SWR Big Band / Magnus Lindgren & John Beasley - Bird Lives (November 12, 2021 ACT Music)

2020 wasn’t just Beethoven’s year, it was also the centenary of Charlie Parker’s birth. And if it hadn’t been for the pandemic, the world would have seen notices of all kinds of major concerts to celebrate the legacy of Bird (as Charlie Parker was known), one of the giants of jazz; one of the great musical innovators of the 20th century; the co-inventor of bebop; and probably the most important and influential saxophonist in jazz.

The "Bird Lives" music on this new album was to have been recorded and premiered by the SWR Big Band a couple of months before Charlie Parker’s 100th anniversary, which was on August 29, 2020. The world premiere was scheduled at the iconic Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles - which seats 18,000 people - with co-arranger and conductor, John Beasley and his six-time GRAMMY-award nominated MONK’estra Big Band with a string section during the week leading up to Bird’s centenary. Both of those dates were lost to Covid, but the recording, a commission from the SWR Big Band, and with a stellar roster of guest artists, was able to develop at a much more measured pace. When safety rules permitted, the musicians met to record in Stuttgart mid November 2020.

The extra time enabled the collaborative partnership of Swedish saxophonist Magnus Lindgren and American pianist John Beasley as co-arrangers to imagine further and dive deeper. Lindgren and Beasley met at the Jakarta Jazz Festival in Indonesia 5 years ago. That sparked an invitation to have Sweden’s Blue House Big Band to play MONK’estra’s music. A bond was formed because of the mutual admiration for each other’s unique style of arranging. Both musicians were keen to find a project to work seamlessly together in the unusual guise of co-arrangers. "For both of us it was our first time arranging as a team," Lindgren points out. "We sent ideas and drafts back and forth between Stockholm and Los Angeles. We actually didn’t have many suggestions about each other’s writing because it was so fresh and had the bang-on feel we aimed for." Five of the eight tracks on the album are co-arrangements. "It was a very creative way to make music, " says John Beasley. "Two was more magical than one for "Bird Lives". As we were all in lockdown, working so closely with Lindgren, who has such a ripe musical mind, it surely was more fun but kept me sane."

© Lena Semmelroggen

Magnus Lindgren was voted Sweden's best jazz musician in 2001, he has gone on to win many important prizes internationally. He says: "When I started playing the saxophone at 13, Charlie Parker was my ultimate hero, so this project really does bring me full circle." Lindgren has been Artist in Residence with the SWR Big Band since 2018, a post which has been renewed for him for another three years. He has overseen an ongoing development in the band’s sound both through reinforcing its engagement as a specialist ensemble in orchestral jazz, and also by exploring various projects involving modern reinterpretations and makeovers of works from the jazz/big band canon.

John Beasley’s work as composer-arranger and pianist extends beyond jazz into film and television, notably alongside Thomas Newman working on "1917", James Bond: "Skyfall" and "Spectre". Beasley has nine GRAMMY nominations and won Best Arrangement for Charlie Parker’s "Donna Lee" in 2021. Beasley is Music Director for International Jazz Day global gala concerts hosted by the Herbie Hancock Jazz Institute. His 2016 "Jazz in the White House" earned Beasley an Emmy nomination for Best Musical Direction.

Based in Stuttgart, the SWR Big Band was founded in 1951 and from its early days has been known as the "Daimler of the big bands" - a reference to the fact that Stuttgart is Motor City. The band has been ranked among the best jazz orchestras in the world for many years, with four Grammy nominations. It has attracted a roll call of stellar guests, from Miles Davis and Chet Baker in the early days to Dee Dee Bridgewater and Jacob Collier much more recently.

"Bird Lives" sits firmly in this tradition, of the SWR Band wanting – and making sure they present – the absolute best in music. The guest artists on "Bird Lives", speaks to getting the A-list of saxophonists to pay tribute to Charlie Parker. On the opening track, multiple Jazz Critics poll-winner Chris Potter makes a mark with his inimitable sound and his flawless technique. Tia Fuller was musical director for Esperanza Spalding and solo projects like "Angelic Warrior" contributes an amazingly laid-back modern version of "Summertime".

Then, two tracks on, we hear the great Joe Lovano letting his tenor sax hover over "I'll Remember April" with the particular warmth, softness, and expressive breadth that are uniquely his. Miguel Zenón brings a Latin touch and rhythm to Parker's "Donna Lee"; and sax-great Charles McPherson who toured with Mingus plays luminously and meltingly in "Laura", the song from the 1945 film with the same title. The French singer Camille Bertault is a new and rising vocalist. Her supreme craft and agility is heard here in a direct vocal transcribe of Charlie Parker's "Koko".

"Bird Lives" feels like a soundtrack for an imaginary film co-written by Lindgren and Beasley. The SWR Big Band performs with a string section of 10 players, but this recording is not a re-creation of Parker’s "Bird With Strings" albums. "We wanted to introduce new generations to Bird’s music, but we also wanted Bird fans to hear his music in a fresh and new approach," Beasley explains, noting that near the end of his life, Parker idolised Edgard Varese and was longing to bring more structure, depth and variety into the way he wrote for orchestra. "We didn't want to repeat what that has been done before, but rather create something different," adds Lindgren.

The choice of compositions is true to the duo’s aim: there are Parker originals such as "Scrapple from the Apple," bursting with bebop, there are also some of his favourite standards, such as the opening "Cherokee/Koko" mash-up and the grand finale "Overture to Bird". But above all the great arrangements suit the context: they not only play to the strengths of the classic big band and of Parker's endlessly inventive music, but also enhance them with newer stylistic elements, such as a joyous celebratory funk reading of "Confirmation".

Charlie Parker was still in the early stages of working with orchestras when he died at the tragical early age of 34. "Bird Lives" may chart territory fulfilled dreams that Parker was not able to explore in his short lifetime. This recording has nothing of the "museum-piece" about it: this is music both of and for our time.

1. SWR Big Band, Magnus Lindgren & John Beasley with Camille Bertault feat. John Beasley with Chris Pot - Cherokee - Koko

2. SWR Big Band, Magnus Lindgren & John Beasley with Tia Fuller feat. Klaus-Peter Schöpfer & Klaus-Pete - Summertime

3. SWR Big Band, Magnus Lindgren & John Beasley feat. Martin Auer & Magnus Lindgren & Magnus Lindgren & - Scrapple from the Apple

4. SWR Big Band, Magnus Lindgren & John Beasley with Joe Lovano - I'll Remember April

5. SWR Big Band, Magnus Lindgren & John Beasley feat. Magnus Lindgren, Axel Kühn & Marc Godfroid & Magn - Confirmation

6. SWR Big Band, Magnus Lindgren & John Beasley with Miguel Zenon feat. Decebal Badila, Magnus Lindgren - Donna Lee

7. SWR Big Band, Magnus Lindgren & John Beasley with Charles McPherson - Laura

8. SWR Big Band, Magnus Lindgren & John Beasley feat. Klaus Graf, Matthias Erlewein, Magnus Lindgren, J - Overture to Bird

