INTAKT RECORDS – REVIEWS

MARTA SANCHEZ TRIO
feat. Chris Tordini and Savannah Harris
PERPETUAL VOID

Intakt CD 421 / 2023

Cover Web:MARTA SANCHEZ TRIO feat. Chris Tordini and Savannah Harris PERPETUAL VOID. Intakt CD 421

 

 

Marta Sánchez has already distinguished herself as a pianist and small-group composer with a jazz language informed by her native Madrid. This is her first trio album — and a stunner, featuring the full commitment of Christopher Tordini on bass and Savannah Harris on drums. —Nate Chinen, WRTI

By NPR Staff, npr music, March 12 2024 (EN)


Angelica Sanchez kam aus Phoenix, die Leaderin des MARTA SANCHEZ TRIOs, ebenfalls Pianistin, kam 2011 aus Madrid nach New York, wo sie sich zuletzt bei „SAAM (Spanish American Art Museum)

Rigobert Dittmann, Bad Alchemy Newsletter, April 2024 (DE)


In the city that never sleeps, Marta Sánchez could not sleep-for two and a half years. Acute insomnia arrived in late 2020 when her mother died unexpectedly. Nighttime hours crawled past in grief's twisting vacuum. The Brooklyn-based pianist from Madrid now captures the character of those desolate months in Perpetual Void, her fifth album as leader.

Matty Bannond, The New York City Jazz Record, April 2024 USA (EN)


The Marta Sánchez Quintet is a New York City-based creative jazz quintet led by pianist/composer Sánchez. Born in Madrid, Sánchez was a growing presence on the Spanish jazz scene -- and indeed internationally through touring that took her elsewhere in Europe as well as South and Central America -- when she was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship in 2011 to study at New York University, where she earned a master's degree in jazz piano performance. Sánchez had previous experience fronting ensembles in Spain and had two albums as a leader to her credit, 2007's Lunas, Soles y Elefantes and 2011's La Espiral Amarilla, both on the Basque Country jazz label Errabal. With her base of operations now in N.Y.C., she decided to form a new five-piece

Qobuz, April 2024 (ES)


Marta Sanchez’s latest album, “Perpetual Void,” marks a significant milestone in her career as a pianist and composer. Following the success of her 2022 release, “SAAM (Spanish American Art Museum),” Sanchez ventures into new territory with her first trio album and debut on Intakt Records. As a seasoned member of the David Murray Quartet, “Perpetual Void” stands as Sanchez’s fifth album as a bandleader, showcasing her growth and versatility as an artist.

Steven JameJazz in Europe, April 22 2024 (EN)


Dense and intense, the 11 original tracks on Marta Sánchez’s new trio release, Perpetual Void, with Chris Tordini (bass) and Savannah Harris (drums), is driven by deep questioning and even deeper feeling, chronicling the pianist’s emotional and intellectual struggle to find her center. She emerges with a rare gift—an artistic voice of her own. It’s not always an easy voice to hear—it can be spikey, turbulent, angry, panicked, frustrated, demanding—but it possesses an emotional eloquence and an intellectual rigor that demands attention, delivered with a ferocious pianism that’s matched by her colleagues’ intensity.

Musically Speaking, Mel Minter, May 05 2024, (EN)


New York-based Spanish pianist and composer Sánchez, who's been recently performing with saxophonist David Murray, makes her fifth album (and first for high-quality leftfield Swiss label Intakt). Her previously well-received release SAAM (Spanish American Art Museum) from 2022 was for quintet, while this new one is a stripped-down trio with the rather pessimistic title Perpetual Void.

Selwyn Harris, Jazzwise Magazine UK, 05 2024 (EN)


Pianist Marta Sánchez’s style is hard to pin down. Her music has an abstract wanderlust, but it’s tempered by sharp focus and great dis cipline that manifests in everything from com positional structure to individual note choices. Almost every one of her albums has featured different personnel than its predecessor, allow ing her to showcase herself in a variety of con texts. This is her first trio recording since her debut, 2008’s Lunas, Soles & Elefantes, and it introduces a new rhythm section: bassist Chris Tordini and drummer Savannah Harris.

