musings. But musically they are not as dark as the titles suggest.
These compositions challenge traditional criteria of metre and structure. Sanchez’s use of contrapuntal melodies and polyrhythms creates a beautiful sonic tapestry. Prelude To Grief is a gorgeously plangent composition, treated in rubato fashion. The high-energy, stuttering 3:30 AM, in contrast, features an angular theme, and freely dissonant improvisation. The Absence Of The People You Long For has an out-of-kilter theme, and richly sonorous improvisation, while Perpetual Void echoes the mood of 3.30, but at a more ponderous tempo. The End Of That Period has a beautifully memorable and lyrical theme.
Born and raised in Madrid, Spain, and now living in New York City, Sánchez leads a quintet that has released several albums on Fresh Sound. She has toured internationally, and has produced film soundtracks – she originally studied filmmaking – and has also written for prepared piano. On the evidence of this album, she is certainly a talent deserving wider recognition.
Discography
I Don’t Wanna Live The Wrong Life And Then Die; 3:30 AM; Prelude To Grief; The Absence Of The People You Long For; Perpetual Void; The End Of That Period; Prelude To A Heartbreak; The Love Unable To Give; Black Cyclone; This Is The Last One About You; 29B (44.21)
Sanchez (p); Chris Tordini (b); Savannah Harris (d). Mount Vernon, New York, 8-9 September 2023.
Intakt Records CD 421