SWR Big Band & Strings

co-arranged by Magnus Lindgren & John Beasley

Magnus Lindgren / music director, flute & tenor sax

John Beasley / piano & keys

Guests:

Chris Potter / tenor sax

Joe Lovano / tenor sax

Miguel Zenon / alto sax

Tia Fuller / alto sax

Charles McPherson / alto sax

Camille Bertault / vocal

Pedrito Martinez / percussion

Munyungo Jackson / percussion

Produced by Hans-Peter Zachary, Magnus Lindgren & John Beasley

PREORDER

Dave Meder's UNAMUNO SONGS AND STORIES (w/ Miguel Zenón, Philip Dizack) is out October 29, 2021

Celebrated Pianist, Composer and Educator Dave Meder Announces His Impassioned Sophomore Release Unamuno Songs and Stories, Out October 29 via Outside in Music

Outside in Music is thrilled to announce the October 29th release of Unamuno Songs and Stories, the latest album from pianist and composer Dave Meder. This release is a stunning response to recent sociopolitical turmoil in the United States, using the writings of Spanish Civil War-era philosopher Miguel de Unamuno as a historical analogy. Making poignant statements about this “critical moment” in American history, Unamuno Songs and Stories aims to celebrate life with themes of hope, love, and peace just as much as it serves to raise awareness of the growing threats to American democracy. Meder’s potent pianistic refrains are heard here alongside bassist Marty Jaffe, drummer Michael Piolet, trumpeter Philip Dizack and alto saxophonist Miguel Zenón. The official release celebration of Unamuno Songs and Stories will take place at the Soapbox Gallery in NYC on November 16th. More performances are scheduled through the United States; more information can be found here and below. 

“It feels as though we are at a societal breaking point”, Meder exclaims, “Increasingly, our political discourse pits factually justified positions against pure misinformation, and independently verifiable truth against “personal truth.” It forces us into tribes, so that pride and ego prevent us from evolving in our own understanding of the world.” The artist finds historical context for this polarized political climate in the life and work of a complex figure: Miguel de Unamuno (1864 – 1936), a Basque/Spanish philosopher, poet, novelist, essayist, and academic most known for his work in the lead-up to the Spanish Civil War. Unamuno was a complicated man whose life and work are marked by the conflict between liberalism and staunch Catholicism, and his documentation of democracy sliding gradually into dictatorship has long fascinated Meder. “In 2020, when a global pandemic, a renewed struggle for racial reckoning, a fraught national election, and a contentious political transition left so many of us scrambling to explain it all…I reached again for Unamuno.” The music of Unamuno Songs and Stories is centered firmly around the jazz tradition while drawing thoughtful influences from an array of sources including Bach chorales, the blues, minimalism, and the piano works of Spanish composer Isaac Albéniz. 

Dave Meder by Adrien H. Tillmann

“When I compose, I find that improvised solos usually serve as means to a musical end, not ends in and of themselves… all solos on this album have a purpose within the overarching compositional structure of the piece. The soloists cannot simply “improvise” – they must know the function of their solo relative to the rest of the composition. If they fail to achieve the musical goal that I set for their improvisation, the whole composition fails to reach its potential in that performance. As a composer, it is a risk to delegate such tremendous responsibility to other players, especially given they had nothing to do with the initial creation of the music. It certainly takes time to find the right kind of artist for such a project: one who can not only “blow the horn” but can also be a “co-composer”, I could not be more pleased with how Marty, Michael, Philip, and Miguel beautifully merged their own individuality with my compositional vision on these tracks,” explains Meder. 

Meder’s true stroke of genius is two-fold; the seamless integration of Unamuno’s subject matter, ideologies and methodologies into his own compositional process and his ability to communicate within these evocative compositions with nuance, grace and great intensity. This is perhaps most evident in the composition “I Look For Religion in War”, a spirited piece derived from a line in an Unamuno philosophical essay entitled “De la correspondencia de un luchador” (“From the Writings of a Warrior”). The essay itself twists our conventional idea of peace by casting it as a fleeting, temporary form of reality. True serenity, as Unamuno suggests, can be found in the regularity of warfare and battle. As such, Meder employs a somber, driving ostinato reminiscent of a war chant, as he and trumpeter Philip Dizack improvise beautifully atop – demonstrating the grace within warfare. At the point in the piece where the gnashing, fighting and struggle is reaching a climax, the music collapses into an idyllic, hymn-like melody loosely influenced by the piano works of Spanish composer Isaac Albéniz, followed by a rhapsodic bowed bass solo. At this point, we have become comfortable with the idea that the human struggle itself is our religion, and by the tone of the music, we have come to “worship” it as such.

“The Lake and the Mountain” is a musical representation of two primary symbols from Unamuno’s best-known work, “San Manuel Bueno, Mártir” (Saint Emmanuel the Good, Martyr). The short story centers around Don Manuel, the priest of a fictional rural village and his spiritual doubts – the mountain symbolizes faith and its promise of eternal life while the lake represents internal struggles, doubts and complexities. Meder remarks “Using the inimitable musical voice of Miguel Zenón, we attempt to paint this sense of spiritual duality, conflict, and agony.” Through its instrumentation and dynamic sensibilities, the piece highlights the duality and raw emotion of the original story.

Miguel Zenón, Dave Meder, Michael Piolet, Marty Jaffe by Adrien H. Tillmann

“Exile” is an allusion to Miguel de Unamuno’s time in physical exile from Spain (1924-1930). The writer’s outspoken critics of the Primo de Rivera dictatorship cost him his position at the University of Salamanca and forced him to leave the country until a republic was reestablished in 1931. But, on a deeper level, the piece embodies the feelings of mental and emotional exile: the sensation of profound disillusionment at the actions of leaders and fellow citizens. Beginning with a tender bowed bass solo from Marty Jaffe, the piece reflects the notion of physical, emotional and mental exile and re-assembly as a people. As Meder notes “The group begins as a unified society, playing the melody together, but we quickly become exiled from each other, pursuing our own paths, rhythms, phrases…conversing here and there but largely existing independent of one another. As the piece builds, we begin to come together again.. And all the while, we are beginning to build something together: a grand and beautiful musical metropolis, if you will, where everyone maintains their individual voice while being an integral part of the whole. More importantly, everyone has an equal right to express their individual voice within this whole. Eventually, we reach a sort of catharsis, an outpouring of love and beauty, and the recognition of the collective pain we have experienced. Back together again, we return to the melody in a new spirit: one of hope, optimism, and a sense of rebirth.”

Unamuno Songs and Stories comes as Meder is fresh off the heels from his critically-acclaimed debut release Passage through which the pianist established himself as a uniquely versatile and broad-minded artist. Meder’s panoramic musical approach has earned him slots in the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Piano Competition, the American Pianists Awards, the ASCAP Young Jazz Composers Award, and the International Songwriting Competition. Meder has headlined at a host of prominent performance venues and educational residencies around the world including Jazz at Lincoln Center, Smalls Jazz Club, The Kennedy Center and Beijing Normal University’s International Music Festival. Meder is a recent recipient of the prestigious Fulbright US Scholar Award for Visual and Performing Arts, which brings him to Egypt as a guest artist and lecturer in 2022.