Phil Freeman, Downbeat Magazine, USA, June 2024 (EN)


Schon im ersten Takt ist das Trio mittendrin im agilen Interplay. Ohne Warmlaufen, ohne Abtasten, schon ist Musik. ”I Don’t Wanna Live the Wrong Life And Then Die” heisst das Stück und macht deutlich, wie ernst es dieser Pianistin und Komponistin ist. Mit dem Tod ihrer Mutter Ende 2020 ist Marta Sanchez hart mit der Endlichkeit konfrontiert worden, wie uns die Liner Notes von Lauren Du Graf kundtun. ”Perpetual Void” ist inspiriert und durchdrungen von diesen existenziellen Gefühlen. Aber es ist nicht das übliche Traueralbum geworden, Sanchez konfrontiert, lässt Raum, spielt sich frei, in kongenialem Austausch mit Bassist Chris Tordini und Schlagzeugerin Savannah Harris.

Pirmin Bossart, Jazz N'More Magazine, Switzerland, May/June 2024 (DE)


Pianista e compositora natural de Madrid, Marta Sánchez tem-se destacado na cena nova-iorquina e editou em abril o seu primeiro registo em trio, “Perpetual Void”. Antecipando a sua atuação no Salão Brazil, em Coimbra, a 8 de junho, estivemos à conversa com a pianista. Pianista e compositora natural de Madrid, Marta Sánchez tem-se destacado na cena nova-iorquina e integra o quarteto de David Murray – que atuou recentemente, com grande brilho, no festival Amadora Jazz. Na condição de líder, editou pela Fresh Sound os álbuns “Partenika” (2015), “Danza Impossible” (2017), “El Rayo de Luz” (2019); e em 2023 lançou, pela Whirlwind, o disco “SAAM” (2023). E já este ano, publicou uma gravação em duo com a saxofonista María Grand, “Anohin”. Em abril deste ano, Sánchez editou o seu primeiro registo em trio de piano, “Perpetual Void” (edição Intakt), acompanhada por Chris Tordini no contrabaixo e Savannah Harris na bateria. O grupo vai agora apresentar-se ao vivo no Salão Brazil, em Coimbra, a 8 de junho (data única em Portugal). Antecipando este concerto, estivemos à conversa com a pianista, que nos fala sobre o seu percurso e a sua música.

Nuno Catarino, jazz.pt, June 04 2024 (PT)


Marta Sánchez, Benoit Delbecq, Fergus McCreadie, Rob Clearfield & More

Ludovico Granvassu, All About Jazz, June 04 2024 (EN)


Co w jazzie piszczy [sezon 2 odcinek 19]

Donos kulturalny, May 29 2024 (PL)


Spanish-born, New York-based pianist and composer Marta Sanchez embarks on a fresh chapter in her career with Perpetual Void, her seventh album as a leader and the first in the piano trio format since 2008. Departing from her previous projects leading a forward-thinking two-horn frontline quintet from 2015 to 2022, which resulted in four remarkable albums, Sanchez now presents a stripped-down approach that remains bold in its aesthetic, holding ground with the avant-garde and modern composition.

Filipe Freitas, Jazztrail, April 29 2024 (EN)


Pianist and composer Marta Sanchez has been leading and recording with an exceptional quintet for many years. Her last recording as a leader, SAAM (Spanish American Art Museum), was a jewel of wonderful writing and facile arrangement. It was easy to revel in it without focusing on Sanchez as a brilliant pianist, however. The debut recording of her new trio, with Chris Tordini’s bass and drummer Savannah Harris, naturally puts a greater spotlight on her subtle but commanding pianism.

Will Layman, Pop Matters, May 20 2024 (EN)


SAAM, the previous album from pianist Marta Sanchez, was a remarkable statement of purpose that heralded another major talent on the scene. Stripping her sound down from a quintet to a trio, the Madrid-born/NYC-based composer presents Perpetual Void, the next step in her creative arc. Inspired by over two years of insomnia and anxiety following her mother’s death and her own attempts at motherhood, Sanchez takes her subtly Latin-flavored postbop and turns it toward letting all those feelings out – and go. Songs titled “The Absence of the People You Long For,” “The Love Unable to Give,” and “I Don’t Wanna Live the Wrong Life and Then Die” don’t pull any emotional punches – she balances her near-instantly appealing melodies with wandering ripples and dissonant asides, letting her sidefolks (bassist Chris Tordini and drummer Savannah Harris) as well the listener absorb the vibe and feel what she felt. But, despite its title, this album is not a well of depression, but a reclamation of hope. “This is the Last One About You” has its thorns, but it’s also a heartfelt goodbye – acknowledging both a never-ending love and that it’s time to move forward. A chronicle of swimming through grief and coming out stronger at the end, Perpetual Void is a masterpiece of self-expression in jazz.

