ABOUT Antonio Sánchez & Bad Hombre with Thana Alexa, BIGYUKI & Lex Sadler
SESSION TITLE: Antonio Sánchez & Bad Hombre
Born in Mexico City, four-time GRAMMY Award-winner Antonio Sánchez began playing the drums at age five and commenced performing professionally in his early teens in Mexico’s rock, jazz and Latin scenes.
He pursued a degree in classical piano at the National Conservatory in Mexico and in 1993 enrolled in Berklee College of Music and New England Conservatory, where he graduated Magna Cum Laude in Jazz Studies.
Since moving to New York City in 1999, Sánchez has become among the most sought-after drummers on the international jazz scene. Following 21 years and nine albums as one of the most revered collaborators of guitarist/composer Pat Metheny, he has also recorded and performed with, among others, Chick Corea, Gary Burton, Michael Brecker and Charlie Haden.
In 2014 Sánchez’s popularity soared when he scored Alejandro Inarritu’s Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) which won four Academy Awards — including the Oscar for Best Picture — and for which Sánchez was also a Golden Globe nominee.
Sánchez currently has close to a dozen recordings as a leader and solo artist. Recent projects include Three Times Three with Brad Mehldau, John Scofield, Joe Lovano, Matt Brewer, John Patitucci and Christian McBride; Bad Hombre, a sociopolitical journey through electronica and percussion; Channels of Energy, featuring the WDR Big Band with arrangements of Sánchez’s compositions by Vince Mendoza; Lines in the Sand, Sánchez’s protest against social injustice and bigotry as well as a tribute to every immigrant’s journey; and most recently, SHIFT (Bad Hombre Vol. II), where Sánchez plays virtually every instrument on an epic album featuring Trent Reznor, Dave Mathews, Kimbra, Ana Tijoux, Meshell Ndegeocello and more.
The recipient of numerous awards, Sánchez has on three occasions been named Modern Drummer’s “Jazz Drummer of the Year”.
Surprising is the word that perhaps best describes Grammy nominated, DownBeat cover artist and winner of the International Songwriting Competition, Thana Alexa, an extraordinarily creative force in music. Her latest album, ONA (self-release, March 2020), which earned her two Grammy nominations including Best Jazz Vocal Album, was inspired by the cross generational and cross-cultural stories of the immigrant women in her family and evolved into an exploration of the experiences of contemporary women everywhere.
ONA has spawned more female-focused projects: Alexa, together with Grammy nominated artist, Nicole Zuraitis and first-call bassist, Julia Adamy formed SONICA, a dynamic trio that incorporates intricate vocal harmonies, electronics, vocal loops, percussion, electric bass, and keyboards over a blend of original music and modern arrangements. The trio’s self-titled debut album, fully engineered, produced and mixed by Thana Alexa is due out on September 30, 2022 via Outside In Music. Alexa also created the project Founding Mothers of Jazz in conjunction with MusicTalks Concerts to honor the history of women in jazz, many who are not historically recognized for their contributions because of their gender.
One of Alexa’s most important and ongoing collaborations has been with her husband, four-time Grammy winner Antonio Sanchez. Alexa has recorded three albums with his band Migration and is a featured artist on Sanchez’s new Warner Music release SHIFT (Bad Hombre Vol. II), which features Dave Matthews, Trent Reznor, Kimbra, Meshell Ndegeocello, Lila Downs and others.
During the 2020 Coronavirus lockdown, Alexa made headlines as a co-founder of what Rolling Stone called the first “virtual jazz festival” and fundraising initiative, Live From Our Living Rooms. Together with co-founders Owen Broder and Sirintip, the team contracted over 120 artists, raised over $140,000, and helped facilitate grants to over 100 US based musicians in need. Live From Our Living Rooms received attention from Rolling Stone, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times, the BBC, and more.
Masayuki Hirano — better known as BIGYUKI — is a ground-breaking songwriter and virtuoso keyboard player who blends jazz, soul, hip-hop and electronica to create a sound that’s wholly his own. Alongside releasing his own inimitable music, BIGYUKI is highly sought-after as a performer and collaborator by the likes of A Tribe Called Quest, Kamasi Washington and Lauryn Hill.
Born in Kobe, Japan in 1981, BIGYUKI grew up thinking of his mother’s piano as a “big wooden toy.” He was classically trained as a pianist from a young age, performing publicly and winning national awards, but what he really remembers from that time is his first intoxicating taste of how it feels to create music out of silence. After turning 18, BIGYUKI left Japan to attend the famed Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA.
In October 2015 BIGYUKI put out his debut solo EP, the eclectic and experimental Greek Fire.
In 2016 he spent two months as a member of Jon Batiste’s house band on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and played on J. Cole’s album 4 Your Eyez Only. That same year he also played on and wrote for A Tribe Called Quest’s final record We Got It from Here… Thank You 4 Your Service.
In November 2017 he released his debut album Reaching For Chiron, a rich and varied collection of music that connects the dots between experimental jazz, soulful funk and deep hip-hop beats. The album features guest vocals from singers including Bilal and Abbey Smith.
BIGYUKI’s ability to absorb and reflect what’s going on in the world through his music is particularly evident on his latest EP 2099 which was released in 2020 and features a guest spot from Talib Kweli.
During the COVID-19 pandemic he’s found himself returning to his first love: the piano, his “big wooden toy”.
Lex Sadler is a NYC-based bass player, synth bass player, programmer and musical director.
Lex is currently the Musical Director, programmer and bassist for Abir, has performed with Def Jam artist Arlissa, RocNation artist Nicole Bus, has toured extensively with R&B artist Jordan Bratton, and has appeared with Rationale on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, with Ellie Goulding on The Late Show with David Letterman and Good Morning America, the NBA All-Star halftime show with Ella Henderson, VMAs with Nathan Sykes of The Wanted, and new R&B artist Christian Paul.
On the live scene, Lex is the house bass player for Producer Mondays at NuBlu — New York’s premier music innovation session and open jam.
As a programmer and producer, Lex has designed and produced Ableton backing tracks for Abir, Arlissa, and Nicole Bus, and has consulted for Ms. Lauryn Hill.
As a band leader, Lex’s project Rhythm & Stealth has released a full length album, Polytronic, on P-Vine Records (Japan) and Ropeadope Records (USA). Polytronic is a blend of electronica and live instrumentation, and features artists such as Sydney Driver, Nat Townsley, Cory Henry, BigYuki, Ari Hoenig, Kennedy and Alex Han.
Rhythm & Stealth has performed live at venues such as Le Poisson Rouge and The Blue Note, and have opened for artists such as Cory Henry and KNOWER.
