Miguel Zenón

Miguel Zenón
Background information
Born (1976-12-30) December 30, 1976
San Juan, Puerto Rico
Genres Jazz
Occupation(s) Musician
Instruments Alto saxophone
Years active 2000s–present
Labels Miel Music, Marsalis Music
Associated acts Miguel Zenón Quartet, SFJAZZ Collective
Website www.miguelzenon.com

Miguel Zenón (born December 30, 1976) is a Puerto Rican alto saxophonist, composer, bandleader, music producer and educator living in New York City. He is a Multiple Grammy nominee,[1] and the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship[2] and a MacArthur Fellowship.[3] Zenón has released ten albums as a bandleader and appeared on over 70 recordings as a sideman.[4]

Early life

Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Zenón was raised in Residencial Luis Llorens Torres, the largest housing project in the Island. Although he didn’t grow up in a family of musicians, he was nevertheless exposed to various styles of music from a very early age. At age 10 he received his first lessons on music theory and solfeggio from Ernesto Vigoreaux, an elderly gentleman who traveled from the adjacent neighborhood of Villa Palmeras to Llorens Torres every day in order to work with disadvantaged youth in the community.[5] Zenón would eventually be admitted to Escuela Libre de Música, a performing arts middle school and high school where he was trained for six years on classical saxophone by Angel Marrero.[6] On the 11th grade he was exposed to jazz music by some of his friends at the school and became very interested in the concept of improvisation and on the music of jazz saxophonist Charlie Parker. Although he had always shown interest on the natural sciences, he declined an engineering scholarship from the Recinto Universitario de Mayagüez (the foremost engineering institution in the Island) and decided to pursue a career in music.[7] After a year and a half worth of efforts to gather enough funds in scholarships and financial aid, Zenón moved to the city of Boston, MA in the spring of 1996 to begin his studies at Berklee College of Music.[8]

Education and Sideman Work

At Berklee, Zenón had the chance to play and interact with young musicians from all over the world, a list that includes Antonio Sánchez, Anat Cohen, Avishai Cohen, Jaleel Shaw, Jeremy Pelt, all classmates of Zenón at the school. During his time in Boston he was heavily influenced by his studies with Bill Pierce, Ed Tomassi and Hal Crook. It was also during this time that he met Panamanian pianist Danilo Pérez, who would become a mentoring figure and longtime supporter and collaborator.[9] After graduating Berklee in 1996 with a Bachelor Degree in Performance,[10] Zenón attended Manhattan School of Music, where he studied with Dick Oatts, Nils Vigeland and Ludmila Ulehla and received a Masters Degree in Performance in 2001 before settling in New York City.[11] As a sideman, he has worked with Charlie Haden, Fred Hersh, Kenny Werner, Guillermo Klein & Los Guachos, David Sánchez, The Village Vanguard Orchestra, The Mingus Big Band, Ray Barreto, Jerry González & The Fort Apache Band, Jeff Ballard Trio, Bobby Hutcherson, Steve Coleman, Andy Montañez, Brian Lynch, Antonio Sánchez, Miles Okazaki, Paoli Mejías, David Gilmore, Jason Lindner and others.

SF Jazz Collective

Zenón is also a founding member of the SFJAZZ Collective, an All Star Octet put together by SFJAZZ, a non-for-profit organization in San Francisco, CA. The group, which was founded in 2004, has a yearly residency in the Bay Area, where they rehearse arrangements and compositions by the members of the band and take part of educational activities. Some of the past and current members of the band include Joshua Redman, Bobby Hutcherson, Nicholas Payton, Brian Blade, Renee Rosnes, Joe Lovano, Dave Douglas, Robin Eubanks, Matt Penman, Eric Harland, Mark Turner, Avishai Cohen, Warren Wolf and many others.[12] Zenón is the only original member that remains in the band and has also served as resident artistic director for the first two seasons of the SFJAZZ Center, along with Bill Frisell, Jason Moran, Regina Carter and John Santos.[13]

As a Leader

The Miguel Zenón Quartet

In 1999 Zenón started getting together with Mexican drummer Antonio Sánchez (who he met at Berklee College of Music), Austrian bassist Hans Glawischnig (Zenón’s bandmate in the David Sanchez Group) and Venezuelan pianist Luis Perdomo (a classmate of Glawischnig’s at The Manhattan School of Music). They would meet for informal rehearsal sessions at Glawischnig’s apartment in New York’s Upper West Side and play through some of Zenón’s early compositions. The group, which would eventually become the Miguel Zenón Quartet,[14] soon started performing at various venues in the city, such as the C Note and The Jazz Gallery. In 2005 Sanchez began working regularly with The Pat Metheny Group, and was replaced in the Quartet by Puerto Rican drummer Henry Cole, for what has become the longest running version of the ensemble.[15]

Recordings as a Leader

He has released ten albums as a leader:

Teaching and Composing

Zenón has given hundreds of lectures and master classes and has taught all over the world at institutions which include: The Banff Centre,[27] Berklee College of Music, Siena Jazz,[28] Conservatorium Van Amsterdam,[29] Musik Akademie Basel, Conservatoire de Paris, University of Manitoba, Manhattan School of Music, Columbia University, Princeton University, Universidad Veracruzana,[30] UMass- Amherst[31] and The Brubeck Institute.[32] He is also a permanent faculty member at New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, MA.[33] As a composer he has been commissioned by SFJAZZ, The New York State Council for the Arts,[34] Chamber Music America, The John Simon Guggenheim Foundation,[35] Hyde Park Jazz Festival,[36] The Logan Center for the Arts,[36] Jazz Reach,[37] Peak Performances,[38] PRISM Quartet[39] and many of his peers.