Michael Toland, Big Takeover Magazine, April 18 2024 (EN)


The latest from Marta Sánchez boasts compositions that capture the heart of the storm and melodies that drive a path straight through it. That balance of volatility and melodic incisiveness is nothing new to a Sánchez recording, but there is a sense on Perpetual Void of an all-encompassing nature to this work, where the approach of forging distinct paths has been swapped out in favor of setting an entire environment in place. The pianist’s trio with acoustic bassist Chris Tordini and drummer Savannah Harris sits squarely in modern territory, working cadences that keep the ear guessing and where structure only becomes fully evident in the rear view mirror.

Dave Sumner, Bandcamp Daily, May 09 2024 (EN)


The latest from Marta Sánchez boasts compositions that capture the heart of the storm and melodies that drive a path straight through it. That balance of volatility and melodic incisiveness is nothing new to a Sánchez recording, but there is a sense on Perpetual Void of an all-encompassing nature to this work, where the approach of forging distinct paths has been swapped out in favor of setting an entire environment in place. The pianist’s trio with acoustic bassist Chris Tordini and drummer Savannah Harris sits squarely in modern territory, working cadences that keep the ear guessing and where structure only becomes fully evident in the rear view mirror.

Yves Dorison, CultureJazz, April 15 2024 (FR)


Vnewyorském Brooklynu žijící španělská pianistka a skladatelka MARTA SANCHEZ vydala 19. dubna svoje první, a navýsost výtečné triové album; zove se „Perpetual Void“ a vyšlo u švýcarského labelu Intakt Records.

Jan Hocek, Jazzport, May 02 2024 (CZ)


Dense and intense, the 11 original tracks on Marta Sánchez’s new trio release, Perpetual Void, with Chris Tordini (bass) and Savannah Harris (drums), is driven by deep questioning and even deeper feeling, chronicling the pianist’s emotional and intellectual struggle to find her center. She emerges with a rare gift—an artistic voice of her own. It’s not always an easy voice to hear—it can be spikey, turbulent, angry, panicked, frustrated, demanding—but it possesses an emotional eloquence and an intellectual rigor that demands attention, delivered with a ferocious pianism that’s matched by her colleagues’ intensity. The anxious counterpoint of “I Don’t Want to Live the Wrong Life and Then Die” is balanced by the diaphanous solo piano’s acceptance of grief on “Prelude to Grief,” improvised in the studio. The emotional cascade of “This Is the Last One about You” performs a muscular exorcism (note the unison between the bass and Sánchez’s left hand, which drives the point home). On the other side of that coin, the improvised solo piano piece “Prelude to a Heartbreak” hopes against hope for a different outcome, moving through anticipated loss with a heightened sensitivity. Sánchez communicates an insomniac’s delirious insight on “3:30 a.m.” On “The End of That Period,” Sánchez’s right hand shapes the contour of relief, and she brightens “The Absence of the People You Love” with happier memories. In the end, on “29B,” Sánchez moves toward affirmation and commitment. On Perpetual Void, Sánchez invites you to jump into the ring and wrestle with big, agonizing questions. It’s a tag team undertaking, and you’ll be grateful to have her on your side.

Musically Speaking, Mel Minter, May 05 2024 (EN)


Marta Sanchez Trio - Perpetual Void (Intakt; due Apr. 19, 2024)

Steve Smith, Night After Night, April 08 2024 (EN)


Maybe it was the glut of albums releasing at the same time or not enough focus on the music a couple of weeks ago when Perpetual Void from pianist Marta Sanchez’s Trio was released but Sanchez, a member of David Murray’s new quintet impressed so much on Murray’s recent Francesca, that a revisit was made. The Spanish born, NYC-based pianist and composer Sanchez had already released four albums as a leader prior to Perpetual Void, including the well-received 2022 quintet led SAAM (Spanish American Art Museum). On this effort she is joined by bassist Chris Tordini (Ari Hoenig, Becca Stevens Band, Tyshawn Sorey) and drummer Savannah Harris (Christian McBride’s Ursa Major, Cecile McLorin Savant, and her own trio). Sanchez and Tordini play regularly in the Oscar Noriega Quartet but Harris, who fits in seamlessly, is new to both players, at least in recording. This is her first trio album, allowing Sanchez’s pianism to shine more brightly than it did on her quintet lead albums or as a valued member of Murray’s new quartet. That’s amplified by the fact that this effort is deeply personal.