1 A Song of Secret Love (6:40)

2 Augusto’s Dilemma (6:48)

3 Meditation: Doubt (1:00)

4 I Look For Religion In War (8:14)

5 If Ever I Would Leave You (4:59)

6 The Lake and the Mountain (7:29)

7 Meditation: Faith (1:26)

8 Century Rag (6:18)

9 Exile (7:50)

www.davemeder.com

Oct 26: Ches Smith celebrates 'Path of Seven Colors' at Roulette in Brooklyn (live & live streamed)

© Mimi Chakarova

Ches Smith and We All Break celebrate Pyroclastic Records release

Path of Seven Colors

 

Live & live streamed on Tuesday, October 26 at Roulette in Brooklyn

 

The 8 p.m. live performance will also be live streamed. Tickets $20, live stream free

Project melds Haitian Vodou and contemporary improvisation

 

5 stars “A tour de force of jazz innovation.”

– John Fordham, The Guardian

 

4 stars “[Smith] breaks new ground with We All Break, and with no template for this hybrid model, he has created something new and extraordinary. Highly recommended.”

– Karl Ackermann, All About Jazz

 

“I’ve been on the scene, and know a lot of people, but projects like this are the kind of thing you live for.”

– saxophonist and MacArthur Fellow Miguel Zenón 

Drummer/composer Ches Smith and his extraordinary ensemble We All Break celebrate their “sublime magnum opus” (Jazziz) Path of Seven Colors with an album release concert at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, October 26 at Roulette, 509 Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn. The concert will also be live streamed free of charge on the night of the performance and archived for future viewing. 

 

The performance features the band from the album including Smith on drums and vocals, pianist Matt Mitchell; alto saxophonist Miguel Zenón; vocalist Sirene Dantor Rene; rising star bassist Nick Dunston; and Daniel Brevil, Markus Schwartz, and Fanfan Jean-Guy Rene on tanbou and vocals. Also performing will be vocalists Tossie Long and Lalin St. Juste. Tickets $20. For information call 917-267-0363 or visit https://roulette.org/event/ches-smith-and-we-all-break-path-of-seven-colors-record-release-show/.

 

Path of Seven Colors (Pyroclastic Records, June 11, 2021) – a remarkable merging of traditional Haitian Vodou music and au courant composition and improvisation – is earning wide critical acclaim.

“A groundbreaking album…stunningly original and mesmerizing in its ritualistic power.”

– Allen Morrison, DownBeat

 

“Ches Smith has produced one of the most significant, beautiful and exciting works of this first part of the century.”

– Aldo Gianolio, AudioReview

 

“Drummer-composer Smith, who has immersed himself in Haitian vodou music for nearly two decades, delivers a sublime magnus opus.”

– Eric Snider, Jazziz

 

“Inviting and engaging, playing to tradition without being beholden to it.”

– Kurt Gottschalk, Stereophile

 

“Path of Seven Colors is nothing short of stunning… It would be a shame if it does not end up on multiple Best Of lists for 2021.”

– Robert Bush, New York City Jazz Record

 

“Path of Seven Colors promises to make the spirits take notice.”

– Emily Pothast, The Wire

The project features deluxe packaging including two extensive booklets with photos, track-by-track narratives, and lyrics in Haitian Creole and English; it also includes a bonus disc of the 2015 eponymous recording by the original quartet (Smith, Mitchell, Brevil, and Schwartz). In addition, the ensemble’s music and collaborative process are highlighted by a 50-minute film “We All Break,” available on the release date via the websites of Pyroclastic, Smith, and award-winning filmmaker Mimi Chakarova.

 

While the band’s first album featured a quartet of three drummers with piano (and occasional vocals), the new recording uses an octet to orchestrate the material and greatly expands the vocal dimension, pushing the band into new terrain. “There is no existing model marrying traditional Haitian songs with original instrumental compositions and contemporary improvisation in this way,” says Smith. “We just had to keep trying things, in the spirit of experimentation, until the balance was right and we’d created our own mold.”

 

Smith’s dedication to Haitian Vodou began more than twenty years ago. “My attraction was instant and strong,” he says. “In 2000 I got called to accompany a Haitian dance class. I was captivated, likely because things central in the various musics I play – polyrhythm, polytonality, improvisation, extended timbral awareness, tension and release, channeled aggression and power, and most vitally surprise – I found again, and anew, in this traditional form.”

 

His compositional vision aimed to incorporate and transform elements of this tradition. “I wanted these elements – lead/chorus song structure, polytonal relations among singers and drums, conversations between the drums, and kase (‘breaks’) – at the center of each piece,” he says. “A traditional rhythm would be the foundation of each composition, while that rhythm’s spiritual, political, and visual associations could function as deep wells of information and feeling, levering the work into a new dimension.”

 

Pianist Mitchell’s melodic and harmonic sense, improvisational talents, and keen sense of rhythm made him a natural for the band. Smith also enlisted his master-teachers, Brevil and Schwartz. “I knew they would tell me straight whether this project was flying or not,” says Smith. He also brought in Jean-Guy Fanfan Rene, co-leader with Sirene Dantor Rene of Vodou-activism group Fanmi Asòtò. Smith also had an idea to pile-drive the bottom end, bringing in Nick Dunston: “I pictured a broad, taut, multi-colored tapestry dense with rhythmic detail in the low range of the music. This sound would include the contrabass for its harmonic and time-keeping roles, but also to function, slyly, as a fifth drummer.” Serendipitously, Ches played a gig with alto saxophonist Miguel Zenón, who expressed an interest in Haitian drumming. Smith says, “His playing on his own records, and his stunning compositions, told me he would be another force to push the music forward.” The final addition to the octet arose from Brevil’s suggestion to add a female voice. Enter Sirene Dantor Rene. “She sings with supreme conviction,” says Smith, “using traditional inflections in a voice wholly hers.”

 

Brevil began finding traditional Vodou songs, melodies and lyrics to nestle within Smith’s instrumental compositions. “Daniel composed many of the songs himself,” says Smith, “and fervently searched for others in the tradition, coming back with a multi-authored body of work. His curation brought up questions about the distinction between ‘traditional’ and ‘original.’ I once read that new songs may be created in a particular Vodou house and enter the tradition in that fashion. Perhaps this was happening before my eyes with Daniel’s original songs.”

 

The result is a triumphant, pioneering ascent, tracked and mixed beautifully by the legendary Ron Saint Germain. The band rehearsed and recorded for a week in February 2020 amidst mutual respect, focus, excitement, and a commitment to going all in on their trailblazing collaboration. Says Smith, “An almost uncanny feeling accompanied us the whole time. If I may be allowed a bit of speculation: if in Vodou the invisible becomes visible, here, perhaps, the inaudible becomes audible.”

