Angelica Sanchez and Omar Tamez perform at UMass

by Glenn Siegel

Three years ago, when pianist Angelica Sanchez and guitarist Omar Tamez inaugurated Pioneer Valley Jazz Shares with a concert at the Congregational Church in Holyoke, the considerable acoustics of Skinner Chapel allowed the notes to ring and linger. (Parts of that concert can be found on their recording, Dias del Sol.) At their Solos & Duos Series concert at Bezanson Recital Hall on November 18, the ring and linger was the result of Tamez’ deft manipulation of electronic sounds.

With very little gear, Tamez created sound worlds that eddied and flowed with full dynamic range. Sanchez’ unadorned piano sounded breathtaking next to it. Over the 70-minute concert, the duo mesmerized with an open-hearted performance of compositions by Chico Burque, Gustavo “Cuchi” Leguizamón, Mario Ruiz Armengol and the performers.

Speaking of open-hearted, Omar Tamez is one of the most humble, love-filled and accomplished people I have met. His easy smile and delicate mastery of the guitar are merely the most visible aspect of a brilliant, well-read, well-traveled musician. His fascination with electronics were fueled by studies with Pierre Boulez and Karlheinz Stockhausen; he has won classical guitar competitions all over the world; his photographic memory allows him to store vast amounts of information, including a deep knowledge of many types of music. As we lingered in Amherst after the workshop (a delicious lunch at Miss Saigon and a productive visit to Amherst Books), he was digesting “Virgin Island Suite,” an amazing, little-known Ellington recording from the mid-sixties.

His laser focus and generosity of spirit was on full display at a wonderful workshop he and Sanchez did for Jason Robinson’s Amherst College students the day after their UMass concert. Among other suggestions, Tamez recommended students should play their instruments for 24 hours straight, something he has done on multiple occasions in the wilderness of his home country of Mexico. “Your relationship to your instrument will change forever,” Tamez told students.

Some sixty years ago Whitney Balliett defined jazz as “the sound of surprise.” But with most music, the surprises happen within a pretty circumscribed area. Pianist Angelica Sanchez’ career, which includes long-term relationships with Wadada Leo Smith, Rob Mazurek, Tony Malaby and Harris Eisenstadt, takes Balliett’s definition to heart. The surprises at the core of her music are not meant to shock or confound expectations for its own sake, but result from her search for the essential in each musical experience. At every moment Sanchez eschews breezy virtuosity for an honest appraisal of what the music requires. Her clear-eyed career, which she currently balances with being a single mom and a graduate student, is worth attention. Her pursuit of a Masters degree in arranging from William Paterson College has brought her into closer contact with one of her heroes: Carla Bley, and she’s poised to delve deeper into the work of George Russell. Like Tamez, Sanchez is a seeker.

It is inspiring to be around musicians with such awesome facility, such vast knowledge of, and reverence for music, and a desire to spread joy through sound.