The Angelica Sanchez Nonet - Nighttime Creatures (2023) [Hi-Res]

For Fulgencio Alarid Sanchez,
who lit the path for me.

It's a pleasure to write for people that I feel close to, and I wrote this music for Michaël Attias, Ben Goldberg, John Hébert, Thomas Heberer, Sam Ospovat, Chris Speed, Omar Tamez and Kenny Warren. The roles they played were much more than reading notes that I put down on paper, and I could not have realized this music without their dedication and artistry. I have deep gratitude and love for all these musicians.

This recording is a culmination of six years of writing, re-writing, rehearsals, concerts, van trips with the band and the love and support of friends and family. All the compositions are original except for "Lady of the Lavender Mist" by Duke Ellington (1899-1974) and "Tristeza" by Chilean composer Armando Carvajal (1893-1972). I have always loved the piece "Lady of the Lavender Mist.' I fell in love with the melody, and it's one of Ellington's compositions that is harmonically a bit different from his other more well-known compositions. I discovered "Tristeza" in a book of piano pieces for children. "Tristeza" has a beautiful haunting melody that inspired me to expand it for this nonet.

The title Nighttime Creatures came out of my fascination of the night in the deep woods, where light seems to get eaten, as if it were in the center of a black hole. Hearing sounds of creatures I don't recognize makes my imagination run wild. The night transforms the deep woods into an astral plane that is only accessed through complete and beautiful darkness. Music transports me to such places -a portal through the darkness to universes full of light.

- Angelica Sanchez

Angelica Sanchez - piano, compositions
Michaël Attias - alto saxophone
Ben Goldberg - contra alto clarinet
John Hébert - bass
Thomas Heberer - quarter-tone trumpet
Sam Ospovat - drums
Chris Speed - tenor saxophone, clarinet
Omar Tamez - guitar
Kenny Warren - cornet