He attained a degree in classical piano from the National Conservatory in 1993 and then moved to Boston, Massachusetts, to study at Berklee College of Music.

Later in 1997, Perez invited Sánchez to be a part of his acoustic trio which resulted in extensive touring, and the recording of the Grammy Award-nominated album Motherland.

The album includes Pat Metheny, Chick Corea, Chris Potter, David Sánchez, and Scott Colley.

However, he was disqualified to compete for the Academy Award for Best Original Score, since the film also contained a significant amount of classical music.

[13] Sánchez continued working with the Pat Metheny band in 2019 as they toured extensively and released an album of new material in 2020 entitled From This Place.

II), sees Sánchez joining forces with a diverse range of collaborators, including Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross, Dave Matthews & Pat Metheny, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Meshell Ndegeocello, Kimbra, Lila Downs, Ana Tijoux, Becca Stevens, Silvana Estrada, MARO and Thana Alexa.

Sánchez plays Yamaha drums, Remo drumheads, and Zildjian cymbals and sticks, as well as LP Percussion exclusively.

With Michael Brecker With Dewa Budjana With Gary Burton With Avishai Cohen With Scott Colley With Chick Corea With Bendik Hofseth With Pat Metheny With Enrico Pieranunzi