Miguel Zenón - The Matrix

Reality is that most people — no matter how seemingly separated in geography and society (from Quincy Jones in Los Angeles to Delfeayo Marsalis in New Orleans to Raimundo "Mago do Nordeste" / "Wizard of the Northeast" Sodré in Brazil ... to you, wherever you are, my friend) — are within scant degrees of most other people (the so-called "six degrees of separation" phenomenon) everywhere. The Matrix is a parallel universe of worldlines combining this principle with the most powerful, subtle and wide-ranging recommendation software yet developed — the collective human mind — in order to open up the world of music & the arts as its never been open before. This is the red pill. No information harvested per FB/Cambridge Analytica.

Worldlines In

I am curated in these categories from these nodes. Further info by clicking on curation category buttons.

Worldlines Out

I am curatable in: 5 categories
I have received: 15 curations
THIS NODE CURATES THESE PEOPLE IN THESE CATEGORIES > 6 curations

Outgoing Recommendations by

Curator: Matrix Intelligence (MI)

Who I Am & Where I Live

Name: Miguel Zenón
City: New York City
Country: United States
Hometown: San Juan, Puerto Rico

My Life

Biographical: Multiple Grammy Nominee and Guggenheim and MacArthur Fellow Miguel Zenón represents a select group of musicians who have masterfully balanced and blended the often-contradictory poles of innovation and tradition. Widely considered as one of the most groundbreaking and influential saxophonists of his generation, he 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 built a distinguished career as a leader, releasing eleven albums under his own name. In addition, he has crafted his artistic identity by dividing his time equally between working with older jazz masters and the music’s younger innovators –irrespective of styles and genres. The list of musicians Zenón has toured and/or recorded with includes: The SFJAZZ Collective, Charlie Haden, Fred Hersch, Kenny Werner, David Sánchez, Danilo Pérez, The Village Vanguard Orchestra, Guillermo Klein & Los Guachos, The Jeff Ballard Trio, Antonio Sánchez, David Gilmore, Paoli Mejías, Brian Lynch, Jason Lindner, Dan Tepfer, Miles Okazaki, Dan Weiss, Ray Barreto, Andy Montañez, Jerry Gonzalez & The Fort Apache Band, The Mingus Big Band, Bobby Hutcherson and Steve Coleman.

As a composer he has been commissioned by SFJAZZ, The New York State Council for the Arts, Chamber Music America, NYO JAZZ , The Logan Center for The Arts, The Hyde Park Jazz Festival, The John Simon Guggenheim Foundation, MIT, Jazz Reach, Peak Performances, PRISM Quartet and many of his peers.

Zenón has been featured in articles on publications such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Times, The Chicago Tribune, Bloomberg Pursuits, Jazz Times, Jazziz, Boston Globe, Billboard, Jazz Inside, Newsday and Details. In addition he topped both the Jazz Artist of the Year and Alto Saxophonist of the Year categories on the 2014 Jazz Times Critics Poll and was selected as the Alto Saxophonist of the Year by the Jazz Journalist Association in 2015 and 2018.

His biography would not be complete without discussing his role as an educator. In 2003, he was chosen by the Kennedy Center to teach and perform in West Africa as part of their Jazz Ambassador program. Since then, he has given hundreds of lectures and master classes and has taught all over the world at institutions which include: The Banff Centre, Berklee College of Music, Siena Jazz, Universidad Veracruzana, Conservatorium Van Amsterdam, Musik Akademie Basel, Conservatoire de Paris, University of Manitoba, Conservatorio de Música de Puerto Rico, Manhattan School of Music, San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Columbia University, Princeton University, The Kimmel Center, UMass-Amherst and the Brubeck Institute. He is also a permanent faculty member at New England Conservatory of Music. But perhaps what best reflects his commitment to education and cements his growing reputation as a “cultural ambassador”, is a program that he founded in 2011, called Caravana Cultural.

