David Sanchez Tenor Sax Solo on "Home Cookin'"

Over the past couple of decades, David Sanchez has built a reputation as a modern giant of improvisation in both straight-ahead and Latin Jazz worlds. He built his jazz chops with a number of legendary straight-ahead innovators, including Dizzy Gillespie, Jimmy Heath, and Elvin Jones. These experiences gave him a creative melodic sensibility and a keen ability to respond to spontaneous musical events. Sanchez spent the beginning of his musical career studying percussion, and that knowledge informs his work in a Latin Jazz setting. His understanding of Latin music structures gives him powerful insight into the music. He has applied these skills to both performance and composition, building a promising career as a leader. Before his debut as a leader though, he spent years as a sideman - including some strong performances with pianist Hilton Ruiz.

Sanchezs solo on Home Cookin from the Ruiz album Manhattan Mambo showcases those improvisational skills with a melodically powerful and rhythmically inventive statement. The song utilizes a variation on a common blues form in the key of F, riding over a driving cha cha cha rhythm. Sanchez takes the first solo after the melody, and then proceeds to fill two choruses. The rhythm section includes some heavy weight players including Ruiz, Andy Gonzalez, Steve Berrios, and Giovanni Hidalgo. They push the song consistently, but Sanchez pushes back, showing that his musicality stands tall in any context.