Art and music collide on pianist Marta Sanchez‘s first album of solo prepared piano with 2026’s For the Space You Left. Born in Spain and based in New York City, Sanchez often explores the connections between modern jazz, classical, and Iberian-folk traditions; a quality that marked both 2022’s SAAM (Spanish American Art Museum) and 2024’s Perpetual Void.
Here, she takes a more esoteric approach, crafting songs that often have the tactile, textural quality of sculpture. Much of this is due to the “prepared” aspects of her work, a process by which pianists use objects and materials to alter the sound of the instrument; in Sanchez’s case that means placing metallic paper, tape, Blu-Tack, and other materials between the strings.