Drummer Antonio Sanchez will take a step away from the concert stage this June, trading larger venues for drum shops and community spaces in a new clinic tour sponsored by Yamaha. Set to visit five locations across the Northeast, the tour gives drummers a rare opportunity to learn up close from an artist whose resume spans everything from jazz clubs to film scores.
Known for his long-running collaborations with Pat Metheny and his award-winning score for Birdman, Sanchez has carved out a place in modern drumming not only through technical command but through a strong sense of narrative in his playing. The clinic tour, which begins June 6 in South Hadley, Massachusetts, is designed to reflect that same depth, less about showing off chops and more about how music can communicate something lasting.
Each stop on the tour will feature Antonio Sanchez performing on Yamaha’s Tour Custom Maple kit, a choice that mirrors his need for an instrument capable of flexibility without losing tone. While Yamaha is using the tour to spotlight its gear, it’s clear that the draw here is Sanchez himself. Audiences will hear material from his decades-long career, including recent tracks from his solo project, Bad Hombre, which blends jazz, electronics, and political themes into a singular voice.
The clinics aren’t performances in the traditional sense. Sanchez tends to treat these sessions more like conversations, working through ideas in real time. He often speaks about motivic development, how a single phrase or rhythmic shape can evolve over a piece, and demonstrates how structure and spontaneity can live side by side. The atmosphere is expected to be informal, encouraging questions and interaction, especially from younger drummers still figuring out their musical identity.
Stops include well-known drum hubs like Drum Center of Portsmouth in New Hampshire and Long Island Drum Center in Hicksville, New York. Each location is rooted in its local music community and known for supporting players at all levels. These shops are as much meeting places as they are retailers, which makes them a fitting setting for clinics focused on connection and curiosity.
Though Sanchez’s performance résumé includes work with icons like Chick Corea, Michael Brecker, and Charlie Haden, his reach goes beyond jazz circles. His scoring work has brought him into film and television, and his approach often borrows from cinematic pacing. That influence shows up in how he builds tension, allows space, and lands a musical idea with clarity, qualities that don’t rely on genre.
The tour wraps up June 11 in Towson, Maryland. With only five dates, the run is brief, but its intent is clear: a stripped-back opportunity to hear and study with a player whose career has consistently bridged complexity with meaning. For attendees, it may serve as a reminder that in drumming, as in storytelling, sometimes the most powerful moments are the ones you don’t expect.