Marta Sanchez Trio: Perpetual Void

For her first leadership date on the Swiss Intakt label, NYC-based Spanish pianist Marta Sánchez returns to the trio format which she last aired way back on her debut Lunas, Soles Y Elefantes (Errabal, 2008). While some may regret the absence of the two-saxophone front line which she has used in the meantime, the overwhelming positive is the greater opportunity she affords herself to step into the spotlight. She does that most assuredly on Perpetual Void, having enlisted a fabulously supportive crew comprising bassist Chris Tordini and drummer Savannah Harris.

With a program of eleven originals within 48-minutes running time, the executions are necessarily concise. Sanchez's charts offer a blend of intricate rhythmic grooves, which occasionally recall Craig Taborn in his pomp, and lines with hooks which bite after a couple of spins, but all serve as launchpads for waves of fluent and emotive interplay. Tordini excels at this sort of unobtrusive but absolutely on-point communion, whether executing accented unisons or stepping forward for nimble pizzicato features, while Harris steers midway between kinetic clatter and steady pulse.

Sanchez demonstrates more independence between the hands than most pianists, particularly evident in her highly rhythmic left hand patterns which almost take on the guise of an additional participant at times in the dizzying counterpoint. One can hear why reedman David Murray recruited her to the quartet which waxed Francesca (Intakt, 2024). She tackles two of the cuts alone, covering a lot of ground on the quicksilver "Prelude To A Heartbreak" in particular as she ranges from freeform musings to darting forays and blues-tinged reflection.

While many of the track titles might suggest anguished introspection, the actuality is rather more complex and nuanced, often betraying a steely determination to come through the other side. In so doing Sanchez's sparkling piano, ably abetted by Tordini and Harris, carves out an accessible but rugged niche that should win plenty of new admirers.