The main purpose of Caravana Cultural is to present free-of-charge Jazz concerts in rural areas of Puerto Rico. The program makes a “cultural investment” in the Island by giving these communities a chance to listen to jazz of the highest caliber (Zenón invites some of the best musicians in the New York jazz scene to perform as guests), while at the same time getting young Puerto Rican musicians actively involved in the concert activities. Since February 2011, Zenón has presented a concert every four to six months. Each concert focuses on the music of a specific jazz legend (Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, among others) and is preceded by a pre-concert presentation which touches on the basic elements of jazz and improvisation. Since 2005 Zenón has also personally organized “Jazz Jam Sessions” in the area of San Juan, as a way of creating a platform for younger jazz musicians to grow and interact with one another.

In 2008 he was selected as one of 25 distinguished individuals to receive the prestigious and coveted MacArthur Fellowship, more commonly known as the “Genius Grant”.

Zenón lives in New York City with his wife Elga and their daughter.

My Media

Instagram: miguelzenonmusic

Listen on Spotify

Spotify: http://open.spotify.com/album/7qWQnMHLzLwRjGvum2xpPX
Spotify 2: http://open.spotify.com/album/5I6SZ3tF0Y8JN1qCB8YrK3
Spotify 3: http://open.spotify.com/album/1b0qWtGe1r5kDqZ832bnfl
Spotify 4: http://open.spotify.com/album/7loWwHMOxMzSpdTTalZr2U
Spotify 5: http://open.spotify.com/album/0K4FH6XB495cXPYXXeAACo
Spotify 6: https://open.spotify.com/album/1Cg5lcnSsbaj0DPb07g3Ln

Contact Information

Management/Booking: General Manager
Mariah Wilkins Artist Management

Booking Agent
Mariah Wilkins Artist Management

Press Contact
Ann Braithwaite - Braithwaite & Katz

Quotes, Notes & Etc. Albums as a Leader

Zenón’s eleven recordings as a leader represent not only his growth as a musician, but also his ability to constantly evolve and reinvent himself as a conceptualist and producer.

Yo Soy la Tradición (Miel Music, 2018) – his latest release – 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 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. Yo Soy La Tradición received two Grammy nominations, for Best Latin Jazz Album and Best Improvised Jazz Solo. It was also chosen as one of the best recordings of 2018 by The San Diego Tribune, The Chicago Tribune, Jazz Times, Arts Fuse, NPR and La Fundación Para La Cultura Popular, among others.

Típico (Miel Music, 2017) celebrates the Miguel Zenón Quartet, his working band of more than 15 years, which includes Venezuelan pianist Luis Perdomo, Austrian bassist Hans Glawischnig and fellow Puerto Rican drummer Henry Cole. The album features original music by Zenón, which was specifically written for the members of the Quartet and directly inspired by their individual playing and personalities. The end result is a testament to the band’s unique chemistry and their outstanding collective musicianship. Típico was nominated for a Grammy and a Latin Grammy Award for Best Latin Jazz Album and chosen as one of the best recordings of 2017 by NPR, The Chicago Tribune, Jazz Times, The Boston Globe, The Huffington Post, The San Diego Tribune and All Music, among others.

Identities are Changeable (Miel Music, 2014) is inspired by the idea of national identity as experienced by the Puerto Rican community in the United States, specifically in the New York area. All the music on the album is written around a series of interviews with several individuals, all of them New Yorkers of Puerto Rican descent. The narrative created by these conversations gave birth to all the compositions on the record, with audio excerpts from the interviews weaving in and out each piece. The album, which is also complemented by a video installment by David Dempewolf, features Zenón’s longstanding quartet (with Luis Perdomo, Hans Glawischnig and Henry Cole) plus a twelve-piece large ensemble comprised of some of the best musicians in jazz today. Identities Are Changeable was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Latin Jazz Album and chosen as one of the best recordings of 2014 by NBC News, NPR, The Boston Globe, Rhapsody, All About Jazz and Jazz News Magazine, among others.

Oye!!! Live in Puerto Rico (Miel Music, 2013) features the debut recording of The Rhythm Collective, an ensemble first put together in 2003 for a month long tour of West Africa. The group includes Aldemar Valentín on Electric Bass, Tony Escapa on Drums and Reinaldo de Jesus on percussion; all native Puerto Ricans and some of the most coveted musicians in their respective fields. Fed by the energy of the full capacity audience in attendance, the group delivers a high intensity performance which includes originals by Zenon and covers of Tito Puente’s “Oye Como Va” and Silvio Rodríguez’ “El Necio”.

