Testing the musical knowledge of world class artists with a series of classic recordings, getting their in-the-moment impressions and insights into their tastes and influences.

Two members of the SFJAZZ Collective, bassist Matt Brewer and saxophonist David Sánchez, are in focus for this Drop the Needle episode. They dig deep into touchstones of Afro-Cuban jazz from the 1940s to the 1980s and share personal stories and recollections evoked by these masterful compositions.

Since his early exposure with Dizzy Gillespie’s United Nations Orchestra, Puerto Rican tenor saxophone virtuoso David Sánchez has become one of the most celebrated instrumentalists in jazz, recording nine albums as a leader and winning a Latin GRAMMY Award for his 2004 orchestral session, Coral. The five-time GRAMMY nominee has performed with a roster of greats including Charlie Haden, Eddie Palmieri, Roy Haynes, Tom Harrell and countless others. Sánchez has an impressive résumé as an educator, conducting master classes, workshops and residencies at the world’s top universities and conservatories.

Matt Brewer was born in Oklahoma City and grew up in Albuquerque NM, surrounded by a family of musicians and artists. At the age of 10, Matt fell in love with the bass and began a lifelong study of music. He graduated high school from the Interlochen Arts Academy and studied at the Juilliard School. He's travelled the world playing in the bands of Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Greg Osby, Steve Coleman, Dave Binney, Gerald Clayton, Ben Wendel, Aaron Parks, Vijay Iyer, Dhafer Youssef, Antonio Sanchez, Mark Turner, Steve Lehman, Ben Monder, and Lage Lund, among many others. He has been a frequent guest lecturer at the Banff Center and is an adjunct faculty member at the New School University.

Track listings:
“Manteca” - Dizzy Gillespie (1947)
“Ayiko, Ayiko” - Art Blakey & The Afro-Drum Ensemble from “The African Beat” (1962)
“En Aquellos Tiempos” - Batacumbele from “En Aquellos Tiempos” (1983)
“Cuba Linda” - Grupo Folklorico y Experimental Nuevayorquino from “Concepts in Unity” (1975)
“Evidence” - Jerry Gonzalez from “Ya Yo Me Curé” (1980)