Ravinia 2024 Issue 1

my wife and I went to this movie theater in Chelsea, NY, at 2:00 p.m. There were five or six people in the audience. The movie started and the first thing I hear is my voice in Spanish. Then all of a sudden, boom, the screen goes dark the drums start and the credits start. I was blown away. I started crying. It was so impactful. When an orchestra performs live for a movie screening, it must be timed perfectly and played note-for-note. How much does improvisation contin- ue to play in your performance of the Birdman score? In the beginning, the movie would start and I would play, and I would end when the credits ended. Then I started think- ing that this was a missed opportunity. I thought people would be interested in knowing what our process was. I began to introduce the film with a five-to-ten minute explanation of how someone who had absolutely no track record as a film scorer ended up doing this movie. Later, I read a review that said the expe- rience was cool, but he wished I played more. I started adding a drum solo at the end of the movie. I realized I had a captive audience, so I just kept going. I had a theater all to myself, which never happens when you’re a drummer. [ Laughs ] So, I started really exploring the space with my drums. I really enjoy it. Back then I had no time to think, I was just doing. Now, I’m doing the version I would do if I had the movie to score now. I do know it so intimately. This is more a conversation what I’m doing now. Your collaboration with Pat Metheny has lasted longer than some marriag- es. What is at the core of your artistic relationship? Pat is a visionary, and the fact that I was not exclusively a jazz drummer, that my mind was wide-open musically and was curious about different ways of approaching the drums enticed him. I wanted to be the ultimate sideman. He would ask for my opinion because I spent so much time with him on dif- ferent projects. I was virtually his only drummer on every project he did from the 2000s until very recently. He has still a lot going on, he’s touring like crazy. I’m doing my own thing and I cannot just be leaving for months on end, so we’re talking a little break, but there will a chance to play again. I love him. Music education is one of Ravinia’s core missions. What advice would you have for music students to make the most of these years? What you put in is what you’re going to get out in a few years. College may be a lot of fun, but if you slack off, if you don’t consider what this is going to do for you, you can be wasting a bit of your time. I was so motivated to build something during those years so I could take advantage of it later. It was a very important period for me. It was hard for me to get to the States as a Mexican cit- izen—to do it legally, pay for school, get scholarships, it was incredibly compli- cated. I left my family, I left my country because I wanted to do this thing that I love. I was so determined to stand out. I remember thinking my first semester that we were all the same then, bur in four years we would all be at different levels, and that started then. I have to ask: Do you have a favorite drummer joke? [ Laughs ] I usually start my masterclass- es and clinics by asking, “How many drummers in the house?” If there are 100 people, 90 will raise their hands. My second question is, “How many musicians are there?” The confusion on their faces is so funny. The point being that you need to think of yourself as a musician, not just as a drummer. And I go from there. I took this from Birdman ’s opening quote: Are getting what you want out of this life? That’s a good question. Being ambitious and driven can be a blessing and a curse. This life has become so fast-paced. Last week, I was in New York doing my Bird- man show, then I performed at Carnegie Hall. The next day, my wife and I flew back to Spain, landed four hours late, went to the house, slept for an hour, and then we went to the main square in Barcelona and I played with my other band, Bad Hombre, in front of a couple of thousand people. Then, the next day I went to my studio to start scoring again. I haven’t had time to think, “Wow, Carnegie Hall was amazing.” That’s the problem this life usually brings. There are so many things you want to do. I feel incredibly privileged. D onald Liebenson is a Chicago-based entertainment writer. His work has appeared in the Chicago Tribune , Chicago Sun-Times , Los Angeles Times , and on RogerEbert.com. The first Ravinia concert he attended without his parents was Procol Harum in 1970. Sánchez playing Ravinia in 2017 with Pat Metheny and bassist (and Ravinia Steans Music Institute alum) Linda May Han Oh RAVINIAMAGAZINE • JUNE 7 – JUNE 30, 2024 24 PATRICKGIPSON/RAVINIA