Miguel Zenón Quartet
Sunday, March 12th at 3:00 pm
Art of Jazz Series
Kleinhans Music Hall-Mary Seton Room
The next Art of Jazz Series concert event will feature one of the most prominent saxophonists and composers in jazz today, Miguel Zenón. Scheduled for Sunday, March 12th at 3:00 pm, Zenón’s appearance put a spotlight on the series theme this year, the art of composition.
Zenón’s unrivaled innovative compositions produced yet antoher banner year for the prolific jazz artist. His acclaimed epic album Música De Las Américas earned two 2023 Grammy nominations, one for Best Latin Jazz Album and one for Best Instrumental Composition.
“This music is inspired by the history of the American continent: not only before European colonization but also by what’s happened since-cause and effect,” says Zenón of the album of all original works. The music pays tribute to diverse cultures while also challenging modern assumptions about who and what “America” is. It earned broad acclaim, including 4.5 stars from Frank Alkyer in DownBeat Magazine, which called the album “an incredibly uplifting listen.” Thom Jurek in AllMusic called it a “crowning achievement” and “a commanding statement on history, tragedy, revolution, evolution, and the continued struggle for self-determination and dignity.”
Keanna Faircloth of NPR Music said the album is “Brilliant…You can feel the fire.” Morgan Enos wrote in JazzTimes, “Head-turning melodies, crackling rhythms, and swinging for days – that’s what great jazz is about….”
An 11-time Grammy nominee and Guggenheim and MacArthur Fellow, Zenón is one of a select group of musicians who have masterfully balanced and blended the often-contradictory poles of innovation and tradition.
Miguel Zenón is widely considered one of the most groundbreaking and influential saxophonists of his generation. He has also developed a unique voice as a composer and conceptualist, concentrating his efforts on perfecting a fine mix between jazz and his many influences.
Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Zenón has recorded and toured with a wide variety of musicians including Charlie Haden, Fred Hersch, David Sánchez, Danilo Pérez, Kenny Werner, Bobby Hutcherson, and The SFJAZZ Collective. He is on faculty at both New England Conservatory and MIT.
Tickets for this special Art of Jazz Series presentation are available at the Kelinhans Music Hall website. at this link:
Get tickets soon to assure seeing one of the most significant jazz artists of the past two decades.
