Antonio Sánchez López was born on 1 November 1971 in Mexico City, Mexico, and began playing drums at five. After earning a degree in classical piano from the National Conservatory and graduating magna cum laude from Berklee College of Music, he joined Danilo Pérez’s acoustic trio and toured with Dizzy Gillespie’s United Nations Orchestra, which led to his recruitment by Pat Metheny. Antonio Sánchez debuted as a leader with Migration (2007), followed by Live in New York at Jazz Standard (2010) and New Life (2013). His film score for Birdman (2014) earned a Golden Globe nomination and a Critics’ Choice Award. He continued with Bad Hombre (2017), The Meridian Suite (2015), and SHIFT (Bad Hombre, Vol. II) (2022), collaborating with artists such as Trent Reznor, Rodrigo y Gabriela, and Lila Downs. In 2026 he received a Grammy nomination for BEATrio in the Best Contemporary Instrumental Album category. In 2026, he released Ellipsis, a collaboration with percussionist Pedrito Martínez and bassist Michael League from Snarky Puppy.