PREORDER

Ches Smith & We All Break's Path of Seven Colors – Out This Friday, June 11 via Pyroclastic Records

Ches Smith’s We All Break melds elements of Haitian Vodou and contemporary jazz on groundbreaking new Path of Seven Colors

 

The recording and accompanying film showcase the band’s synergistic connection and exhilarating, alchemical mix of musical forms 

 

“I’ve been on the scene, and know a lot of people, but projects like this are the kind of thing you live for.” – saxophonist and MacArthur Fellow Miguel Zenón

Like most great art forms, jazz developed by combining previously distinct, disparate elements into something new. The musicians of We All Break follow in this tradition on their new release, Path of Seven Colors, available June 11, 2021 via Pyroclastic Records. The album, with its remarkable merging of traditional Haitian Vodou music and au courant composition and improvisation, offers eight evolutionary/revolutionary tracks performed by a collaborative octet of world-class musicians.

The brainchild of drummer/composer Ches Smith, We All Break features pianist Matt Mitchell, saxophonist Miguel Zenón, rising-star bassist Nick Dunston, vocalist Sirene Dantor Rene, and master drummers Daniel Brevil, Markus Schwartz and Fanfan Jean-Guy Rene. 

The release features deluxe packaging including two extensive booklets with photos, track-by-track narratives, and lyrics in Haitian Creole and English; it also includes a bonus disc of the 2015 eponymous recording by the original quartet (Smith, Mitchell, Brevil, and Schwartz). In addition, the ensemble’s music and collaborative process are highlighted by a 50-minute film “We All Break,” available on the release date via the websites of Pyroclastic, Smith, and award-winning filmmaker Mimi Chakarova. 

While the band’s first album featured a quartet of three drummers with piano (and occasional vocals), the new recording uses an octet to orchestrate the material and greatly expands the vocal dimension, pushing the band into new terrain. “There is no existing model marrying traditional Haitian songs with original instrumental compositions and contemporary improvisation in this way,” says Smith. “We just had to keep trying things, in the spirit of experimentation, until the balance was right and we’d created our own mold.”

Smith’s dedication to Haitian Vodou began more than twenty years ago. “My attraction was instant and strong,” he says. “In 2000 I got called to accompany a Haitian dance class. I was captivated, likely because things central in the various musics I play – polyrhythm, polytonality, improvisation, extended timbral awareness, tension and release, channeled aggression and power, and most vitally surprise – I found again, and anew, in this traditional form.”

Smith’s dedication to Haitian Vodou began more than twenty years ago. “My attraction was instant and strong,” he says. “In 2000 I got called to accompany a Haitian dance class. I was captivated, likely because things central in the various musics I play – polyrhythm, polytonality, improvisation, extended timbral awareness, tension and release, channeled aggression and power, and most vitally surprise – I found again, and anew, in this traditional form.”

His compositional vision aimed to incorporate and transform elements of this tradition. “I wanted these elements – lead/chorus song structure, polytonal relations among singers and drums, conversations between the drums, and kase (‘breaks’) – at the center of each piece,” he says. “A traditional rhythm would be the foundation of each composition, while that rhythm’s spiritual, political, and visual associations could function as deep wells of information and feeling, levering the work into a new dimension.”

Pianist Mitchell’s melodic and harmonic sense, improvisational talents, and keen sense of rhythm made him a natural for the band. Smith also enlisted his master-teachers, Brevil and Schwartz. “I knew they would tell me straight whether this project was flying or not,” says Smith. He also brought in Jean-Guy Fanfan Rene, co-leader with Sirene Dantor Rene of Vodou-activism group Fanmi Asòtò. Smith also had an idea to pile-drive the bottom end, bringing in Nick Dunston:  “I pictured a broad, taut, multi-colored tapestry dense with rhythmic detail in the low range of the music. This sound would include the contrabass for its harmonic and time-keeping roles, but also to function, slyly, as a fifth drummer.”  Serendipitously, Ches played a gig with alto saxophonist Miguel Zenón, who expressed an interest in Haitian drumming. Smith says, “His playing on his own records, and his stunning compositions, told me he would be another force to push the music forward.” The final addition to the octet arose from Brevil’s suggestion to add a female voice. Enter Sirene Dantor Rene. “She sings with supreme conviction,” says Smith, “using traditional inflections in a voice wholly hers.”

Brevil began finding traditional Vodou songs, melodies and lyrics to nestle within Smith’s instrumental compositions. “Daniel composed many of the songs himself,” says Smith, “and fervently searched for others in the tradition, coming back with a multi-authored body of work. His curation brought up questions about the distinction between ‘traditional’ and ‘original.’ I once read that new songs may be created in a particular Vodou house and enter the tradition in that fashion. Perhaps this was happening before my eyes with Daniel’s original songs.”

The result is a triumphant, pioneering ascent, tracked and mixed beautifully by the legendary Ron Saint Germain. The band rehearsed and recorded for a week in February 2020 amidst mutual respect, focus, excitement, and a commitment to going all in on their trailblazing collaboration. Says Smith, “An almost uncanny feeling accompanied us the whole time. If I may be allowed a bit of speculation: if in Vodou the invisible becomes visible, here, perhaps, the inaudible becomes audible.”

1. Woule Pou Mwen 02:41

2. Here's The Light 09:05

3. Leaves Arrive 09:39

4. Women of Iron 06:07

5. Lord of Healing 13:35

6. Raw Urbane 07:05

7. Path of Seven Colors 08:56

8. The Vulgar Cycle 11:29

Sirene Dantor Rene vocals

Miguel Zenón alto saxophone

Matt Mitchell piano

Nick Dunston bass

Daniel Brevil tanbou and vocals

Fanfan Jean-Guy Rene tanbou and vocals

Markus Schwartz tanbou and vocals

Ches Smith drums, percussion and vocals

We All Break dedicates this album to the memory of pi bon zanmi nou Eddy Jean (1970—2020).

Music composed by Ches Smith (Preposterous Bee Music, BMI)

Song lyrics and melodies by Daniel Brevil (BMI) and traditional

Recorded at Power Station New England by Ron Saint Germain in February 2020

Assisted by Patrick Smith and Evan Bakke

Mixed by Ron Saint Germain at Saint’s Place

Produced by David Breskin

Mastered by Scott Hull

Album Design & Layout

by Spottswood Erving & July Creek for Janky Defense (logo)

Cover photo by Mimi Chakarova

Translation assistance by Markus Schwartz and Daniel Brevil

Text editing assistance by David Breskin and Markus Schwartz

Pictured Drum and Writing by Jérôme “Junior” Simeon

Pre-order

SINGLE from Ches Smith's Path of Seven Colors Out Today

The single "Here's The Light" from Path of Seven Colors – the exhilarating album from Ches Smith's We All Break – is out today, May 14. The full album is slated for release June 11, 2021 via Pyroclastic Records

Melding elements of Haitian Vodou and contemporary jazz, the groundbreaking 

album offers eight evolutionary/revolutionary tracks performed by a collaborative octet of world-class musicians including Smith, pianist Matt Mitchell, saxophonist Miguel Zenón, bassist Nick Dunston, vocalist Sirene Dantor Rene, and master drummers Daniel Brevil, Markus Schwartz and Fanfan Jean-Guy Rene.

