The Outpost, one of the venues dedicated to jazz music in Albuquerque, hosted Antonio Sánchez & Migration's sold-out show; they presented their new album Lines in The Sand, an album that, in the words of Sánchez, “is dedicated to immigrants.”
Sánchez also won a Grammy for Best Score Soundtrack For Visual Media for “Birdman” (2015), a film by Alejandro González Iñarritu.
“I’m a proud immigrant, a proud Mexican and a proud American that feels torn by the injustices that are being perpetrated against so many innocent people in search of a better life," Sánchez said. "This album is dedicated to them and their journey."
The beginning was powerful, with the roaring sound of cars in the background and vocies singing in English and Spanish. Antonio explained that the beginning of the song "Travesía Intro" had recordings of immigrants being arbitrarily detained by US authorities, regardless of whether the detainees were legal residents or not.
The chemistry between the members maintained the dynamic atmosphere of the concert. Thana Alexa was constantly involved in the vocals to accompany the saxophone of Chase Baird. Matt Brewer and Antonio Sánchez perfectly combined the bass and drums, while the pianist John Escreet kept focused, keeping a fix concentration on his instrument.
The audience was stunned. In a small corner of the place was a person letting himself be carried away by the music, dancing, closing his eyes and slowly moving his arms and legs.
The musical performance of the band was full of feeling, Thana reached impressive heights, Matt Brewer was right at home (he spent his youth in the city of Albuquerque, the bassist was smiling and enjoying every moment of his performance.
Sánchez briefly took breaks to talk with the audience. The Mexican instrumentalist did not ignore the importance of immigrants in the country and made a strong criticism of the president of the United States, Donald Trump and the border wall, something the president frequently talks about.
"I always wanted to be a rockstar,” Sanchez said during the concert, which reminded me of a phrase of the legendary drummer Buddy Rich: "If you do not have the ability, you wind up playing in a rock band."
I could only think how privileged we were that Antonio Sánchez made jazz his chosen genre, not because rock is a bad genre, rather because jazz raises music to another level. It is not about jumping and singing the songs during a show. Rather, jazz music invites the listener to sit down and enjoy the incredible ability of a musician. It is amazing to witness the perfect fusion between composition and improvisation.
The group led by the Mexican drummer, delighted the audience for two shocking hours. The rhythm of the drums, the intensity of the saxophone, the interesting vocal effects and masterful accompaniments of piano and bass made the audience not lose sight of the interpretation of the musicians. The end of each piece was qualified by a thunderous applause.
Aaron Mendoza is a freelance reporter and photographer. He can be contacted by email at culture@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @AaronMendozaT.
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