Marta Sanchez - SAAM (Spanish American Art Museum) [CD]

Marta Sanchez's creative voice is strikingly original - circling rhythms, elaborate forms and criss-crossing counterpoint distinguishes her sonic signature on the crowded New York contemporary music scene. Following three critically acclaimed quintet releases, the Madrid-born pianist-composer presents 'SAAM (Spanish American Art Museum)' on Whirlwind Recordings, an album driven by emotional candour and boundary-pushing compositions. A talented cast realises her knotty, technical writing - frontline partners Alex Lore and Roman Filiu meet Sanchez, Rashaan Carter and Allan Mednard on backline duties.

'SAAM' riffs on the Smithsonian American Art Museum, on an album that's an exhibition of Sanchez's life in musical form: ""It's made up of all the elements of society from both countries [Spain and America] that impact my life and make me who I am."" Matters internal and external are realised in musical expositions of complex feelings. The pieces took shape in lockdown, as Sanchez exchanged fortnightly composition tasks with a pen-pal. "Those compositions express all the phases I was going through at that time. I was reflecting super deeply on what's important, and how we might give some sense to life."