Miguel Zenón – Law Years: The Music of Ornette Coleman (March 12, 2021 via Miel Music)

Alto saxophonist Miguel Zenón honors Ornette Coleman’s legacy with the release of Law Years: The Music of Ornette Coleman

Out a few days after Coleman’s birthday, album features an international quartet recorded live in Switzerland

Digital release available March 12, 2021 via Miel Music

The digital album – featuring Zenón with an international quartet: tenor saxophonist Ariel Bringuez, bassist Demian Cabaud, and drummer Jordi Rossy – will be available on all digital platforms including Miguel’s Bandcamp page on March 12, 2021.

Alto saxophone icon Miguel Zenón commemorates Ornette Coleman’s 91st birthday (March 9) with Law Years: The Music of Ornette Coleman. Recorded in May 2019, after a residency at Bird’s Eye Jazz Club in Basel, Switzerland, the album features Zenón with an international quartet: tenor saxophonist Ariel Bringuez, bassist Demian Cabaud, and drummer Jordi Rossy. Though the musicians – all with connections to Zenón – had never played together in this particular configuration, the performances display remarkable synergy and intensity. The release will be available digitally on March 12, 2021.

As Miguel writes in the liner notes, “We were all just having fun, inspired by the energy from the crowd and the special feel of the occasion. And Ornette’s music proved to be the perfect platform for this kind of engagement: the kind of music that opens the door to endless possibilities for interaction and pushes you to hit the ground running.”

A special aspect of the quartet is that each member hails from a different part of the world. “I’m Puerto Rican, Ariel is Cuban, Demian is Argentinian, and Jordi is Catalan,” says Zenón. “The fact that we are all from different parts of the globe and all Spanish speakers raises another important point: Jazz music knows no boundaries or labels; it is as inclusive now as it has ever been.”

Coleman has long been one of Zenón’s musical heroes. The first time he heard Ornette’s music, Zenón was a teenager still living in Puerto Rico. “I just kind of stood there, mesmerized and in shock, trying to figure it out,” he says. “It was entirely different than anything I had heard before. There is freedom there, and lots of it. But there’s also a deep sense of cohesiveness and structure. And, above all, melody: beautiful and inspired melodic lines that serve as springboards for everyone involved.”

Later, Zenón was fortunate enough to meet Ornette. He remembers their interactions fondly. “He was always nice and supportive,” says Zenón. “Our interactions went pretty much the same way every time. Me: ‘Mr. Coleman, I’m not sure if you remember me – my name is Miguel, and I’m an alto saxophonist and one of your biggest fans.’ Ornette: ‘Nice to see you, Miguel. Have you ever thought about what would happen if you played A and Eb at the same time?’.”

Playing a concert of exclusively Ornette Coleman music proved to be magical, exciting, and more bittersweet than the quartet knew. “As I listen to the music,” says Zenón, “it almost feels like a different time. A time when we weren’t afraid to be close to each other. A time when we could still play in a packed room, with the audience right in front of us, and just feed off their energy. A time that will come back soon enough. And when it does, we’ll be ready to do it all over again.”

www.miguelzenon.com

Pre-order

About Miguel Zenón

A multiple 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. Widely considered one of the most groundbreaking and influential saxophonists and composers of his generation, Zenón has also developed a unique voice as a conceptualist, concentrating his efforts on perfecting a fine mix between jazz and his many musical 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, The SFJAZZ Collective, Kenny Werner and Bobby Hutcherson.  

Zenón’s 2021 releases also include El Arte Del Bolero, a duo album with pianist Luis Perdomo (digital release: January 8, Miel Music)  and the fall release of an album with his long-standing quartet.

Available on all digital platforms including Miguel’s Bandcamp page

Miguel Zenón & Luis Perdomo - El Arte Del Bolero (2021 Miel Music) in Republic of Jazz

Miguel Zenón & Luis Perdomo - El Arte Del Bolero (2021 Miel Music)

Alto saxophonist Miguel Zenón and pianist Luis Perdomo

Release duo album El Arte Del Bolero

via Miel Music

On September 28, 2020, in the midst of the pandemic, alto saxophone icon Miguel Zenón and pianist Luis Perdomo recorded a concert at The Jazz Gallery in New York City which was livestreamed in November. When they listened to the recording of the concert, they knew it was something to share.

 

Miguel writes in the liner notes to the album: “As an instrumentalist, I spend a lot of my time working on making the saxophone an extension of my creative process. This process is always filtered through interpretation and expressiveness, and more often than not I find myself looking up to some of my favorite singers (people like Ismael Rivera, Cheo Feliciano and Andy Montañez) as sources of inspiration. In their individual voices I can hear a reflection of their unique personalities, all manifested at the highest level through their interpretation of songs. These melodies become vehicles for their creativity a canvas on which they’ll portray their feelings and states of mind. 

 

But these are not just any songs. These are songs they have heard hundreds of times, familiar pieces of music they know very well, and that is sort of the way I feel about the repertoire on this album. We chose compositions from the Bolero era that we could just play right away, without giving it a second thought: songs from the times of our parents and grandparents that somehow stuck around long enough for us to get to know them and truly love them. They are all as essential to our development as the music of Charlie Parker, John Coltrane or Thelonious Monk, but perhaps even more familiar. When we play these songs, we can hear the lyrics in the back of our minds—something that provides a very deep connection, one that is hard to replicate in any other situation. It really is almost beyond familiar. These songs are part of us.

 

We recorded this music as a live show, all in one take, without much preparation other than discussing tonalities and some basic elements on form. We were more than pleasantly surprised with the results and decided that they deserved to be shared. There is nothing like making music with someone else, finding a common language we can grab onto and then just going and exploring that together. We hope this comes across here, and that you enjoy the music.”

About The Music

- Como Fue: Popularized by the great Benny Moré, this song has long become a Latin-American standard. Luis and I have been playing the song for years, usually in the key of Eb. We decided to play it in Db here, mainly inspired by a recent immersion into the music of Billy Strayhorn.

- Alma Adentro: A song we previously recorded with a larger ensemble on a 2012 album of the same name. Sylvia Rexach, the composer of this piece, is a favorite of my mother’s, and I was exposed to her music as a young child. This is a song that always brings back feelings of longing and deep nostalgia, a yearning for things no longer there.

- Ese Hastío: Ray Barreto recorded this under the title of “Piensa En Mi” on his legendary 1979 album Rican-Struction, which is the version that Luis and I fell in love with. I had never played the song before, but Luis suggested it since he had recorded the piece as an instrumental on his album Pathways. It ended up fitting perfectly into our program.

