Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Angelica Sanchez: Life Between

373

Angelica Sanchez: Life Between

By

Sign in to view read count
Angelica Sanchez: Life Between
Jazz listeners generally choose between the orderliness of a jazz ensemble with a piano, or the freedom that playing sans the chordal instrument allows a group. For pianist Angelica Sanchez, her presence muddles that distinction. On Life Between she preserves the order—not by chords, but by her compositions, arrangements and, maybe, presence.



After releasing two self-produced recordings with drummer Tom Rainey and her husband, the great tenor saxophonist Tony Malaby, she debuted to great acclaim on Mirror Me (Omnitone, 2003) which added bassist Michael Formanek. This session replaces Formanek with Drew Gress and adds French guitar legend Marc Ducret.



Certainly with that much firepower things are apt to tear apart quickly. These four sidemen are capable of releasing the improvisational equivalent of shock and awe. But, remarkably they don't. And it is not because they are limited by the chordal policeman of Sanchez's piano. Her instrument of choice here is the Wurlitzer, an electric piano favored by Herbie Hancock during the Miles Davis electric years and, more recently, Uri Caine in his own groups and as part of Dave Douglas' ensembles. Its unique sound, almost meek as compared to a standard piano, acts more to sustain than as a traffic cop.



The tracks, all her compositions, can be noddingly memorable, like "514" and "Name Dreamer," or emotionally packed as on "Federico." When she prepares a piece that is open for a bit more improvisation such as "Black Helicopters," her players release a very under controlled openness. Malaby's saxophone simmers and Ducret pokes-and-prods through his bag of guitar effects. The result here is a refined and controlled music making, easy to digest even though the playing is quite sophisticated. Sanchez's switch to acoustic piano playing here and on the short final piece "Corner Eye" is full of ringing bright notes. An excellent rejoinder to Malaby's thunderous tenor, and the shock of Ducret.



This quintet of some of jazz's finest improvisers allow Sanchez to realize her vision by tailoring their sound to this very special project.

Track Listing

514; Federico; Name Dreamer; Black Helicopters; SF 4; Blue & Damsen; Life Between; Corner Eye.

Personnel

Angelica Sanchez: piano, Wurlitzer electric piano, Drew Gress: double-bass; Marc Ducret: electric guitar; Tom Rainey: drums; Tony Malaby: tenor saxophone.

Album information

Title: Life Between | Year Released: 2008 | Record Label: Clean Feed Records

Comments

Tags


For the Love of Jazz
Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Sensual
Rachel Z
Over and Over
Tony Monaco Trio
Love Is Passing Thru
Roberto Magris

Popular

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.