Caravana Cultural

In 2011 Zenón founded Caravana Cultural, an initiative that organizes free-of-charge Jazz concerts in rural areas of Puerto Rico. Each concert focuses on the music of a distinguished jazz figure (Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, among others) and is preceded by a pre-concert presentation that touches on the basic elements of jazz and improvisation. The concert also incorporates young musicians from the community, who join the band on the last piece of the presentation. Caravana Cultural (which is funded and produced by Zenón) looks to make a “cultural investment” in the island using Jazz music as a vehicle, while at the same time expanding the audience for this genre in the Island.[40]

Awards and Recognitions

He has been featured in articles on publications such as The New York Times,[41] The Wall Street Journal,[42] The Los Angeles Times,[4] The Chicago Tribune,[43] Bloomberg Pursuits,[44] Jazz Times,[45] Jazziz, Boston Globe,[46] Billboard, Jazz Inside, Newsday,[47] Details, as well as gracing the cover of Downbeat Magazine on two occasions (2010 & 2014).[48][49] He has also topped the Rising Star Alto Sax category of the Downbeat Critic's Poll on four different occasions,[50] topped both the Jazz Artist of the Year and Alto Saxophonist of the Year categories on the 2014 Jazz Times Critics Poll[51] and was selected as the 2015 Alto Saxophonist of the Year by the Jazz Journalist Association.[52] Zenón is a four-time Grammy Nominee[24] and a two-time Latin Grammy Nominee.[25] In 2008 he received a fellowship from the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation[1] (which resulted on his recording Esta Plena) and later that year also received a fellowship from the MacArthur Foundation.[2]

Family

Zenón lives with in Washington Heights area of New York City with his wife Elga and their daughter Elena.

Discography

As a Leader[4]

As Sideman[4]

