Words by David C. Obenour
Ellipsis. Such a clean and in motion concept in grammar but bringing these three dots together took considerable time, effort, and a good deal of chance. Conceived nearly a decade ago, Snarky Puppy’s Michael League and renowned drummers Antonio Sánchez and Pedrito Martinez performed an improvised set at 2018’s North Sea Jazz Festival. Uniting refined talent and a world of influences, it was inspired and demanded further attention – but further attention was nowhere to be found. It took a global pandemic where the world had to stop and literally hold its breath for them to come back together. In a New York studio, Martinez and Sánchez engaged in a multilingual conversation in drums – sending files across the Atlantic to League’s Catalonian village. The result is wild and innovative, well-learned and wide-reaching – the music that only the three of them could dream to make.
Off Shelf: What inspires you about performing with Michael and Pedrito? How do they change or challenge how you approach playing?
Antonio Sánchez: They’re both incredible musicians that process great, spontaneous spirits on and off the stage. The music is incredibly soulful and intense. Each performance feels like a celebration.
OS: You’ve collaborated in a number of projects and configurations before, what was unique about approaching this one?
AS: It’s always different for me to share percussion duties with somebody. Most of the time I’m the only one propelling a band rhythmically but to play with somebody like Pedrito is always a learning experience. He is such a complete musician and his time is impeccable so it’s always fun and easy to interact with him. We are constantly bouncing rhythmic ideas off of each other and making up things as we go along.
Another thing about this band is that all this music is based on very deep roots that come from Africa and Cuba so you can’t fake your way around these kind of rhythms. You really need to know what you’re doing in order to be free in this kind of context.
OS: Did you think about how you wanted to “preserve” from them as brought them together?
AS: Yes, we wanted to honor the tradition of this beautiful music yet we also wanted to innovate and move things forward. You can’t do that without knowing what you’re doing first, stylistically speaking. Luckily, the three of us have the knowledge to play the music. Acknowledging its roots but also the innovative spirit that is needed to bring the music to a different realm.
OS: Simultaneously, you were able to present these traditions with a modern approach that made them feel more accessible. From your use of rhythms, compositions, song structure, etc, where did you find the connections that made this work so well?
AS: The way that album was built was very unconventional. Pedrito and I got together in a studio in New York during the pandemic and improvised quite a bit of rhythms without thinking too much about song structures. Mike was in Spain taking notes and keeping us organized and via Zoom. Pedrito then added a lot of vocals to those rhythms and then Michael took everything and found the song structures within all those improvisations. In other words, the composing came after the playing.
OS: There’s so much energy in these songs, how do they transform when performed in front of an audience? What hits hardest for you about that experience?
AS: To perform these songs in front of an audience is pure joy. There’s really no hard part about that experience except the endurance needed to keep that level of intensity and focus. Also hard for me is to sing live. I’ve done it on occasion but it’s not part of my muscle memory.
OS: Busy with so many other projects, do you imagine this trio will continue on? Having recorded these songs, what further would you like to explore together?
AS: I sure hope so but as you well say, everybody is extremely busy with their own projects and life in general. It’s just a matter of finding the right time for all of us to converge and make more music.
OS: Founded amidst the global city of New York, how are you reflecting on the current administration’s attacks on our New American communities?
AS: It’s been very tough to see how the U.S.A. has transformed in such a short time from a welcoming country with high ideals to a cruel, selfish, autocratic nation. As a Mexican that then became a naturalized American citizen it’s been hard for me to watch the hatred and vitriol against immigrants and especially brown people perpetrated by this administration.
OS: Does anything about this project hit you differently, considering that?
AS: Sure. The nature of the project is completely multi-cultural. Pedrito is from Cuba, Michael is from the States and I’m from Mexico but have lived in the U.S. longer than I lived in Mexico. We’re all about openness, democratic and liberal values/ideals and above all love and empathy for other human beings.
OS: The new Armand Hammer album has a line from it, “What is the role of a poet in times like these?” – do you have any thought on how you’d respond to that?
AS: Unifiers.