Puerto Rico native David Sanchez took up the congas at age 8. He switched to tenor saxophone four years later. Coming out of San Juan's Escuela Libre de Música, Sanchez could start thinking seriously about a career in music. He waited a little while and then, at age 20, moved to New York City. After working freelance for two years, the musician joined Dizzy Gillespie's orchestra. His first solo album, Sketches of Dreams, came out in 1994, and incorporated Afro-Cuban and post-bop influences. In 2008, Sanchez released Cultural Survival, which featured an ambitious 20 minute long composition, La Leyenda de Cañaveral. In 2012, he collaborated with Christian Scott and Stefon Harris on Ninety Miles.