- La Vida Es Un Sueño: Written by the Cuban genius Arsenio Rodriguez, a revolutionary artist who changed the course of Latin-American music forever. Blinded by a tragic accident as a child, Arsenio moved to the United States later in life in hope that doctors there could find a cure to his condition. Legend has it that, shortly after finding out from his doctors that this would not be the case, he wrote this song. The last verse says it all: “La realidad es nacer y morir / Porque llenarnos de tanta ansiedad / Todo no es mas que un eterno sufrir / El mundo esta hecho de infelicidad.”

- Que Te Pedí: Immortalized by Latin diva “La Lupe” in her seminal 1965 version (recorded with Tito Puente), this song has since become an anthem for lost love and heartbreak all over Latin-America. We had performed this before, but this was the first time we played it as a duo.

- Juguete: This classic, written by the legendary Bobby Capo, was popularized by Cheo Feliciano on his 1972 album La Voz Sensual de Cheo. It’s certainly of those songs that is constantly quoted everywhere and never gets old. We’ve been playing it for a while and decided to do it a little faster here, with an extended vamp at the end to close things out. 

1. Como Fue (Ernesto Duarte, Peer International Corp.) - 7:57

2. Alma Adentro (Sylvia Rexach, Peer International Corp.) - 9:45

3. Ese Hastío (Juan Manuel Solís Fernandez, Copyright Control SONY/ATV) - 6:47

4. La Vida Es Un Sueño (Arsenio Rodriguez Scull, Peer International Corp.) - 9:42

5. Que Te Pedi (Fernando Lopez Mulens/Gabriel Luna De La Fuente, Peer International Corp.) - 7:11

6. Juguete (Bobby Capó, Edward B. Marks Music Company) - 10:26

Miguel Zenón – Alto Saxophone

Luis Perdomo – Piano

Recorded Live at The Jazz Gallery (NY, NY) September 28th, 2020

Mixed by Danilo Pichardo and Miguel Zenón

Mastered by Danilo Pichardo

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Stu Mindeman - Woven Threads (SUNNYSIDE RECORDS September 14, 2018)

It is remarkable how people and places from one’s past may become intertwined down the line. The Chicago based pianist and composer Stu Mindeman spent his toddler years in Chile. As an adult Mindeman revisited Chile, became tied to the culture, and decided to embark upon a project celebrating Chile’s musicians and legendary wordsmiths on his new recording, Woven Threads. 

When Mindeman was very young, his father took a job with a symphony orchestra in Chile; the family lived there for several years. Mindeman was too young to have received much direct influence, but he did grow accustomed to hearing the sounds of Chilean folk music from the records his mother and father brought home, and he began learning Spanish from Chilean close family friends he spent time with. 

The pianist grew up to become a busy composer, arranger and producer. Mindeman has performed all over the world, most notably with Branford Marsalis, Kurt Elling, and Antonio Sanchez, among many others. His debut recording, In Your Waking Eyes: Poems by Langston Hughes, was released in 2014 to critical acclaim. 

In 2017 Mindeman returned to Chile. He immediately became immersed in the modern Chilean music scene, where he met a number of like-minded musicians who use Chilean folk, jazz and other Latin music to express themselves. These musicians subsequently became the core of Mindeman’s upcoming project. The celebrated vocalist Francesca Ancarola stood out for her interest in jazz and Latin music. Bassist Milton Russell and drummer Carlos Cortez Diaz rounded out the rhythm section. 

As his ideas progressed, Mindeman began to focus on the poetry of two revolutionary Chileans, Violeta Parra and Víctor Jara. Parra and Jara were titanic figures in their country’s Nueva Canción Chilena and for their stance against the dictator Augusto Pinochet. A brilliant singer, composer, and teacher, Jara was arrested, tortured and killed by the Pinochet regime, shortly after the US-backed military coup. Parra was known for her poetry, songs and visual artwork. She also met a sad end, committing suicide in 1967. 

Parra’s famous tapestries and the idea of blending the music and musicians from Chile and the United States led to Mindeman’s idea of Woven Threads. Mindeman had worked in the realms of Latin jazz and Latin American music in the past and wanted to preserve the textures of the South American influences as they melded with North American jazz. The composer utilized his connections in Chile and Chicago, along with special guests, to record eight pieces with an incredible emotional scope. The Chicago contingent was made up of bassist Matt Ulery, drummer Makaya McCraven, guitarist Matt Gold, and saxophonists Geof Bradfield and Greg Ward. 

The program begins with a folk song from the Altiplano region of northern Chile entitled “Casi, Casi,” featuring a cueca/chacarera rhythm and Ancarola’s persuasive vocals. Jara’s homage to Che Guevara, “El Aparecido,” follows with its moving lyrics touching on rebellion and human rights, passionately wrought by Ancarola with an incredible rhythmic underpinning. French-Chilean hip-hop artist Ana Tijoux lends her powerful voice to Mindeman’s “Sin Sentido,” which features a wonderful back and forth between the vocals and Marquis Hill’s sublime trumpet. Mindeman’s churning “La Rueda” generates steam over a compound 5-metered groove and features the fiery alto of Miguel Zenón. The ballad “La Casa de al Lado” comes from the pen of Uruguayan songwriter Fernando Cabrera and is adapted with a new harmonic palette and structure based on candomblé and timba. 

The next two pieces are a tribute to Violeta Parra, with lyrics inspired by her poetry, penned by poet Tim Stiles and performed by the great Kurt Elling. Mindeman felt that trying to translate poems directly into English, namely “Qué Palabra Te Dijera” and “Como el Roble en el Verano,” would be a disservice to the work, so the lyrics are reimagined, based on Parra’s original imagery and emotion evoked. The introspective “What Word” is a beautifully swelling piece that highlights Elling’s emotive breath and Zenón’s plainchant tone. “A Thousand Stars” is equally stirring, with its full harmonic wealth and Elling at his heartbreaking best. The recording finds a perfect conclusion in Jara’s bittersweet “No Puedes Volver Atrás,” a song about desperation and losing hope, that entreats the listener to have faith and move forward, because there is no going back. 

Completing a circle of sorts, Stu Mindeman returned to a source of inspiration he never quite fully grasped in his early home of Chile. On his recording, Woven Threads, the pianist/composer is able to reach out to old and new friends on two continents to create passionate music that speaks to the triumph of heart over the elements.