With Jeff Ballard

With Ray Barreto

With David Gilmore

With Hans Glawischnig

With Charlie Haden

With Guillermo Klein

With Jason Lindner

With Brian Lynch

With The Mingus Big Band

With Paoli Mejias

With Andy Montañez

With Miles Okazaki

With Luis Perdomo

With PRISM Quartet

With Antonio Sanchez

With David Sanchez

With SFJAZZ Collective

With Kenny Werner

Album Reviews

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Saxophonist Miguel Zenon mines the Puerto Rican songbook". LA Times Blogs - Culture Monster. 2011-11-18. Retrieved 2016-11-28.
  2. 1 2 "John S Guggenheim Fellowship".
  3. ↑ "Miguel Zenón — MacArthur Foundation". www.macfound.org. Retrieved 2016-11-28.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Miguel Zenón". miguelzenon.com. Retrieved 2016-11-28.
  5. ↑ "El genio del jazz que salió de Lloréns Torres (galería y video)". Retrieved 2016-11-29.
  6. ↑ "ODA A LA LIBRE - PROMO". Vimeo. Retrieved 2016-11-29.
  7. ↑ "Jazz Departments: Miguel Zenon - By John Murph — Jazz Articles". jazztimes.com. Retrieved 2016-11-29.
  8. ↑ "Berklee to Present Luis Alvarez with George Wein Impresario Award | Berklee College of Music". www.berklee.edu. Retrieved 2016-11-29.
  9. ↑ Ryzik, Melena (2015-01-18). "Danilo Pérez Builds a Magnet for Musicians in Panama". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2016-11-29.
  10. ↑ "Alumni Profile: Miguel Zenon '98 | Berklee College of Music". www.berklee.edu. Retrieved 2016-11-29.
  11. ↑ "Manhattan School of Music — Jazz Schools". jazztimes.com. Retrieved 2016-11-29.
  12. ↑ "SFJAZZ Collective | SFJAZZ". www.sfjazz.org. Retrieved 2016-11-29.
  13. ↑ "Jazz Reviews: Concert Review: Miguel Zenón at the SFJAZZ Center, May 22–25 - By Bill Beuttler — Jazz Articles". jazztimes.com. Retrieved 2016-11-29.
  14. ↑ TheJazzsphere (2013-06-26), Miguel Zenon - "Jibaro", retrieved 2016-11-29
  15. ↑ WBGO (2013-05-20), Miguel Zenon Quartet - Live at the Village Vanguard - 5.15.13, retrieved 2016-11-29
  16. ↑ "Miguel Zenon - Looking Forward - Blue Sounds". Blue Sounds. Retrieved 2016-11-29.
  17. ↑ Ratliff, Ben (2003-02-04). "IN PERFORMANCE: JAZZ; Soft and Easy Does It Or Energetic Boogaloo". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2016-11-29.
  18. ↑ "Miguel Zenón | Marsalis Music". www.marsalismusic.com. Retrieved 2016-11-29.
  19. ↑ Jazz, All About. "Miguel Zenon: Ceremonial". www.allaboutjazz.com. Retrieved 2016-11-29.
  20. ↑ "Jazz Reviews: JibaroMiguel Zenon - By David R. Adler — Jazz Articles". jazztimes.com. Retrieved 2016-11-29.
  21. ↑ "Saxophonist Zenón gets two Grammy nods". NY Daily News. Retrieved 2016-11-29.
  22. ↑ "Esta Plena Receives Latin Grammy Nomination! | Marsalis Music". www.marsalismusic.com. Retrieved 2016-11-29.
  23. ↑ "The Best Jazz Of 2011". NPR.org. Retrieved 2016-11-29.
  24. 1 2 "Jazzy Competition". The GRAMMYs. Retrieved 2016-11-29.
  25. 1 2 "Eight Alumni Nominated for 17 Latin Grammy Awards | Berklee College of Music". www.berklee.edu. Retrieved 2016-11-29.
  26. ↑ Bossa, Jazz N. (2015-12-08). "Puerto Rico Jazz: Internationally Renowned Saxophonist/Composer Miguel Zenón's Identities are Changeable Earns Grammy Nomination for "Best Latin Jazz Album"". Puerto Rico Jazz. Retrieved 2016-11-29.
  27. ↑ "Banff 2007 | Greenleaf Music - Dave Douglas jazz blog and store". www.greenleafmusic.com. Retrieved 2016-11-29.
  28. ↑ "All About Jazz Gallery".
  29. ↑ "Saxophone - Conservatorium van Amsterdam - Amsterdam University of the Arts". www.ahk.nl. Retrieved 2016-11-29.
  30. ↑ "Miguel Zenón volverá a Xalapa, ahora a JazzUV". Formato Siete. 2016-08-22. Retrieved 2016-11-29.
  31. ↑ "Saxophonist Miguel Zenon to perform Oct. 18". Office of News & Media Relations | UMass Amherst. Retrieved 2016-11-29.
  32. ↑ "News | Brubeck Institute". brubeckinstitute.wordpress.com. Retrieved 2016-11-29.
  33. ↑ "Miguel Zenón". New England Conservatory. Retrieved 2016-11-29.
  34. ↑ Ratliff, Ben (2004-06-05). "JAZZ REVIEW; Inspired by the Complexities Of Back-Country Troubadours". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2016-11-29.
  35. ↑ Ratliff, Ben (2008-12-03). "Miguel Zenón Focuses on Puerto Rican Plena". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2016-11-29.
  36. 1 2 "Miguel Zenon world premiere". Hyde Park Jazz Festival. Retrieved 2016-11-29.
  37. ↑ "JazzReach". www.jazzreach.org. Retrieved 2016-11-29.
  38. ↑ Ratliff, Ben (2012-02-07). "The Saxophonist Miguel Zenón at Montclair State". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2016-11-29.
  39. ↑ "Heritage/Evolution 2: PRISM Quartet with Tim Ries & Miguel Zenón at Symphony Space". PRISM Quartet. Retrieved 2016-11-29.
  40. ↑ "Miguel Zenón". www.miguelzenon.com. Retrieved 2016-11-29.
  41. ↑ Holden, Jon Pareles, Stephen; Chinen, Nate (2014-11-03). "Albums by Neil Young, Bette Midler and Miguel Zenón". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2016-11-29.
  42. ↑ Blumenfeld, Larry (2013-12-04). "Jazz Man Revisits His Two Homes". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2016-11-29.
  43. ↑ Reich, Howard. "Saxophonist Zenon gives 36th Jazz Festival its pinnacle". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2016-11-29.
  44. ↑ "The Art of Tux" (PDF).
  45. ↑ "Jazz Times" (PDF).
  46. ↑ "Miguel Zenón lets his rhythms follow a changing culture - The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved 2016-11-29.
  47. ↑ "Miguel Zenon turns traditional Puerto Rican sounds into innovative jazz". Heavy Sounds and The Abstract Truth. 2008-04-28. Retrieved 2016-11-29.
  48. ↑ "Downbeat 2010" (PDF).
  49. ↑ "Downbeat 2014" (PDF).
  50. ↑ "DownBeat Magazine". www.downbeat.com. Retrieved 2016-11-29.
  51. ↑ "Jazz Articles: The 2012 Expanded Critics' Poll - By JazzTimes — Jazz Articles". jazztimes.com. Retrieved 2016-11-29.
  52. ↑ "2015 JJA Jazz Awards WINNERS". JJA Jazz Awards 2016. Retrieved 2016-11-29.

External links

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