Four-time Grammy-winning jazz drummer, multi-instrumentalist, and Birdman composer Antonio Sánchez released a new album, Shift (Bad Hombre, Vol. II), along with a video for “Eh Hee 2.0”, a reworking of Dave Matthews‘s “Eh Hee” featuring Matthews alongside jazz guitarist Pat Metheny.
Released via Arts Music, a division of Warner Music, Shift (Bad Hombre Vol. II) is the followup to Sánchez’s Grammy-nominated 2017 album Bad Hombre, so named in response to former President Donald Trump‘s derogatory use of the term, which Mexico City-born Sánchez reclaimed as the name of his musical alter-ego. Whereas Bad Hombre consisted of original compositions featuring Sánchez’s drumming overlaid with a mix of keyboards, electronic noise, and voice, Shift includes deconstructed and reimagined versions of songs from some of the drummer’s favorite artists.
In addition to Dave Matthews and Pat Metheny, the album features collaborations with Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, Ana Tijoux, Kimbra, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Meshell Ndegeocello, Silvana Estrada, Lila Downs, Becca Stevens, Thana Alexa, and SONICA. “With his Bad Hombre persona playing virtually all instruments (including guitar, bass, mandolin, oud, and more), Sánchez infused his compositional, production, and percussion talents to ‘shift’ the songs while leaving their essence intact,” a press release for the album reads.
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Antonio Sánchez began his music career playing in the rock, jazz, and Latin scenes in Mexico, where he was also a gymnast on the Junior National Team. He studied classical piano at Mexico’s National Conservatory before moving to Boston in 1993 to attend Berklee College of Music, where he graduated magna cum laude. He received a scholarship for a master’s degree in jazz improvisation at Boston’s New England Conservatory of Music and was recommended for the drum chair in Dizzy Gillespie‘s United Nations Orchestra by the great Panamanian pianist Danilo Pérez, and ultimately wound up performing on tour and recording with 20-time Grammy Award-winning jazz guitarist Pat Metheny. He made his debut as a bandleader with 2007’s Migration, and in 2014, his soundtrack for Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Academy Award-winning Birdman earned him a Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack For Visual Media.
“Antonio is an exceptional musician in addition to being an unbelievable drummer,” said Pat Metheny. “He has a wide view of music and how it functions which informs every note he plays. I honestly never thought that a musician like him would ever be born. He’s a dream…one of the greatest musicians I have ever seen.”
Shift (Bad Hombre Vol. II) is now available on all streaming platforms. Watch the video for “Eh Hee 2.0” featuring Dave Matthews and Pat Metheny and stream the album below. Sánchez recently appeared on NPR’s All Things Considered to discuss the album. Click here to listen to the interview.
Antonio Sánchez feat. Dave Matthews & Pat Metheny – “Eh Hee 2.0” (Official Video)