Jazz Articles about Miguel Zenon

About Miguel Zenon

Radio & Podcasts

Miguel Zenón: Sounds of Home and Heroes

by Russell Perry
July 20, 2021

In the last hour, we heard from Rudresh Mahanthappa who, together with Miguel Zenón, has dominated the critics polls for alto players over the past decade Like Mahanthappa, Zenon brings his heritage into the mix featuring the music of Puerto Rico as not just an influence, but an inspiration. Also like Mahanthappa, he pays tribute to his alto hero in his most recent recording to honor Ornette Coleman. Recent music from Miguel Zenón in the next hour of Jazz at ...

Album Review

Ches Smith’s We All Break: Path of Seven Colors

Read "Path of Seven Colors" reviewed by Vic Albani

by Vic Albani
May 31, 2021

Il fatto che da qualche anno la produzione discografica non sia più nelle strette mani delle multinazionali sta man mano aprendo infinite possibilità per gli artisti più creativi e, quantomeno in questo caso, ai nomi collegabili all'avanguardia. Oramai la situazione è chiarissima per i fruitori della stessa (in breve, a noi ascoltatori). Si brindi dunque e innanzitutto alla pianista-compositrice canadese Kris Davis che ha fondato la Pyroclastic Records nel 2016 (al tempo per trovare sbocco alle sue registrazioni ...

Album Review

Ches Smith / We All Break: Path of Seven Colors

Read "Path of Seven Colors" reviewed by Karl Ackermann

by Karl Ackermann
May 20, 2021

For some time, drummer/composer Ches Smith kept his interest in the Voudou music of Haiti at bay. Recognizing himself as an outsider in that world, he researched, listened, studied, and after years brought a project to fruition. Smith's group We All Break released their self-titled, self-produced debut in 2017 and received less attention than deserved. Now on Kris Davis' Pyroclastic Records, the outstanding Path of Seven Colors should produce wide recognition. Path of Seven Colors is a two-disc ...

Album Review

Miguel Zenón: Law Years: The Music of Ornette Coleman

Read "Law Years: The Music of Ornette Coleman" reviewed by John Chacona

by John Chacona
March 23, 2021

How do you hear Ornette Coleman's music? As an unlikely but logical extension of bebop vocabulary? As “free" chaos untethered from harmony? As a tributary of the great stream of Texas saxophonists? As jazz's purest melodism? The music of Coleman, who would have turned 91 years on March 9 2021, was all of those things and many more. Why shouldn't a body of work that presents so many points of entry be as ubiquitous on record as that ...

Album Review

Miguel Zenon: Law Years: The Music of Ornette Coleman

Read "Law Years: The Music of Ornette Coleman" reviewed by Neri Pollastri

by Neri Pollastri
March 22, 2021

Da oltre un decennio autore di lavori di notevole qualità, spesso incentrati sulla rilettura della musica latinoamericana entro la quale è cresciuto—come nel recente El Arte Del Bolero, in duo con Luis Perdomo —, il contraltista di origini portoricane Miguel Zenon pubblica stavolta un omaggio a un Maestro assoluto del jazz al quale dichiara nelle note tutta la sua devozione: Ornette Coleman. Il disco è un live registrato al jazz club Bird's Eye di Basilea il 28 maggio ...

Album Review

Edward Simon: 25 Years

Read "25 Years" reviewed by Angelo Leonardi

by Angelo Leonardi
March 11, 2021

Al pubblico del jazz non piacciono molto le compilations ma questa del pianista Edward Simon è speciale. I diciassette brani del doppio CD sono stati scelti da lui--come bilancio e riflessione personale nel 25° anno della sua attività da leader--e forniscono una variopinta retrospettiva delle sue tappe musicali. «L'idea mi è venuta l'anno scorso (2019) quando ho compito 50 anni--ha detto al Columbia Daily Tribune--La raccolta è nata da uno spirito di celebrazione e dalla consapevolezza di quante cose siano ...

Album Review

César Cardoso: Dice of Tenors

Read "Dice of Tenors" reviewed by Hrayr Attarian

by Hrayr Attarian
March 3, 2021

The captivating and cinematic Dice of Tenors is Portugese saxophonist César Cardoso's fourth release as a leader. Cardoso has brought together an international octet of accomplished musicians for an eight track tribute to six saxophone giants including John Coltrane, Hank Mobley, and Benny Golson. In addition to six standards either penned or popularized by these legendary tenorists, there are two Cardoso originals which are in the same spirit as the covers. Cardoso's haunting “Rafaela" is constructed out of ...