Antonio Sanchez, Anat Cohen with The Gabriel Espinosa Latin Jazz Sextet

Grammy-winning drummer Antonio Sanchez — who composed the score for the 2014 film Birdman — and renowned clarinetist-saxophonist Anat Cohen will join  The Gabriel Espinosa Latin Jazz Sextet for a free, public concert with at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 19, in Sebring-Lewis Hall, Bucksbaum Center for the Arts.

Tickets, which are free, are required for admission. They will be available beginning Tuesday, Feb. 16, at the Bucksbaum Center Box Office.

A bassist from Merida, Mexico, Espinosa has been performing since he was 14. He received his bachelor's degree in music from Central College in Pella, Iowa, and went on to earn a diploma in arranging from Berklee College of Music in Boston and a master's degree in music from the University of North Texas. In his last year at Berklee, Espinosa formed the group Ashanti with his friend and classmate George Robert.

Espinosa returned to Central College to become director of jazz studies but continued to perform with Ashanti, recording three albums with the group.

He also recorded three more albums after Ashanti: From Yucatan to Rio as a solo artist, and Celebrando and Samba Little Samba with virtuoso jazz harmonica player Hendrik Meurkens of Germany.

Cohen and Sanchez played a few tracks as guest artists on all three of these albums. The concert at Grinnell primarily will feature music from the three albums.

In 2014 the Greater Des Moines Community Jazz Center honored Espinosa with the Iowa Jazz Hall of Fame award for his years of leadership in jazz music. 

Cohen has been honored as Clarinetist of the Year eight years in a row by the Jazz Journalists Association. She also received the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publisher's Wall of Fame prize for composition and musicianship in 2009. She has toured worldwide with her quartet, headlining at jazz festivals and performing at top jazz clubs.

Sanchez, a five-time Grammy-winning drummer born in Mexico City, has been playing the drums since age 5. After moving to New York City, he became famous on the international jazz scene, playing drums on more than 100 albums and performing with some of the biggest names in jazz, including Chick Corea, Toots Thielemans and the late Michael Brecker. Sanchez  won the Sound Stars Award for Best Film Score at the 2014 Venice Film Festival for his work on Birdman.

Grinnell welcomes and encourages the participation of people with disabilities. Accommodation requests may be made to Conference Operations and Events.