Miguel Zenon: Awake (2008)

Tom Greenland

CD/DVD Reviewer since 2005

Tom is a New York City based guitarist, pianist, composer, arranger, journalist, photographer, & educator.

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Published: June 8, 2008

From its very first notes (played by a string quartet), Awake is identifiably Miguel Zenon: lyrical, spiritual and original. For his fourth date as a leader Zenon reunites his go-to posse—Luis Perdomo (piano) and Hans Glawischnig (bass)—but with a key change in the drum chair, Henry Cole replacing Antonio Sanchez.

The strings are artfully employed on the opener as a contrapuntal foil for Zenon's featherlight interweavings and on "Lamamilla" as a trilling texture evoking birdcalls; Tony Malaby, Michael Rodriguez and Ben Gerstein (on tenor, trumpet and trombone, respectively) make a brief cameo as a free jazz "choir' on "Awakening—Interlude." The compositions are first-rate, especially the anthemic "Camaron" (named for the great flamenco cantaor), the haunting "The Missing Piece," the Middle-Eastern-flavored "Santo" and the dense and off-kiltered "Third Dimension." Zenon's alto work is scintillating and effervescent; with a full, unforced tone he facilely negotiates the horn's total register, delivering up tightly constructed, rapid-fire lines containing chain-linked motifs and complex inner motion that, for all their logic and density, nonetheless retain a certain levity and grace.

In person at New York's Jazz Standard Apr. 30th, 2008, Zenon's group opened with a rousing rendition of "Camaron," capped by a no-holds-barred alto cadenza. Next was the hyperdriven "Residencial Llorens Torres," followed by a bittersweet "Amor," featuring a solo sax interlude in which Zenon slowly worked a minimalist melody into passages of lyric poetry, the room falling quiet in appreciation. Finally, a fast and funky "Third Dimension" found Zenon bobbing and weaving like a boxer as his improvisation intensified, Perdomo and Glawischnig providing support with rolling climaxes, and Cole launching salvos of bass drum bombs.

Track Listing: Awakening - Prelude; Camar

Personnel: Miguel Zen

Record Label: Marsalis Music
Style: Straight-ahead/Mainstream

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Date	Venue	Tickets
May30	SF Jazz Center San Francisco, CA
May30	SFJAZZ Center San Francisco, CA
May31	Sf Jazz Center San Francisco, CA
May31	SFJAZZ Center San Francisco, CA
Jun01	SF Jazz Center San Francisco, CA
Jun01	SFJAZZ Center San Francisco, CA
Jun02	SF Jazz Center San Francisco, CA
Jun02	SFJAZZ Center San Francisco, CA
Jun11	Blue Note New York New York, NY	buy
Jun12	Blue Note New York New York, NY	buy
Jun13	Blue Note New York New York, NY	buy