Miguel Zenón
Miguel A. Zenón (born December 30, 1976 in San Juan , Puerto Rico ) is a Puerto Rican jazz musician ( alto saxophone , flute ), composer and band leader.
Live and act
Miguel Zenón grew up in Puerto Rico, first played the recorder in elementary school and then studied saxophone at the Escuela Libre de Musica in San Juan. He later received a scholarship as part of the Berklee in Puerto Rico program for the Berklee College of Music in Boston and began his music career in the 1990s with Bob Moses and in the Boston big band Either / Orchestra . Miguel Zenón moved to New York in 1998, encouraged by Danilo Pérez, to continue his studies at the Manhattan School of Music and in 2001 to obtain his master’s degree. Zenon then worked in the bands of Ray Barretto and David Sánchez , as well as with Guillermo Klein's formation Los Gauchos , Sebastian Weiss , Bobby Avey and in Charlie Haden's Liberation Music Orchestra and the Mingus Big Band . He has been a member of the SFJazz Collective since it was founded in 2004 .
In 2001 Zenón founded his own band, which consisted of the pianist Luis Perdomo , the bassist Hans Glawischnig and the drummer Antonio Sánchez ; Sánchez was replaced by Henry Cole in 2005. In 2002 the quartet's debut album, Looking Forward, was released on the Fresh Sounds / New Talent label . The following year he recorded the album Ceremonial on Branford Marsalis ' newly founded label Marsalis Music , where his next albums appeared. In 2004 he composed Jibaro , a homage to the rural folk music of his native Puerto Rico; During the recording, Zenón's quartet was complemented by a string quartet and brass instruments; The Grammy- nominated album , Alma Adentro , was also recorded in a large-format arrangement. Together with Laurent Coq , he set chapters of the novel Rayuela by Julio Cortázar to music ; the quartet album released in 2012 (with Dan Weiss and Dana Leong) was also presented in Europe in 2013.
Zenón also worked as a music teacher in programs at the New School in New York, the Banff Center in Canada and the Marsalis Jams Program .
Prizes and awards
From 2004 to 2006, Zenón received the Rising Star Alto Saxophone Award from the Down Beat Critics Poll, in 2006 the Best New Artist award from the reader survey in JazzTimes and in 2008 a Guggenheim grant. In 2008 he was a MacArthur Fellow . His album Sonero: The Music of Ismael Rivera received a Grammy nomination in the category Best Jazz Latin Album at the end of 2019 .
Discographic notes
- Looking Forward (Fresh Sound, 2001)
- Ceremonial (Marsalis Music, 2004)
- Awake (Marsalis Music, 2008), with Ben Gerstein
- Esta Plena (Marsalis Music, 2009)
- Alma Adentro: The Puerto Rican Songbook (Marsalis Music, 2011)
- Miguel Zenón & The Rhythm Collective: Oye !!! Live In Puerto Rico (Miel Music, 2013, with Tony Escapa, Aldemar Valentin, Reynaldo de Jesus)
- Típico (Miel Music, 2017)
- Miguel Zenón Spectral Quartet Featuring: Yo Soy La Tradición (Miel, 2018)
- Sonero: The Music of Ismael Rivera (2019)
- Tambor en Perspectiva (2020), with Paoli Meijas
Web links
- Web presence
- “In Conversation with Miguel Zenón” - Interview by Tomas Peña at Jazz.com
- Review of the album Awake at jazzchicago.net
- Miguel Zenón at Allmusic (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ 62nd Annual GRAMMY Awards (2019): Nominations - Best Latin Jazz Album: Sonero: The Music of Ismael Rivera
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Zenón, Miguel |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Zenón, Miguel A. |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Puerto Rican jazz musician |
| DATE OF BIRTH | December 30, 1976 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | San Juan (Puerto Rico) |