Pianist/composer Marta Sánchez has garnered considerable notice for her imaginative blending of vanguard creative jazz with diverse musical traditions reflecting both her education and international performing, recording, and teaching experiences. Sánchez initially drew attention for her 2005 trio album, Lunas, Soles y Elefantes. Following a move to New York on a Fulbright Scholarship, she launched her quintet with saxophonist Román Filiú and quickly rose to the forefront of the contemporary creative music scene with 2015's Partenika and 2017's Danza Imposible. In 2022, she released her third quintet album, SAAM (Spanish American Art Museum). Born in Madrid, Spain, Sánchez originally studied filmmaking, but upon discovering a passion for jazz she embarked on a decidedly different career path. After receiving a bachelor's degree in classical music from the Conservatory of Madrid, Sánchez continued with further studies in jazz and contemporary music, eventually receiving both Spanish government and artist association support that enabled her to make festival appearances in Spain as well as South America, Central America, and elsewhere in Europe. In 2005 Sánchez formed her first group as a leader, a trio also featuring bassist Carlos Barretto and drummer Andrés Litwin; the trio released her debut recording, Lunas, Soles y Elefantes, on the Basque Country jazz label Errabal in 2007. The following year Sánchez formed a quartet that, in addition to the pianist, included tenor saxophonist Ariel Bringuez, bassist Reinier Elizarde, and drummer Litwin. This ensemble recorded Sánchez's sophomore album, La Espiral Amarilla, which featured her original compositions and was released by Errabal in 2011, the same year she received a Fulbright Scholarship to study at New York University, where she earned a master's degree in jazz piano performance. Now living in N.Y.C., Sánchez formed a new quintet and composed a set of material with her specific bandmates in mind: France-born tenor saxophonist Jerome Sabbagh (a resident of New York since 1995) and Cuba-born alto saxophonist Román Filiú, Australia-born double bassist Sam Anning, and California-born drummer Jason Burger. The ensemble entered New Jersey's Tedesco Studios with engineer Tom Tedesco in May 2014 to record Sánchez's third album, with inspiration derived from the pianist's by now extensive international travels as a performing jazz artist. Partenika was released by the Barcelona-based Fresh Sound New Talent label in April 2015. The quintet underwent a lineup change, with Rick Rosato featured on bass and Daniel Dor on drums, for Danza Imposible, recorded at Brooklyn's Big Orange Sheep studio in March 2017 and released by Fresh Sound New Talent in December of that year. Sánchez also leads a sextet featuring singer/guitarist Camila Meza and including saxophonist/singer Charlotte Greve, vibraphonist/singer Patricia Franceschy, bassist Or Bareket, and drummer Jeremy Noller. In addition to her work as a leader, she has toured and recorded as a member of the Natalia Calderón Quartet, and her collaborative/sidewoman activities have included appearances on albums by Doris Cales, Miguel Angel Blanco's Afrodisian Big Band, Santiago de la Muela's Talento Jazz Orchestra, and the Javier Moreno Trio. As her worldwide profile has grown, she has appeared as a leader at events including the Netherlands' North Sea Jazz Festival, Mexico City's Eurojazz, Athens' Eurojazz, and the Madrid Jazz Festival. Sánchez has also won awards for composing soundtracks for short films, and her educational activities have included teaching piano at N.Y.U. and in private practice, and conducting master classes in Costa Rica, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and the Dominican Republic. In 2022, she debuted yet another quintet lineup on SAAM (Spanish American Art Museum), which found saxophonist Filiú joined by altoist Alex LoRe, bassist Rashaan Carter, and drummer Allan Mednard. Also featured on the album were singer/guitarist Meza and trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire. ~ Dave Lynch, Rovi