I've seen Miguel Zenon live in concert only once but that was all I needed to be convinced of his outstanding talent. It was a few years ago and I was stuffed into the 55 Bar in New York with forty or fifty other jazz lovers. It's a great spot to see a show - the cover is reasonable (as is the drink minimum), and there is no option but to be really close to the musicians. On the "bandstand" (floor, really) with Miguel that night were Antonio Sanchez on drums, Chris Potter on tenor and Ben Street on bass. It was an amazing night of music. So - when the opportunity presented itself to have Miguel perform at this year's festival, I jumped.
What I clearly remember from his performance that night is the excitement and intensity with which he played. I like some of my jazz with a bit of edge and he brought it - every time he played a solo the room lit up. He has a huge, gorgeous sound and outstanding technique; he gets around the saxophone as if it was the easiest thing in the world. And, as Tara Davidson revealed last night in our Artistic Director's Guide to the Festival - Live!, Miguel has worked for it - he's got a five-hour practice routine! Here's a little snippet to show off Miguel's playing:
"Residencial Llorens Torres" from Esta Plena
Miguel Zenón was born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico where he studied classical saxophone at the famed Escuela Libre de Musica. After graduating from Berklee, Miguel received a scholarship to attend Manhattan School of Music and in 2001, he received a Masters in Saxophone Performance. In 2004, Miguel was asked to become one of the founding members of the SFJAZZ Collective, an octet whose past and present members include Joshua Redman, Bobby Hutcherson, Nicholas Payton, Joe Lovano, Dave Douglas and Brian Blade, and who participate in a residency period where they workshop and rehearse new music, dividing their time between composing, performing and teaching.
In the few short years since finishing school, Miguel has played with some of the biggest names on the international jazz scene; was signed to Marsalis Records; earned repeated praise in The New York Times, Billboard Magazine and Downbeat Magazine (among others) and earned Grammy Award nominations in two categories for his album Esta Plena. It was the preparation for Esta Plena which earned him a 2008 Guggenheim Fellowship (for incorporating Puerto Rican folk melodies into jazz), and that same year he was awarded a MacArthur Grant.
So - talented AND a genius! Check out this short "making of" video - Miguel and Marsalis Music creator Branford Marsalis chatting about the making of Miguel's album Awake, as well as clips from the recording session:
The band featured on Awake is exactly the same band which will be performing at the Enwave Theatre in Toronto - Miguel with Luis Perdomo (piano), Hans Glawischnig (bass) and Henry Cole (drums). Here are two more samples from that album:
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