Stu Mindeman - piano, keyboards, organ

Francesca Ancarola - vocals (1, 2, 5, 8)

Ana Tijoux - vocals (3)

Kurt Elling - vocals (6, 7)

Milton Russell - bass (1, 2, 5, 6, 7)

Matt Ulery - bass (3, 4, 8)

Carlos Cortes Diaz - drums (2)

Malaya McCraven - drums (1, 3, 6, 7)

Juan Pastor - drums (4, 5, 8), percussion (1-6)

Yuri Hevia - bombo legüero (1, 8), percussion (5)

Matt Gold - guitar

Quentin Coaxum - trumpet (7)

Victor Garcia - trumpet (1, 3, 5), percussion (5)

Marquis Hill - trumpet solo (3)

Geof Bradfield - tenor saxophone, bass clarinet

Greg Ward - alto saxophone (1, 2, 3, 5)

Miguel Zenón - alto saxophone (4, 6)

Sally Blandon - background vocals (2, 5)

Devin Velez - background vocals (2)

Sarah Marie Young - background vocals (3, 4, 7)

1. Casi Casi (feat. Francesca Ancarola) 04:52

2. El Aparecido (feat. Francesca Ancarola and Matt Gold)

3. Sin Sentido (feat. Ana Tijoux and Marquis Hill)

4. La Rueda (feat. Miguel Zenón)

5. La Casa de al Lado (feat. Francesca Ancarola)

6. What Word (feat. Kurt Elling and Miguel Zenón)

7. A Thousand Stars (feat. Kurt Elling)

8. No Puedes Volver Atrás (feat. Francesca Ancarola)

Miguel Zenón's Yo Soy la Tradición with Spektral Quartet Out 9/21 via Miel

MIGUEL ZENÓN

Yo Soy la Tradición

An ambitious concert-length work for string quartet and saxophone,

drawing upon the rich cultural-folkloric traditions of Puerto Rico and expressed through the modernist lens of Zenón’s compositions

ALBUM TO BE RELEASED SEPTEMBER 21, 2018 ON MIEL MUSIC

With his eleventh release as a leader and fourth for Miel Music, saxophonist and composer Miguel Zenón has produced a work of startling clarity, synthesizing and building upon Puerto Rican folkloric forms through his unmistakable, multilayered compositional approach.

Yo Soy la Tradición, commissioned by the David and Reva Logan Center for the Arts and the Hyde Park Jazz Festival, is a collection of eight works for alto saxophone and string quartet which feature Zenón and the Chicago-based, internationally renowned Spektral Quartet. These chamber works reach far beyond the formula of a horn backed by strings, with the Spektral Quartet taking a central role in both driving and navigating the intricate compositional forms that are a trademark of the saxophonist’s music.

Zenón set out to compose a series of chamber pieces taking both creative inspiration and formal patterning from his native Puerto Rico’s cultural, religious, and musical traditions. The results are thrilling, and defy neat categorization with their emergent contemporary sensibility: structural beauty paired with emotional urgency.

The traditions Zenón takes as his points of departure include some he has explored in depth before such as Jíbaro, a major musical genre of rural Puerto Rico and the namesake of a groundbreaking album by Zenón in 2005. Other inspirations include traditions, both musical and not explicitly musical, that he had not studied in depth previously.

“My goal is to identify the elements that make each tradition unique,” says Zenón. “If these elements are musical in nature, I’ll extract them and use them as the main seed for a new piece of music—not trying to emulate the original, but using the original source as inspiration.”

Another musical tradition informing Yo Soy la Tradición occurred as a result of Zenón’s extensive preparation in string quartet writing. Although he has previously written music for string quartet on Awake, his fourth album released a decade ago, this new hour-long work led him to revisit works by the masters of the Western canon.

“I studied many chamber works from various periods,” Zenón says, noting the collaborative aspect of working with Spektral as part of his compositional process. “As I was writing and revising, I was also able to integrate feedback from the members of the quartet, whom I would send sections and passages to.”

In one sense, Yo Soy la Tradición is a culmination of Zenón’s study of the cultural traditions of Puerto Rico. For over a decade, his regular trips to the country and his ongoing field research has granted him uncommon insight into the artistic resources afforded by the culture of the Island—in his words, a “seemingly endless well of information and inspiration,” which is continually replenished by the families and communities who carry it forward as it evolves over generations.

Miguel Zenón © Jimmy Katz

The album begins with “Rosario,” whose title references El Rosario Cantado, a tradition related to the Holy Rosary of the Catholic Church. The ceremonial quality to this opening of the suite—variations on a theme framed in variously contrapuntal and contrasting episodes which move between the lyrical and the animated—echoes the format of traditional rosarios, settings of the Rosary to music typically reserved for funerals and religious occasions. This accompaniment is passed down by musicians and has developed striking formal qualities due to the functional nature and specific context of the music.

“It’s one of those things that’s very folkloric, but can be very complex,” says Zenón. “Some of those songs might have a bar of five beats followed by a bar of seven and a bar of three, because the composers and songwriters were trying to accommodate a lyric or a phrase within a specific harmonic sequence.”

“Cadenas,” a lively work that features the Spektral Quartet in expansive rhythmic layering, evokes the work of recent Minimalist composers while harkening to the origins of las cadenas, traditional Puerto Rican music that takes its name from a chain-like dance formation (cadenas means “chains”). With alternating passages of expressive verse statements and propulsive string interludes, “Cadenas” exemplifies Zenón’s uncanny ability to juxtapose rhythmic complexity and melodic directness in honor of this tradition with deep roots in Spanish and African music.

In “Yumac,” Zenón takes the listener on a suspenseful ride as the strings produce interwoven bursts of pizzicato while the composer improvises a delicate, virtuosic solo statement. Named after the town of Camuy (with the letters spelled backwards), where singer Germán Rosario originated this style in the mid-twentieth century, “Yumac” comes out of the Jíbaro tradition in its structural organization, but its jagged harmonies and breathtaking unison passages for violin and saxophone are unmistakably Zenón’s.

“Milagrosa” begins with an unabashedly futuristic introduction, where nimble melodic shapes played by the strings filter through modern harmonies, before settling into a flowing feature for Zenón’s elegant, melodic playing. The inspiration for the work comes from the religious practice of La Promesa—making a promise to a Catholic deity in return for a favor; specifically, the title refers to a promise made to La Virgen de La Milagrosa (“The Miraculous Virgin”), a traditional song upon whose foundations Zenón crafted an entirely new and vital work. The ending is perhaps worth the price of admission for the breathless, extended soli passage with saxophone and the entire Spektral Quartet in lockstep—a tour de force of melodic invention that sets the stage for an unadorned statement of a folkloric melody that is frequently related to “La Virgen de La Milagrosa.”

Moving into an elegiac register, “Viejo” highlights Zenón’s mastery of traditional musical expression, conveying emotional impact through the tonal shifts between major and minor. In this pensive movement, the saxophone is incorporated more as an ensemble voice as the string quartet moves into the spotlight. The majestic and dignified melodies in “Viejo” are fitting as an allusion to Aguinaldo Viejo, a genre of Jíbaro believed to be the tradition’s oldest example, with a harmonic cadence traced by some historians to medieval times.

Harmony also provides the organizing principle for “Cadenza,” a brooding exploration of two fundamental cadences found in Puerto Rican traditional music, La Cadenza Jíbara (from the same Aguinaldo Viejo in the preceding movement), and La Cadenza Andaluza, which suggests tinges of Flamenco, with Andaluza referring directly to Andalucía, Spain. The latter presents an opportunity that Zenón embraces with a clever, surprising coda of accented handclaps, which through aural sleight of hand slowly morphs back into a chorus of plucked strings before concluding.

