Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Miguel Zenon: Jibaro
Miguel Zenon: Jibaro
ByIn addition to its unusual theme, Jibaro has another distinguishing feature: Zenón's saxophone playing, which tends to be very clear, lyrical, flowing, and intelligent. His solos are marked with insight and maturity, looking forward during development but always celebrating the moment, in the moment.
Unfortunately those strengths are cramped by a couple of major weaknesses. Zenón's ten compositions, at least the up-tempo ones, tend to be constrictive and limit group interplay. The question of where composition ends and arrangement begins is somewhat moot here, given the obvious interrelationship between the two. But lockstep formation tends not to foster much free exploration, and you need listen no further than the first minute or so to understand how limiting the ensemble work can be. The problem is exacerbated by drummer Antonio Sánchez, who consistently overplays, weighing down the music to the point where it just can't fly. Listen to the bombast of "Chorreao," a vehicle for mad skin-smashing, to appreciate this fully.
Miguel Zenón is obviously a talented player with originality and vision, but this effort falls short. I look forward to future projects that reveal a better appreciation of implication, subtlety, and understatement, not to mention a little more open-endedness.
(Note: for a great introduction to Jibaro music in its original form, including a 32-page bilingual booklet, check out this recent, highly recommended Smithsonian Folkways collection.)
Track Listing
Seis Cinco; Fajarde; Punto Cubano; Aguinaldo; Chorreao; Enramada; Villar; Llanera; Mariand; J.
Personnel
Album information
Title: Jibaro | Year Released: 2005 | Record Label: Marsalis Music
< Previous
Reads with Jazz In Canada & 14 Love P...
Comments
About Miguel Zenon
Instrument: Saxophone, alto
Related Articles | Concerts | Albums | Photos | Similar To