Antonio Sanchez | "SHIFT (Bad Hombre Vol. II)"

SHIFT (Bad Hombre Vol. II) is the sequel to Antonio Sánchez’s 2017 Grammy-nominated Bad Hombre. On his premiere release for Warner Music, Sánchez approached a who’s-who of collaborators — some of his favorite singers and songwriters — for material he could deconstruct and reimagine. He then called upon his “Bad Hombre” alter-ego, where he plays virtually all the instruments while adding his compositional, production and percussion talents to “shift” the song to new realms while still leaving its essence intact.  

The result is a beautiful circle that sees Dave Matthews & Pat Metheny, Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross, Meshell Ndegeocello, Lila Downs, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Kimbra, Ana Tijoux, Becca Stevens, Silvana Estrada, MARO, Thana Alexa & SONICA sitting in on their own tunes — or ideas cowritten by Sánchez — as a familiar yet original space regifted to the composers for joint musical exploration.

As a result of the pandemic, the artists had extra time on their hands and remote collaborations were easier to facilitate. It also afforded Sánchez more time to explore ideas, which resulted in Modern Drummer’s three-time Jazz Drummer of the Year expanding his role as a producer and performer. Though Sánchez believes he’s not a guitar, bass, mandolin or oud player — his Bad Hombre alter-ego played all those instruments and more.

In the premiere Bad Hombre release, Sánchez was extremely political. Over the years, his outrage and fury with Trump and the turmoil at the US–Mexican border muted – and Sánchez himself “shifted” to breaking through creative walls to conquer new sonic territory. Says Sánchez, “My anger transformed. And the fact this material did not originate with me changed the equation. It helped me to bring a fresh perspective and a sense of wonder to ‘What else can this be?’”

The Bad Hombre’s sophomore effort is an enthralling, eclectic journey uniting a dozen voices and perspectives from around the world — and one that took years to see the light of day: “I keep joking about the fact that I’ve been pregnant for a couple of years…and now there is a really epic baby.”

Born in Mexico City, Antonio Sánchez began playing the drums at age five and performed professionally in Mexico’s rock, jazz and Latin scenes in his early teens while also being a gymnast on Mexico’s Junior National Team.

He pursued a degree in classical piano at Mexico’s National Conservatory then travelled to Boston in 1993 to further his studies at Berklee College of Music (where he graduated magna cum laude); as a scholarship student he obtained his masters in jazz improvisation at the New England Conservatory of Music.

Since moving to New York City in 1999, Antonio has become one of the most sought-after drummers on the international jazz scene. As a sideman, his extensive, varied discography includes 9 albums in 18 years as one of Pat Metheny’s most cherished collaborators, as well as on projects with artists such as Gary Burton, Chick Corea, Michael Brecker and Charlie Haden.

Sánchez’s soundtrack for Alejandro González Iñárritu’s award-winning film Birdman (2014) was a milestone achievement, earning Antonio worldwide recognition and one of his four Grammys.