MARTA SANCHEZ
Following up her acclaimed 2022 release SAAM (Spanish American Art Museum), New York–based pianist and composer Marta Sanchez is proud to present her first trio album and first release for Intakt Records, Perpetual Void. Sanchez, currently a member of the David Murray Quartet, presents a set of involved and highly personal compositions, joined by bassist Christopher Tordiniand drummer Savannah Harris in what is sure to stand as one of the most compelling piano trio recordings of 2024.
Sanchez’s fifth album as a bandleader, Perpetual Void grew out of a dark and difficult period that brought the pianist face-to-face with big questions about life, the limitations of time, and the choices that determine what our lives are about. Confronting these questions made her more aware of her own choices. Perpetual Void is not therefore a chronicle of suffering, but in fact the opposite, of overcoming and emerging stronger: “I had terrible insomnia and I struggled at first trying to fight it, but once I embraced it I enjoyed the extra time I had in the early mornings. I learned new things, wrote a lot of music and became more confident in what I was seeking as an artist.”
Choosing the trio format, Sanchez wanted to move her playing more into the foreground, creating space for her prodigious gifts to shine. Her previous releases, SAAM, Partenika, El Rayo de Luz and Danza Imposible, though every bit as informed by her piano virtuosity, were ultimately more focused on Sanchez the composer and quintet leader. As Lauren du Graf writes in her liner notes, the trio setting allows “Sanchez’s voice … to cut through with cinematic clarity, with ample room for her to interact with her rhythm section, which she does with both freedom and sensitivity.”
“Playing trio has been very liberating,” Sanchez affirms. “I have so much more space to play, interact and develop my ideas.” Indeed, the depth and virtuosity of her pianism come through as never before, as she takes to the spotlight while at the same time reveling in the trio’s phenomenal rapport. “Chris and Savannah are deep listeners who are not afraid of going different places but very grounded at the same time,” she says. “Chris and I play regularly with the Oscar Noriega Quartet. He’s accurate and solid but also very free and creative, with a beautiful sound. Savannah understood exactly what each of these tunes was about without me having to explain anything, and I knew right away she was the drummer for the trio. Her playing feels so natural, her groove is incredible, and she’s great at shaping the compositions.”
READ MORE
CURRENT RELEASE
