Miguel Zenón

Released February 10, 2017

Grammy Nominee for Best Latin Jazz Album 2018

YouTube: https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_nBtsmsuXKgquKnhaFs9iKo_fQBeWf1NF8

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/7qWQnMHLzLwRjGvum2xpPX?si=Jde-AeA6TyWJbqU7UgqfgQ

About:

Típico (spanish): characteristic of a region or group of people

As far back as I can remember, one of the first things that attracted me to jazz was the fact that it presented me with the opportunity to create something with others; the chance to build an idea together, as a unit. Jazz is music that feeds on the principle that the collective is more important than the individual, a lesson I learned early and have adopted as a mantra ever since. For more than a decade now, Luis, Hans, Henry and I have been a band. During that time we’ve been together through a fair amount of concerts, soundchecks, rehearsals, (long) train rides, (delayed) flights, and (mostly good) dinners. Naturally we’ve become very close, a family of sorts, and I consider myself lucky to be able to call them my bandmates and my friends. This album serves as a portrait of our time together, so I wrote pieces that are characteristic of the sound we’ve developed as a band for the past 15 years. A few of the compositions (“Corteza”, “Entre Las Raíces” and “Las Ramas”) were built on musical ideas played (at one point or another) by the esteemed members of our rhythm section. I did this as a way of acknowledging the importance of their individual sounds within OUR sound as a group; a collective identity we’ve forged together through the years and one that I’m sure will keep growing and evolving. Thanks for listening! I hope you enjoy the music.

Miguel Zenón

Track Listing:

1. Academia (Miguel Zenón) 8:26

2. Cantor (Miguel Zenón) 8:47

3. Ciclo (Miguel Zenón) 8:01

4. Típico (Miguel Zenón) 8:47

5. Sangre de Mi Sangre (Miguel Zenón) 6:58

6. Corteza (Miguel Zenón) 7:09

7. Entre las Raíces (Miguel Zenón) 5:37

8. Las Ramas (Miguel Zenón) 7:47

Personnel:

Miguel Zenón: alto saxophone
Luis Perdomo: piano
Hans Glawischnig: bass
Henry Cole: drums

Recorded March 14 – 15, 2016, at Systems Two Recording Studio, Brooklyn, NY

Produced by Miguel Zenón

Executive Producer: Robert Mailer Anderson

Recorded by Mike Marciano

Mixed by Brian Montgomery

Mastered by Randy Merrill Cover

Photo by Louise Rosskam

Graphic Design by Abdiel Flores

Review:

The vintage cover photograph on Tipico, of Puerto Rican musicians, might lead one to believe that this is a continuance of alto saxophonist Miguel Zenón’s jazz adaptations revolving around his heritage and homeland. But this is not the case. On this release, he hones in on his bandmates, and the music is centered on what each individual member contributes to the ensemble, and overall sound. 
His quartet for over a decade now is comprised of pianist Luis Perdomo, bassist Hans Glawischnig, and Henry Cole on drums. In an age where groups hardly stick together, this in itself is a remarkable achievement, and defines the bands exceptional cohesiveness. When not recording or touring, Zenón has been teaching at New England Conservatory, and “Academia,” was inspired by his advanced students who take him to task in musical challenges. 

Argentine pianist/composer Guillermo Klein, has been a frequent collaborator, band-mate in Los Gauchos, and good friend of Zenón, so the sophisticated complexity of “Cantor,” is dedicated to him, and his ability to inject personal nuances into his compositions. The song opens with a mysterious tango configuration as Perdomo offers a brilliant piano path in setting up the spiraling conclusion by Zenón. In keeping with his exploration into Latin music’s folkloric origins, “Ciclo,” revolves around the primordial foundations of melody and rhythm; and “Tipico,” delves deeper into the harmonic cadences which typically distinguishes the music of the Caribbean and Latin America. This title track incorporates a myriad of influences from the montuno on the piano, to danzas, sons and boleros, all presented with improvised bravado. 
The buoyant and lyrical “Sangre De Mi Sangre,” is dedicated to Zenón’s daughter, and features outstanding bass work by Glawischnig, who depicts the songs softness with a fine touch. He is honored on “Corteza,” composed around a bass solo from the song “Calle Calma” culled from the Esta Plena record in 2009. As each band member gets his turn to shine, Perdomo’s piano leads off the free jazz oriented “Entre Las Raices,” which displays a secreted avant-garde side to the pianist. Cole has been Zenón’s favorite drummer for what seems like forever, and his Roots Before Branches release gets a nod of appreciation with “Las Ramas.” Cole has an exclusive drumming technique that sets up the songs direction, Zenón innately weaving his sax around the intricacies of the syncopation, as they go out in style. 
On this record, Zenón opted for keeping the music centered around and performed strictly as a quartet. This is his way of showing appreciation for his colleagues talents and loyalty, in light of the difficulties in keeping a band together. In Zenón’s own words: “The music on this recording is inspired by the musical language we’ve developed together over this time. I wrote music that I felt represented us as a band and showcased the things we do well. In addition, a few of the pieces were drawn directly out of musical ideas that came from my fellow band members; I transcribed what I felt are some of their most recognizable and characteristic phrases, using these as springboards for some of the compositions.”

James Nadal (All About Jazz)