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Latin Grammy Award winner David Sánchez isbeing hailed as “the most profound young tenor saxophonist working today. In areview, world- renown jazz critic Howard Reich saluted the young bandleadersaying, “Technically, tonally and creatively, he seems to have it all. Hissound is never less than plush, his pitch is unerring, his rapid-fire playingis ravishing in its combination of speed, accuracy and utter evenness of tone.”Such is the acclaim and respect that Sánchez has engendered from critics, musiclovers and fellow artists throughout the world as he continues to

push the frontiers of mainstream jazz toincorporate a compelling and rich array of Latin and Afro-Caribbean influences,while remaining true to the tenets of the jazz genre.

Born in Guaynabo,Puerto Rico, Sánchez began playing percussionand drums at age 8 before migrating to tenor saxophone four years later. Whilea student at the prestigious La Escuela Libre de Música in San Juan, he also took up soprano and altosaxophones as well as flute and clarinet. The bomba and plena rhythms of Puerto Rico, along with Cuban and Brazilian traditions,were among the biggest influences on Sánchez's early taste in music. SonnyRollins, Dexter Gordon and John Coltrane had the greatest impact on hisplaying. “I'm just talking about tenor, now. Charlie Parker is a major influence,of course, and many, many others.”

In 1986 Sánchez enrolled at the Universidad dePuerto Rico in Rio Pedras, but the pull of New York was irresistible. By 1988 he hadauditioned for and won a music scholarship at RutgersUniversity in New Jersey. With such close proximity to New York City, Sánchezquickly became a member of its swirling jazz scene. He gigged with piano giantEddie Palmieri and trumpeter Claudio Roditi who, along with master saxophonistPaquito D'Rivera, brought Sánchez to the attention of Jazz legend DizzyGillespie. In 1991, Gillespie invited the young saxophonist to join his “Livethe Future” tour with Miriam Makeba.

The Departure, his 1995 debut for Columbia, gained criticalkudos as did the disc's successors Sketches of Dreams, and Street Scenes.Meanwhile, David had begun touring with various jazz greats such as KennyBarron, Roy Haynes and legendary drummer Elvin Jones, recording with Barron andHaynes respectively. When he returned to the studio for his next project, theresults were sterling. Produced by Branford Marsalis, Obsesión would garner thesaxophonist his first Grammy nomination. He would follow that album with theGrammy-nominated (and Latin Grammy-nominated) Melaza. In 2001, Sánchez appearedon high- profile recordings with bassist Charlie Haden (Nocturne) andtrombonist Steve Turre (TNT [Trombone-N-Tenor]) before issuing another Grammy-nominated release on Columbia, Travesa, which also garnered rave reviews fromjazz cognoscenti.

Sánchez’ most recent recording for Columbia,Coral, earned the saxophonist his fourth Grammy nomination and won a LatinGrammy after being voted “Best Instrumental Album” of 2005 by the Latin Academyof Recording Arts and Sciences. Coral is the most ambitious manifestation todate of his continuing expansion of the frontiers of mainstream jazz toincorporate Afro-Latin influences. In the project, recorded in Prague,Czech Republic, and placinghis jazz sextet against the backdrop of the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, he exploresobscure works composed by giants of the Latin American classical genre: AntonioCarlos Jobim, Alberto Ginastera and Heitor Villa-Lobos. In addition, hejuxtaposes classical structure with jazz improvisation in two of his originaltunes as well as in a composition by Carlos Franzetti (arranger and conductorfor all tracks on the album).

The expression of the jazz sensibility againstthe backdrop of a classical structure, the hallmark of the Coral project, hasrecently led David to explore other pairings of the jazz and classicaltraditions. Most recently, David has collaborated with the Alexander StringQuartet in performances of the Focus suite, composed by Eddie Sauter andrecorded by Stan Getz over forty years ago, and considered by some to be Getz’masterpiece recording. In the two ensembles’ 2004 debut performance of the workin San Francisco,the wildly enthusiastic audience response spawned a collaboration between thetwo groups which continues to thrill concertgoers whenever it is experienced.

Whether with Gillespie, Palmieri, Haden and hisother jazz mentors, or under his own name, Sánchez has continued to tourextensively, bringing his mix of mainstream jazz with Afro-Latin influences todelighted audiences throughout the globe. In 2003 he partnered with pianistGonzalo Rubalcaba for a world tour, which took the two artists to France, Spain,Italy, Slovenia, Russia,Germany, Portugal, Holland,Denmark, South Korea, Hong Kong and Australia before Sánchez took his own band toperform at the Newport Festival at Madarao, Japan. Laterthat year, he led his sextet in a triumphal tour through Spain, followed by a week of performances by hisquartet in Athens, Greeceand Fort-de- France, Martinique. In 2004 Davidcollaborated with Dee Dee Bridgewater on the “Latin Landscapes” world tour.And, performance highlights in 2005 included an extensive U.S. tour with Pat Metheny, as well as touringwith his own jazz quartet and trio throughout the U.S.,Brazil, Canada and Europe,extending up to the present.

A prolific composer, David composes and arrangesfor a number of ensemble configurations•instrumental and with vocals--includingsextet, quartet, trio and duo (saxophone and piano). In recognition of hisprodigious talents, he has recently been named a 2005 grant recipient ofChamber Music America’s“New Works: Creation and Presentation Program”, in which he has beencommissioned to compose and present a multi-movement work for jazz sextet. Thehighly selective and prestigious program is made possible through thegenerosity of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.

David has also proven to be a compellingpresence with student musicians and continues to be in demand for workshops andmaster classes throughout the world. In recent years, his academic pursuitshave included visiting professorships at the Peabody Conservatory, theConservatory of Puerto Rico and at IndianaUniversity’s School of Music.He has also been a featured artist for Marsalis Jams, a program of thenon-profit Music Education Initiative, which takes working jazz ensembles tocolleges and universities in the United States for mini-residenciesto enhance capability and lend insights to student musicians and to build jazzaudiences in general. During the 2005-2006 academic year, David was theArtist-in-Residence at the School of Music at Georgia State University.

Sánchez strives for an “organic” approach toplaying, writing, arranging, teaching and recording, and the positive resultsare amply demonstrated in his recordings. “When you're young, you feel you haveto prove yourself. But as you develop and the years go by, you begin to let themusic come to you. You don't chase something like that. I've been learning,year after year, how not to chase that muse, and to let it come to me.Sometimes it's there; sometimes it's not. Of course, you work every year tomake that process more and more of a constant.”

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