Angelica Sanchez

Pianist/composer Angelica Sanchez is a bold jazz conceptualist known for her adventurous blend of post-bop, modern creative, and avant-garde traditions. She debuted with Mirror Me in 2003 and has explored a mix of duo, trio, and quintet recordings, including 2008's Life Between with Tony Malaby, 2013's Twine Forest with Wadada Leo Smith, and 2020's How to Turn the Moon with Marilyn Crispell. In 2022, she collaborated with Michael Formanek and Billy Hart on Sparkle Beings. Born in Phoenix, Arizona, in 1972, Sanchez started on piano at a young age, and by her teens was already a gifted improviser. She studied piano and composition at Arizona State University before moving to New York in 1995, where she eventually earned a master's degree in Arranging from William Paterson University. She made her solo debut in 2003 with Mirror Me, featuring her quartet with saxophonist Tony Malaby, bassist Michael Formanek, and drummer Tom Rainey. She has also played with artists like Susie Ibarra, Tim Berne, Nicole Mitchell, Rob Mazurek, Ben Goldberg, Mark Dresser, Greg Tardy, and Ben Monder, among many others. From 2008 to 2017, Sanchez released a series of albums on Clean Feed Records, including Life Between (which again featured Malaby and Rainey, along with guitarist Marc Ducret and bassist Drew Gress), the solo piano outing A Little House, Wires & Moss (also with Malaby, Ducret, Gress, and Rainey), and Float the Edge (a trio album with bassist Formanek and drummer Tyshawn Sorey). There were also other collaborations, including 2013's Twine Forest with trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith and 2020's How to Turn the Moon, a duo album with pianist Marilyn Crispell. Sanchez has garnered several accolades for her work, including a 2008 French/American Chamber Music America grant, a 2011 Rockefeller Brothers Pocantico Artist Residency, and the 2021 Civitella Fellowship, Italy. When not performing, she teaches on faculty at both The New School of Jazz and Contemporary Music and Princeton University. In 2022, she delivered two trio albums: Huapango with Malaby and Rainey, and Sparkle Beings with Formanek and drummer Billy Hart. ~ Matt Collar, Rovi