Jim Hynes, Making A Scene, May 16 2024 (EN)


スペイン・マドリッド生まれのニューヨーカーが、移住後のリーダー5枚目にして初めて取り組んだ移籍トリオ作 母国時代の2008年の初リーダー作『Lunas, Soles Y Elefantes』以来となるトリオの本作は、管楽器参加の過去作とはメンバーを刷新し、欧州フリー系名門レーベルから全曲オリジナルで真価を問う内容。コロナ禍で母親を亡くした経験を示唆する曲名が並ぶ中，エンジン全開の3人が爆発的に躍動し、ピタリと落着して初共演作ながら固い結束力を見せる①でスタート。右手と左手がそれぞれ主旋律を奏で、ベースとドラムも同時にソロをとりながら一体感を現出する⑤等、型にはまらないピアノ・トリオの姿を打ち出した意欲作。（杉田）④

Hiroki Sugita, Jaz.In Magazine, June 2024 (JP)


Gas, brakes, gas, brakes, lil more gas, tap it, tap it, tap it – now brakes. Okay, okay, move ahead slowly…The subtleties of locomotion loom heavy in pianist Sánchez’s trio work. Perpetual Void (Intakt) fascinates because of such interplay, using the give and take prowess of bassist Chris Tordini and drummer Savannah Harris to energize such sweet themes as “Black Cyclone” and “29B.” Accents are key to finalizing a performance’s look and feel, and this outfit’s use of inflection – to a large degree stemming from the leader’s own deployment of timbre and phraseology – makes this program sing. Loss and the grief that accompanies it wafts through the atmosphere. “Prelude To A Heartbreak,” “The Love Unable to Give” and the title cut help shape a story of sleepless nights and broken hearts. But the authority of the trio’s exchanges have an edge-of-your-seat drama that assuages the gloom. Sánchez was previously able to do this with her horn bands, and her expertise at simultaneously expressing more than one emotion is loud and clear on this enticing endeavor.

Jim Macnie's Music Blog, Lament For A Straight Line, May 14 2024 (EN)


Einen Namen hat sich Marta Sanchez in den letzten Jahren mit ihrem Quintett und dessen vier Alben gemacht.

Concerto Magazine, Austria, June 2024 (DE)


Thematisch kreisen die elf Kompositionen von Marta Sanchez vorwiegend um düstere Themen wie Trauer, Schlaflosigkeit und Selbstzweifel.

Reinhold Unger, Jazz Podium Magazine, June 2024 (DE)


2. Marta Sánchez Trio, Perpetual Void (Intakt Records) — The Madrid-born, New York-based pianist-composer reflects on her mother’s passing in December of 2020 in this highly personal and revealing followup to 2022's SAAM (Spanish America Art Museum). While her previous quintet recordings featured a two-horn frontline and focused more on her considerable compositional and arranging skills, her formidable piano skills come to the fore in this stripped down trio setting. Joined by bassist Chris Tordini and drummer Savannah Harris, Sánchez dives headlong into risk on this musical journey. The intricate, shape-shifting opener, “I Don’t Wanna Live the Wrong Life and Then Die,” sets the daring tone. From tightly executed unisons at the outset to a virtual free fall off a cliff into seeming chaos, Sánchez and her empathic rhythm tandem operate on a kind of blind faith that binds each track.

Bill Milkowski, billmilkowski.com, June 06 2024 (EN)


Marta Sanchez and her trio of bassist Chris Tordini and drummer Savannah Harris want their listeners to endeavor to keep up. Judging by the opening two tracks on Perpertual Void, keeping the pace might be a tall task.

Bill Milkowski, billmilkowski.com, June 06 2024 (EN)


Marta Sánchez Trio “Perpetual Void” z albumu „Perpetual Void” – Intakt Records

Donos kulturalny, May 29 2024 (PL)


Years ago Bill Evans expressed his desire to replace the standard piano trio model, whereby the bassist and drummer act as support to the pianist leader, with a more balanced one that would see each participant fully engaged as a conversational partner. While stylistically Marta Sanchez's trio might be light years removed from any of those Evans led, in that particular respect her unit with bassist Christopher Tordini and drummer Savannah Harris represents the fullest realization of her precursor's ideal. Yes, Sanchez, like Evans, remains the primary carrier of melody and the group leader, yet every moment of her trio's performances shows the music being constantly reshaped by the three. Such an approach translates into trio playing that's unpredictable, engrossing, and exciting.

Ron Schepper, Textura, July 2024 (EN)


Pianist and composer Marta Sánchez follows her superb 2022 release SAAM with the equally imaginative Perpetual Void. Joined here by multifaceted bassist Christopher Tordini and intrepid drummer Savannah Harris, Sánchez crafts pieces that range from fiery and energetic to languid and introspective.

Hrayr Attarian, Jazziz Magazine US, Summer 2024 (EN)


A quick glance at the song titles confirms that Perpetual Void is dealing with existential questions: 'I Don't Wanna Live the Wrong Life and Then Die', 'Prelude to Grief', 'The Absence of the People You Long For.' But while the record deals with serious themes of life and death, it isn't as heavy or haunting as the subject matter implies -- instead, it captures a journey that's ultimately hopeful and cathartic. Perpetual Void is pianist Marta Sánchez's fifth record as a leader, and the compositions were prompted by the loss of her mother, her struggles to deal with the anxiety, and her frequent bouts of insomnia. Fittingly, she opts for a more intimate setting than on her previous quintet albums, recording the material with a trio instead, whose congenial communication perfectly embeds Sánchez's explorations. Accompanied on most tracks by in-demand bassist Chris Tordini and relative newcomer Savannah Harris on drums, the pianist even includes two solo pieces to tackle the complex emotions she's processing.

All Music, June 2024 (EN)


Asentada como una de las esenciales referencias del jazz español, la pianista y compositora madrileña Marta Sánchez lleva más de una década arrojando motivos que sustentan esa relevante disposición. Desde su inicial vertiente colaborativa hasta la actualidad, pasando por el punto de inflexión que marcó su beca Fulbright en 2011 para cursar un máster en interpretación de piano jazz en la Universidad de Nueva York, la obra de Sánchez ha venido desplegándose con consistencia, constatada en los aplaudidos cuatro álbumes a la cabeza de su quinteto: Partenika (2015), Danza Imposible (2017), El Rayo de Luz (2019) y SAAM (Spanish American Art Museum) (2022).

Salvador Catalán, Diario De Sevilla, June 23 2024 (ES)


Marta Sanchez è una pianista madrilena di stanza a New York, già attiva da un decennio come leader, attualmente anche nel quartetto di David Murray.

Stefano Merighi, All About Jazz, August 21 2024 (EN)


Surveying the year in jazz so far, one theme stands out: Piano trios are everywhere. I’ve heard more than a dozen noteworthy new records featuring the piano-bass-drums format in 2024, and I ran down some of my favorites in a new Critic’s Notebook piece for the Times — gift link here.

Hank Shteamer, Dark Forces Swing Blind Punches, October 30 2024 (EN)


One of the most traditional of Jazz configurations, the piano trio has followed numerous adaptations since standardizing as piano, double bass and drums sometime in the late 1950s. Modifications are still being tried though as these accomplished sets by international players attest. One is more wedded to the mainstream, while the other stretches the form without fracturing it.

Ken Waxman, Jazz Word, October 28 2024 (EN)


Those accustomed to hearing pianist Alexander Hawkins in bracing free jazz sessions might not be aware of his wide-ranging musical interests and broad musical resources. On Musho, he and vocalist Sofia Jernberg perform a series of mostly traditional tunes, drawing from English, Swedish, and various African song traditions. The title is apparently an Amharic word for “sad song.” Jernberg is active in European improvising circles, and this long-running duo makes its recording debut here.

Jason Bivins, Point of departure, October 2024 (EN)


 

 

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