El Arte Del Bolero Vol. 2 (Miel Music)
Miguel Zenón & Luis Perdomo
Released August 25, 2023
Grammy Winner for Best Latin Jazz Album 2024
YouTube:
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_ke03apSlIur87WJgWG6oz8jnieIa-P9LY
Spotify:
About:
A few years ago Luis and I got together to play a few of our favorite tunes during an impromptu duo session. The session took place during pandemic times, so even though it was in theory a “live session,” there wasn’t anyone in the room except for us and the recording engineer. To our surprise we really enjoyed the results and decided to release it as an album, settling eventually on the title El Arte Del Bolero in reference to the beauty of the Latin-American Songbook and of the Bolero in particular as a genre. We were even more surprised (pleasantly, of course) to discover that the album was very well received by our listeners and that the music – when eventually performed live in front of an actual audience – provided the perfect platform for exploration and interaction. So, we decided to make another album, expanding on the initial concept but with the same intent: to play songs that we know and love.
Since the repertoire for the previous recording basically was decided minutes before the session, we decided to put a little more thought into which songs would be recorded on Volume 2. This was a very fun process, one that was initiated pretty much the same way every single time with the following question: “Tu sabes que canción es bien buena?” (“You know which song is really good?”). From there we would get into long discussions about who sang it best, which arrangement was hipper or what would be a good key to play it in. Once we settled on the songs, another big question arose: how much do we want to push this into the jazz world while still maintaining the original spirit of the song? The final verdict on all of these decisions varied from song to song. But the one thing that remained consistent was the idea that we wanted this to be all about the material; that the songs themselves would be the main characters.
The Latin-American Songbook is so vast and varied that it naturally lends itself to limitless explorations. We purposely looked beyond the Caribbean (exploring composers from México, Venezuela and Panamá, for example) because we wanted to emphasize the point that these songs deserved to be explored and recognized for what they are, beyond labels, categories and regionalisms. Just beautiful music that is a joy to perform and listen to.
Here’s to hoping you feel the same. Enjoy.
Miguel Zenón
Track Listing:
1. En La Oscuridad (Rafael Solano Sánchez/ Peer International Corp.) 6:57
From the songbook of the great Tito Rodríguez, this song features a unique melody/harmony combo that is always fun to play on. I personally discovered this song while still a very young music student in Puerto Rico, on the album A Dos Tiempos de Un Tiempo, a wonderful Tito Rodríguez tribute by Gilberto Santa Rosa.
2. Paula C (Rubén Blades/ Rubén Blades Pub.) 8:17
A modern classic by the great Rubén Blades, first recorded on the 1978 album Louie Ramírez y sus Amigos. The original is faster and more dance-oriented, so we decided to slow it down and expand on the form a bit. It ended up providing the perfect platform for improvisation and musical conversation.
3. En La Soledad (Puchi Balseiro/ Peer International Corp.) 5:41
Another beautiful song from the Tito Rodríguez songbook. We play it here entirely out of time, extending the melodic phrases and harmonic flow. After some collective free-improv over various pedal points, we come back to the theme before closing out the piece.
4. Motivos (Italo Pizzolante/ Leo Musical, S.A. De C.V.) 7:52
This one was suggested by Luis, a gorgeous melody that he grew up listening to in his native Venezuela. There are many wonderful versions of this song to explore, my personal favorite coming from La Rondalla Venezolana.
5. Caballo Viejo (Simón Díaz/ Wc Music Corp.) 8:01
A timeless piece of music which has been covered extensively by various artists spanning a wide range of musical genres. It was written by master songwriter Simón Díaz, perhaps the most widely recognized Venezuelan composer of his time. Towards the tail end of this version we introduce elements from the outro to Keith Jarrett’s take of “Moon and Sand,” a piece we both know and love.
6. Mucho Corazón (Eva Elena Valdelamar/ Peer International Corp.) 6:36
Written by Eva Elena Valdelamar, the great Mexican songwriter who penned this when she was still a teenager. We used Benny Moré’s version as one of our main sources of inspiration and experimented with the harmonic progression at different points within the form.
7. Silencio (Rafael Hernández Marín/ Peer International Corp.) 7:41
An amazing piece of music from the creative mind of Puerto Rican legend Rafael Hernández. We recorded this piece with a larger ensemble on the 2012 album Alma Adentro: The Puerto Rican Songbook and decided to revisit it here. Our version uses the triplet as its main source of rhythmic information and it’s perhaps the most intricate arrangement of all the songs on this album. This is truly a beautiful piece of music and felt like the perfect way to close out the record.
Personnel:
Miguel Zenón: alto saxophone
Luis Perdomo: piano
Recorded at Big Orange Sheep (Brooklyn, NY) May 16th, 2023, by Michael Perez-Cisneros, assisted by Cat Evers
Mixed by Danilo Pichardo and Miguel Zenón
Mastered by Danilo Pichardo
Graphic Design by Abdiel Flores, WIGO Design
Produced by Miguel Zenón
Review:
We know from the cognitive aspect of anthropology that ever since ancient times, every instrument invented – if and when perfectly played – was meant to imitate the human voice raised in song, in praise of creation itself. It is an art that few – if any have mastered.
When it came to the alto saxophone, the great Charlie “Bird” Parker not only did, but his playing was evocative of every aspect of the human voice – so that when he played he sounded like a vocalist, harmonist, and a whole rhythm section to boot.
Of the alto saxophonists playing today, Miguel Zenón stands head and shoulders above everyone else who has mastered the instrument. His masterful recording of the works of Ismael Rivera reminded us of that fact, as he seemed to bring the legendary Puerto Rican vocalist to life.
Moreover, there he is in a minority of one [also among those playing the instrument today] who plays with the kind of lyrical poetry – with shimmering glissandos and liquid arpeggios – of Duke Ellington’s iconic alto saxophonist, the inimitable Johnny Hodges.
That he should decide to create an homage to the art of the bolero seemed only a matter of time. Mr Zenón’s playing on the repertoire of El Arte del Bolero vol. 2 is eminently suited to the pirouetting, gliding movements of a dyed-in-the-wool romantic serenading his lover as he waxes his way – cheek-to-cheek – across the floor in the crepuscular moonlight awash with shadows and light.
As listeners of this exquisitely crafted bittersweet music – Paula C and En La Soledad, Mucho Corazón and Silencio – we might often feel like interlopers spying on lovers surreptitiously stealing away from the world as they celebrate [perhaps] a forbidden love. Proverbial characters like Romeos and Juliets in the throes of embrace.
But Mr Zenón is not alone on this sojourn, although the splendour of his playing often seems so magnificently solitary that it is almost too painful to bear. He is joined on this surreptitious musical escapade by the indomitable pianist Luis Perdomo. Again… imagine this as a classical lieder recording and you will find that this is the most perfect pairing of artists.
With Mr Zenón playing the role of the vocalist [whilst his doppelgänger glides across a celestial floor in the sky with his lover] Mr Perdomo plays the perfect accompanist, seemingly always in the shadows knowing exactly when to step out into the limelight where his pianism glitters with virtuosity.
Then suddenly as if on cue he steps back into the shadows allowing Mr Zenón to dazzle with uncommon virtuosity all his own. There could be no more perfect a pairing of artists for a project as beautiful and dusky as this, than two masters of their instruments entwined like a pirouetting interminably like a musical double-helix celebrating the art of the bolero.
Raul Da Gama (Latin Jazz Network)
