Miguel zenon biography

alto saxophone

Saxophonist and composer Miguel Zenón is widely recognized as one of the most groundbreaking and influential musicians of his generation, with a unique voice that fuses jazz with his many musical influences. He topped the Jazz Artist of the Year and Alto Saxophonist of the Year categories in the JazzTimes Critics Poll and was selected as Alto Saxophonist of the Year by the Jazz Journalists Association in , , , and (when he was also recognized as Arranger of the Year). In , he was recognized bygd the same organization as the Composer of the Year.

Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and now based in New York City, Zenón has released 17 albums as a leader, including his latest Golden City (), the Grammy-winning skiva El Arte Del Bolero Vol. 2 (), and the Grammy-nominated Música dem Las Américas (). He has worked with luminaries such as the SFJAZZ Collective, Charlie Haden, Fred Hersch, Kenny Werner, David Sánchez, Danilo Perez, the Vanguard

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Miguel Zenon

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A native of San Juan, Puerto Rico, Miguel Zenón studied saxophone at the famed Escuela Libre de Musica; an institution that boasts distinguished alumnus throughout the musical world. Although Zenón listened to and explored the music of Charlie Parker and other jazz greats while in high school, it wasn't until he began his studies at the Berklee School of Music, where he received a scholarship from the Puerto Rico Heineken Jazz Festival, that his formal jazz training began.

Zenón excelled at Berklee and received the Berklee Best Scholarship Award, the Frederic Cameron Weber Award and a grant from the Corporation of Musical Arts while in attendance. It was also during this time that he became active in the Boston area jazz scene and gained professional experience with the drummer Bob Moses' Mozamba and the Either/Orchestra.

Upon his graduation in , Zenón received a scholarship

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Miguel Zenón

Multiple Grammy Nominee and Guggenheim and MacArthur Fellow Miguel Zenón represents a select group of musicians who have masterfully balanced and blended the often contradictory poles of innovation and tradition. Widely considered as one of the most groundbreaking and influential saxophonists of his generation, he has also developed a unique voice as a composer and as a conceptualist, concentrating his efforts on perfecting a fine mix between Latin American Folkloric Music and Jazz.

Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Zenón has released twelve recordings as a leader, including the Grammy Nominated Sonero: The Music of Ismael Rivera (), Yo Soy La Tradición () and Típico (). As a sideman he has worked with jazz luminaries such as The SFJAZZ Collective, Charlie Haden, Fred Hersch, Kenny Werner, David Sánchez, Danilo Perez, The Village Vanguard Orchestra, Kurt Elling, Guillermo Klein & Los Guachos, The Jeff Ballar