Miguel Zenon

   For those  of you who adhere to the notion that youth is wasted on the young, think again.  Take for instance, the extraordinarily talented Miguel Zenon, who is all of 25  years "old."  In his short but remarkable career Zenon has performed and  recorded with a diverse array of artists and groups; Danilo Perez, William  Cepeda's Afro Rican Jazz, the Either Orchestra, John Benitez, Gabriel Rodriguez,  Brian Lynch, The Village Vanguard Orchestra, the Jason Lindner Big Band and the  Grammy nominated David Sanchez Sextet.

   It is difficult to comprehend that the  saxophone was not Zenon's first instrument of choice, however, as he tells it,  "When I arrived at the "Escuela Libre de Musica" in Puerto Rico (at the age of  11) I really wanted to play the piano but they there were too many piano  students, so I had to choose another instrument. I had taken some music lessons  and had a saxophone (which I could not play) so I decided to stick with the  sax."

   Moreover, Zenon was not so sure he wanted to be a musician at all! He  was far more interested in "science, mathematics and other stuff." As time  passed he warmed up to the idea of pursuing a career as a musician.Zenón’s  formal studies began when he received a scholarship from the Puerto Rico  Heineken Jazz Festival. He then attended the Berklee School of Music, where he  received the Berklee Best Scholarship Award, the Cameron Weber award
and a grant  from the Corporation of Musical Arts of Puerto Rico. In 1998 Zenón received a  scholarship to attend the prestigious Manhattan School of Music where he  received his Master in Saxophone Performance (2001)

   Looking Forward marks  the first step in Zenón’s musical journey as a leader. "What I am trying to  achieve is to present the listener with a vision of the way I perceive music at  this point in my life. I (also) felt that I had to get some of my music  documented in order to keep evolving and growing as a musician. This would  encourage me to come up with new ideas and write new
material."

   The music is  a fusion of jazz, Latin, American, classical music and
folkloric Puerto Rican  rhythms. Zenón calls it, "a musical entity."
For example, "J. S. B" was  inspired by Johanne Sebastian Bach and is based on "Prelude and Fugue #3 in C  -Sharp Major." "Yochabel" (named after Zenon's sister) is a fusion of plena and  straight-ahead jazz. "Anxiety" is an idea inspired by the 20th century composer  Charles Ives and saxophonist Ornette Coleman that combines free form  improvisation and shades of Bomba. "El Bloque"was inspired by the music of Igor  Stravinsky and features a Bomba rhythm called "Holandes." It was written to  accommodate the alto sax (Zenon) and tenor sax (David Sanchez) trading  improvisations throughout the composition. "Campanitas de Cristal" is an updated  version of a classic Rafael Hernándezcomposition
and "Alma con Alma," is a  luscious ballad by Juanito Marquez.
Artistic freedom was a key factor in  Zenon's decision to record for Fresh Sound (his record label), "I chose Fresh  Sound because they were the only record company that offered me complete control  over what was going to be done musically and total freedom in terms of  production."

   The band is a combination of colleagues, friends and musicians  Zenon admires: David Sanchez (tenor saxophone), Hans Glawischnig (bass), Pernell Saturnino (percussion), Luis Perdomo (piano), Antonio Sánchez (drums), Diego  Urcola (trumpet), Ben Monder (guitar) and William Cepeda (bomba drums, vocals).  "I
chose the musicians because I love them as players and felt that they could  contribute something to the type of 'fusion' I was trying to achieve."
 

   Zenon  sums up his philosophy, "My intention was to create a musical melting pot by  exploring the endless possibilities and combining various musical elements. I  look forward to seeing this type of music evolve in the future. It is an ongoing  creative process that I hope to build on with time and  experience."

Review by Tomas Pena
Tracks:
1. Prayer #1  (Blessing)
2. Looking Forward
3. Yochabel
4. Pequeña Serenata Diurna [  listen ]
5. Campanitas de Cristal [ listen ]
6. Anxiety [ listen ]
7.  El Bloque [ listen ]
8. J.S.B.
9. Alma Con Alma [ listen ]
10. El Cruze  [ listen ]
11. Prayer #2 (Thanksgiving)

    Miguel Zenon update: In 2004 Miguel released his second recording as a  leader, Ceremonial (Marsalis Music). Miguel, who is in high demand as a sideman  can also be heard on the following recordings: Charlie Haden,The Land of the Sun
 (Verve 2004),Verve - David Sanchez, Coral (Sony 2004), Luis Perdomo, Focus  Point (RKM 2004), Paoli Mejias, Mi Tambor (2004), Kendrick Oliver & The New  Life Jazz Orchestra, Welcome to New Life (Sphere 2003), Hans Glawischnig, Common  Ground (Fresh Sound New Talent 2003), The Jinga Quintet, A Day Gone By (Fresh  Sound World Jazz2003) and Ray Barretto, Homage to Art Blakey (Sunnyside 2003)  among others.

     Miguel recently premiered Jibaro Journeys (for  the New York State Council of the Arts), which debuted at the Jazz Gallery in  New  York.