Five-time Grammy winner Antonio Sanchez has become one of the most sought-after drummers in the international jazz scene. Following eighteen years and nine albums playing alongside Pat Metheny, Sanchez has recorded a dozen recordings as a leader and solo artist, and has performed alongside the likes of Chick Corea, Avishai Cohen, Gary Burton, Michael Brecker, Charlie Haden and Toots Thielmans. Trio Grande marks his first appearance on Whirlwind, and sees the drummer team up with bandmates Gilad Hekselman and Will Vinson for an exploration of the bassless trio format.

Born in Mexico City, Sanchez began performing professionally in his early teens in Mexico’s rock, jazz and latin scenes. Following a move to New York City in 1999, Sanchez established a wide-ranging career as both a top-level collaborator and exploratory solo performer. Aside from his performing commitments, Sanchez is also an established composer for screen. He scored Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s Birdman, which won four Academy Awards, including Best Original Score.