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For pianist and composer Marta Sánchez, one of the most appealing things about jazz is its creative freedom of expression, even when playing within a set program.
“The possibility of being different every time, depending on the people you are playing with,” she mused. “The fact that you can create in the moment with other people, or by yourself.”
The Madrid-raised, New York City-based Sánchez will come to Palo Alto April 1-5 to play a run of five concerts at the Mitchell Park Community Center (Sánchez’s residency is part of a series of eight piano-centric shows in a row at that venue, all put together by Earthwise Productions).
Growing up in Spain, Sánchez studied classical music and began getting into jazz as a teenager. A teacher at her conservatory started giving her favorite recordings to listen to, she recalled, “and I started liking it more and more.” Soon, she was training in jazz and contemporary music, touring jazz festivals around Spain and winning national and international awards.
A 2011 Fulbright Scholarship brought her to New York University, where she earned a master’s degree in music, and she’s made herself at home among New York’s creative scene, earning a reputation as an engaging and inventive musician. Keeping up a very busy international touring and performance schedule, she’s also released several acclaimed records, most often with her quintet, including 2015’s “Partenika,” which the New York Times hailed as one of the 10 best albums of the year.
Despite her love of “the act of creation in the moment,” she is also very deliberate and dedicated to each of her projects as a unique entity.
“I always write for a specific project – the music is very focused on that project,” she explained. “For the way I write, I write very specifically for each instrument. I write based on who’s participating.”
Sánchez said she’s very excited about her next upcoming release, which was recorded with her trio. That album, “Perpetual Void,” is due out from Intakt Records on April 19 and features Sánchez on piano, Chris Tordini on bass and the Bay Area-raised Savannah Harris on drums.
She’ll be playing solo, though, at her Palo Alto shows, with songs specifically written for solo piano.
“The way I normally compose is by creating independent layers that interweave with each other, creating the final tapestry. While writing for solo piano, I thought about how to generate different timbres within the piano,” she explained to this news organization in an email. As she composed, she endeavored to prepare the piano to create these varied sounds, placing objects on or in between the strings to modify the tone.
“I use tape, magnets, paper, blue tack, crystal rolls and paper clips distributed over the piano and that way I have different textures and colors within the same instrument,” she said.
She started writing these pieces several years ago, while participating in an artist residency at New Hampshire’s rural MacDowell colony (from which she received fellowships in 2017 and 2021), where the surrounding environment made its way into her music.
“Back then my main inspiration was the nature and the sounds around my cabin,” she recalled, as the chilly winter wind blew, sometimes softly, sometimes violently. Later, new themes emerged.
“I finished the pieces during the pandemic, and the inspiration switched. Now it was more about dark thoughts and philosophical ideas.”
And after her local performances, she’ll also be spending some of her time in the Bay Area in the studio making her next record, consisting of this solo material.
“That’s why it’s great for me to play all these songs” during her time in Palo Alto, she said.
According to Earthwise’s event listings, in addition to Sánchez, the bills will include other artists. Pianist and composer Ethan Iverson (best known, perhaps, for his work as a founding member of The Bad Plus) will perform at the first two shows, on April 1 and 2, with Motoko Honda Group booked for April 3, Dick Fregulia and Dick Conte trios April 4, and Myra Melford and Ben Goldberg April 5.
Sánchez has performed in Palo Alto twice in recent years, as a duo and with her quintet, and said she’s looking forward to her upcoming stay.
“I love the West Coast,” she said. “I always love to be there. Nice weather, nice food, and more relaxed than New York.”
Marta Sánchez performs April 1-5 at Mitchell Park Community Center, 3700 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto. Tickets are $5-$18 for each show. For more information, visit eventbrite.com.