Miguel Zenón
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Welcome to the Vermont Jazz Center where we are honored to present Miguel Zenón in concert with Luís Perdomo on piano, Matt Penman on bass, and Henry Cole on drums.
Saxophonist Miguel Zenón was mentored by the legendary Panamanian pianist Danilo Perez and Puerto Rican saxophonist, David Sánchez. He was a founding member of SF Jazz Collective (2004-2019), and in the early 2000s toured and recorded with Ray Barretto, Charlie Haden, the Mingus Big Band and many others.His discography as a leader began in 2002 with the prescient recording: Looking Forward. To date, Zenón can be heard on about 70 albums as a side-person and has released eighteen commercially available recordings as a leader. His critical acclaim includes 14 Grammy nominations and, in 2024 along with pianist Luís Perdomo, a Grammy Award for Best Latin Jazz Album.
In his late teens, Miguel had to choose between scholarships to study engineering or music. Music won out, but his love for math, engineering and disciplined study have served him well. In an interview with D’Addario, Zenón discussed his methodology: “Through all the different projects that I’ve made, what I really enjoyed is this idea of focusing on one project or one source of information, be it something that has to do with Puerto Rico, or something else that interests me…That research part, for me, is as important as writing the music.” Zenón’s curiosity, discipline and passion have led to an associate professorship at MIT, and an affiliation with Columbia University where he is involved with the Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute. In 2008, Miguel received the prestigious MacArthur Fellowship, also known as the Genius Grant. In 2022 he received an Honorary Doctorate from La Universidad del Sagrado Corazón in Puerto Rico.
Zenón is especially proud of his “close relationship with Puerto Rico” and visits frequently to teach and spend time with his family. In an interview with CODA Podcast, he stated that Puerto Rico “is my principal inspiration and serves as a bridge to understanding and portraying my true self.” Nonetheless, he is quick to point out that his varied discography, although greatly informed by his knowledge of Latin music, is broad. In the Grammy Award website, he is quoted as saying: “I consider myself a jazz musician who happens to be from Latin America.”
What is it that makes Zenón’s music so important, so interesting, and so listenable? It’s a combination of the intentional quality of his sound, his unfathomable attention to rhythmic detail, and his heart connection to the music and to the community.
Sound: Even though Miguel can play biting lines that cut through and lead a musical arrangement, he sculpts his tone and balances his intensity with great beauty. He alludes to his sound as a thumbprint that represents his identity: “I’m attracted to personality in sound. And that’s something that I work on myself. I’ve always been really interested in the idea that the instrument is a reflection of our personality and it’s a reflection of the way our bodies move.” Zenón’s sound is instantly recognizable – it reflects his individuality, but it also embodies the legacy of his vast and diverse influences.
Rhythm: Zenón’s ability to create and manipulate rhythmical tapestries leaves most musicians flabbergasted. He uses rhythm as a tool to create new layers of sounds, as a prompt for composing, and as a visceral device to make people move. In an interview on the Dr. Jazz Talks podcast, Zenón discussed his approach: “Even before I played any instruments I was always attracted to the abstract idea of rhythm and eventually, once I started to understand the theory of rhythm, I became even more attracted to it because there was there was a certain intellectual side to it. But I’m also interested in rhythm as an agent for groove…I want it to feel like it’s grooving, you know, like it has a drive.”
Social Endeavors: Zenón uses his involvement with music as a direct way to benefit his chosen communities. For example, in 2011 Zenón used the funds he received from the MacArthur “Genius” fellowship to launch the Caravana Cultural Project, a jazz awareness program he designed to eventually visit all 78 municipalities of Puerto Rico. The free, day-long events include pre-concert educational sessions, a performance with Zenón’s quartet, and the on-stage inclusion of area youth musicians.
Joining Zenón will be members of his long-standing quartet. All, except Matt Penman, have been with him for about twenty-five years.
Born in 1971 in Caracas, Venezuela, the group’s pianist Luís Perdomo has appeared on over two hundred recordings and has become sideman to artists like Dave Douglas, David Sanchez, Tom Harrell, Steve Turre, Ben Wolfe, Ray Barretto, Brian Lynch, David Gilmore, Conrad Herwig, Ignacio Berroa, Ralph Irizarry and Timbalaye. He was a member of Ravi Coltrane’s Quartet and performed with them for ten years.
Bassist Matt Penman moved from New Zealand to the U.S to attend Berklee College of Music and ended up as a first-call bassist in the NYC jazz scene. He is a legacy member of the SFJazz Collective and is the founder of the James Farm quartet with Joshua Redman, Aaron Parks and Eric Harland. Penman has recorded and performed with John Scofield, Joe Lovano, Wayne Shorter, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Kenny Werner, Aaron Goldberg, Dave Douglas, Chris Cheek, Seamus Blake, Guillermo Klein, Rebecca Martin, Nicholas Payton, Fred Hersch and Madeleine Peyroux. He is featured on over 100 recordings and has released four albums as a leader.
Drummer Henry Cole performs and records with Grammy winner David Sánchez, the Edward Simon Trio, Fabian Almazan, Residente, Calle 13, Gerald Clayton, Ben Wendel, Eric Reed, Seamus Blake, the LeBoeuf Brothers and others. He leads the Afro-Beat Collective. Born in 1979 and raised in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. He has performed with Giovanni Hidalgo, Dave Valentin, Jerry Gonzalez, Danilo Pérez, Branford Marsalis, Luís Marin, William Cepeda’s Afro-Rican Jazz, salsa artists La PVC, the rock band Vivanativa and many others.
The VJC thanks board president, Julian Gerstin for making this concert possible and for keeping it accessible to all.
Eugene Uman