The longest piece in the hour-long suite is “Promesa,” which presents an imaginative rendering written from the same inspiration as “Milagrosa.” In this case, it alludes to the most famous promesa of all: La Promesa de Reyes, in reference to the celebration of the Three Kings.  Beginning with a haunting, accompanied statement in the cello, the work cycles through repetitions of varied melodic elements whose even, steady elaboration reveals the patience underlying Zenón’s approach—a cinematic sense of pacing that rewards the attentive listener.

Yo Soy la Tradición concludes with “Villalbeño,” named after a variant of El Aguinaldo Jíbaro from the town of Villalba. With a self-assured sense of forward motion, the Spektral Quartet lays down a restrained but infectious groove over which Zenón holds forth; this builds until a sudden breakdown section, where a repeated figure gains momentum over shifting rhythmic subdivisions leading to the climactic ending.

In this momentous work, Zenón succeeds in finding common ground between various traditions—jazz, classical, and folk musics—while continuing to elevate, honor, and extend the cultural heritage of Puerto Rico as he has done over the course of his career. “Puerto Rican music is an integral part of who I am,” Zenón writes, “and my ultimate goal as an artist would be to synthesize and express everything it means to me.”

With Yo Soy la Tradición, Zenón has attained another milestone in his musical development, music that stands at both the intersection and forefront of the musical traditions that he has studied and now made his own.

Miguel Zenón, alto saxophone

Spektral Quartet

Clara Lyon, violin

Maeve Feinberg, violin

Doyle Armbrust, viola

Russell Rolen, cello

About Miguel Zenón

A multiple 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. Widely considered one of the most groundbreaking and influential saxophonists of his generation, Zenón 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 recorded and toured with a wide variety of musicians including Charlie Haden, Fred Hersch, Kenny Werner, Bobby Hutcherson and Steve Coleman and is a founding member of the SFJAZZ Collective.

About Spektral Quartet

Spektral Quartet actively pursues a vivid conversation between exhilarating works of the traditional canon and those written this decade, this year, or this week. With its most recent album described by Gramophone as “highly-interactive, creative and collaborative...unlike anything its intended audience—or anyone else—has ever heard,” Spektral is known for creating seamless connections across centuries, drawing in the listener with charismatic deliveries, interactive concert formats, an up-close atmosphere, and bold, inquisitive programming.

The album release concert will take place at the Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center, and will benefit the Chi Aid for Puerto Rican Arts Fund.

Get your tickets HERE

August 10 SINGLE from MIguel Zenón and Spektral Quartet

Grammy-nominated saxophonist/composer Miguel Zenón releases new single Milagrosa on August 10, 2018

Acclaimed saxophonist and composer Miguel Zenón will release the single Milagrosa featuring Zenón and the Chicago-based internationally renowned Spektral Quartet on August 10, 2018. The single will be available on iTunes, Amazon, and CD Baby.

The single - featuring Zenón with Chicago-based Spektral Quartet - is from the upcoming album Yo Soy la Tradición, an ambitious concert-length work for drawing upon the rich cultural-folkloric traditions of Puerto Rico and expressed through the modernist lens of Zenón's compositions.

Zenón and Spektral Quartet Upcoming Performances

o Friday, September 21 - Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center, Chicago, IL

  Benefit concert for hurricane relief.

o Saturday, September 22 - Ripon College, Ripon, WI

o Wednesday, November 14 - UMASS Amherst, Amherst, MA

o Thursday, November 15 - Villa Victoria Cultural Center, Boston, MA

o Friday, November 16 - Kennedy Center Jazz Club, Washington, DC

This track is from the full-length album Yo Soy la Tradición to be released by Miel Music on September 21, 2018. The recording is an ambitious concert-length work for string quartet and saxophone, drawing on cultural-folkloric traditions of Zenón's native Puerto Rico and expressed through the modernist lens of his compositions.

"Milagrosa" begins with an unabashedly futuristic introduction, where nimble melodic shapes played by the strings filter through modern harmonies, before settling into a flowing feature for Zenón's elegant, melodic playing. The inspiration for the work comes from the religious practice of La Promesa-making a promise to a Catholic deity in return for a favor; specifically, the title refers to a promise made to La Virgen de La Milagrosa ("The Miraculous Virgin"), a traditional song upon whose foundations Zenón crafted an entirely new and vital work. The ending is worth the price of admission for the breathless, extended soli passage with saxophone and the entire Spektral Quartet in lockstep-a tour de force of melodic invention that sets the stage for an unadorned statement of a folkloric melody that is frequently related to "La Virgen de La Milagrosa."

Yo Soy la Tradición, Zenón's eleventh release as a leader and fourth for Miel Music, is a work of startling clarity, synthesizing and building upon Puerto Rican folkloric forms through Zenón's unmistakable, multilayered compositional approach. Commissioned by the David and Reva Logan Center for the Arts and the Hyde Park Jazz Festival, Yo Soy la Tradición is a collection of eight works for alto saxophone and string quartet which feature Zenón and the Spektral Quartet. These chamber works reach far beyond the formula of a horn backed by strings, with the Spektral Quartet taking a central role in both driving and navigating the intricate compositional forms that are a trademark of the saxophonist's music.

Zenón set out to compose a series of chamber pieces taking both creative inspiration and formal patterning from his native Puerto Rico's cultural, religious, and musical traditions. The results are thrilling, and defy neat categorization with their emergent contemporary sensibility: structural beauty paired with emotional urgency.

The traditions Zenón takes as his points of departure include some he has explored in depth before such as Jíbaro, a major musical genre of rural Puerto Rico and the namesake of a groundbreaking album by Zenón in 2005. Other inspirations include traditions, both musical and not explicitly musical, that he had not studied in depth previously.

Miguel Zenón © Jimmy Katz

"My goal is to identify the elements that make each tradition unique," says Zenón. "If these elements are musical in nature, I'll extract them and use them as the main seed for a new piece of music-not trying to emulate the original, but using the original source as inspiration."

Another musical tradition informing Yo Soy la Tradición occurred as a result of Zenón's extensive preparation in string quartet writing. Although he has previously written music for string quartet on Awake, his fourth album released a decade ago, this new hour-long work led him to revisit works by the masters of the Western canon.

"I studied many chamber works from various periods," Zenón says, noting the collaborative aspect of working with Spektral as part of his compositional process. "As I was writing and revising, I was also able to integrate feedback from the members of the quartet, whom I would send sections and passages to."

In one sense, Yo Soy la Tradición is a culmination of Zenón's study of the cultural traditions of Puerto Rico. For over a decade, his regular trips to the country and his ongoing field research has granted him uncommon insight into the artistic resources afforded by the culture of the Island-in his words, a "seemingly endless well of information and inspiration," which is continually replenished by the families and communities who carry it forward as it evolves over generations.

With Yo Soy la Tradición, Zenón has attained another milestone in his musical development, music that stands at both the intersection and forefront of the musical traditions that he has studied and now made his own.

www.miguelzenon.com

spektralquartet.com