10. Antonio Sánchez: “Imaginary Lines” (Antonio Sánchez & Migration, The Meridian Suite, CAMJazz, 2015)
Antonio Sánchez’s highest-profile “composition,” his solo drumming score for the 2014 film Birdman, was actually (mostly) improvised. Sánchez is also a composer in the more conventional melody-and-harmony sense. 2015’s Meridian Suite is a feast of melody and often explosive energy. It also makes room for introspection, as on the beautiful, philosophical “Imaginary Lines.” Vocalist Thana Alexa has both wordy and wordless parts, meditating on shapes, boundaries, and what they mean. The music amplifies and extends those abstract musings, using melodic and rhythmic motifs as guideposts—but also making room for a smart, chopsy solo from electric bassist Matt Brewer. It’s the most gorgeous movement of a suite that represents perhaps Sánchez’s very best work. (It was also one of the best albums of 2015.)
Listen to a Spotify playlist featuring most of the songs in this JazzTimes 10:
