Antonio Sánchez: Birdman Live

Celebrate the 10th anniversary of BİRDMAN or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014) with Grammy-winning composer Antonio Sánchez.

The original score for Birdman consists entirely of solo jazz percussion written and performed by Sánchez. Director Alejandro G. Iñárritu has stated that the music helped structure the film’s scenes and that “the drums, for me, were a great way to find the rhythm of the film…”

Sánchez’s Birdman performances, in which he performs live alongside a screening of the film, have been regarded by The Guardian as "[injecting] a vitality that maps out the emotions of the film's characters with precision…” Despite this precision, each performance remains completely unique as Sánchez’s performance is largely improvisational.

Composer Antonio Sánchez will be performing live alongside the film.

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”.

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