For The Space You Left
Out Of Your Head, 2026
9/10
Listen to For The Space You Left
A solo prepared piano record, Marta Sánchez used isolation and solitude that began during a residency in 2017 for this debut effort on her own.
The distinct playing of “Frost Bloom” opens with Sánchez’s finger acrobatics guiding the atypical rhythm, and “Inward Loop” follows with a cinematic mood that’s a bit hypnotic in its precise presence.
“Estalagtita” and “Espejos” land in the middle. The former is a quick bout of colorful progressions and radiant melodies, while the latter is dreamy in a sort of eerie way via the meticulous delivery.
Residing close to the end, the bright mood of “Pygmora” enlists atypical percussive ideas to the album’s best, and “One For Blake” exits with firm keys and an atypical musical language that truly helps make this an inimitable body of work.
Sánchez’s resume includes playing with the David Murray Quartet and Webber/Morris Big Band, and in this exposed setting she shines thanks to her technique of inserting objects into the piano strings that manipulates the sounds in fascinating ways.
Travels well with: George- Looking For Consonance; Columbia Icefield- A Silence Opens