Rayuela (Sunnyside Records 2012), is a collaboration with French pianist/composer Laurent Coq. It was inspired by the literary masterpiece of the same name by Argentinean writer Julio Cortázar (Hopscotch in English) and the compositions on the recording look to translate some of the most memorable characters and passages from the book into musical terms. They are joined by Dana Leong (cello and trombone) and Dan Weiss (tabla, drums and percussion), masterful musicians who helped create the unique ensemble sound that distinguishes this very special project.

Alma Adentro (Marsalis Music, 2011), is a tribute to The Puerto Rican Songbook. On it he arranges and explores the music of five legendary Puerto Rican composers: Bobby Capó, Tite Curet Alonso, Pedro Flores, Rafael Hernández, and Sylvia Rexach (whom he considers “the George Gershwins, Cole Porters and Jerome Kerns of Puerto Rican song”). The recording features his longtime working quartet of pianist Luis Perdomo, bassist Hans Glawischnig and drummer Henry Cole, plus a ten-piece woodwind ensemble orchestrated and conducted by close friend and collaborator Guillermo Klein. This groundbreaking project both honors the music of these masters while at the same time exposing their music to new audiences. Alma Adentro was chosen as the Best Jazz Recording of 2011 by iTunes and NPR, and was nominated for a 2012 Grammy Award for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album and a 2012 Latin Grammy for Best Instrumental Album.

Esta Plena (Marsalis Music, 2009) draws from the traditional Plena music style of his home country and was supported by a fellowship from the prestigious John Simon Guggenheim Foundation. On it Zenón augmented his quartet to include three percussionists/vocalists and took on the additional roles of both lyricist and vocalist. Jazz Times wrote that Esta Plena is “…music with integrity, energy, poise and a fresh vision of how the Afro-Caribbean jazz aesthetic can evolve without losing its deep roots.” In addition to being hailed by critics (New York Times, Village Voice, El Nuevo Día, Downbeat, The Chicago Tribune) as one of the best recordings of 2009, the recording earned Zenón two Grammy nominations (one for Best Improvised solo and one for Best Latin Jazz Recording of the year) as well as a Latin Grammy nomination for Best Latin Jazz Recording of the year.

Decidedly more personal and introspective, Awake (Marsalis Music, 2008) incorporates a string quartet and additional horns to Zenón’s core group and brings to the forefront his formidable skills as a writer and arranger. As was admirably put in Audiophile Audition: “ This is an album far beyond the usual sax & string outing, revealing a unique statement that communicates passion, intellect and spirit to the listener.” Awake also caught the attention of the international press, garnering it 5 star reviews and top honors in publications like Jazzwise (UK), Jazz Man (France) and Jazz Magazine (France).

Jíbaro (Marsalis Music, 2005), his third recording, was further proof that all the critical praise he had been receiving was well deserved. The recording is an exploration of a style of popular Puerto Rican folk music known as La Música Jíbara. The Chicago Tribune summed it up best when they wrote: “The instrumental prowess of Zenon’s playing, the vigor of his compositions and the sensitivity of his band to Puerto Rican song forms point to new possibilities in jazz.” Like his previous recordings, Jíbaro was uniformly well received and appeared on many top ten lists including The New York Times, Latin Beat, El Nuevo Día, and the Chicago Tribune.

His second recording as a leader, Ceremonial (Marsalis Music, 2004), was described by All About Jazz as a “ head on crash of Latin, Jazz and Classical traditions–modern Jazz at it’s very best, ” and garnered unanimous critical praise and recognition both within and outside the jazz world.

His debut CD, Looking Forward (Fresh Sound New Talent, 2002), represents a snapshot of the very eclectic musical interests of the then 24-year-old musician, and was selected by the New York Times as the number one “alternative” jazz recording of 2002.

Clips

feat. Spektral Quartet: Tiny Desk Concert
By Miguel Zenón

40 views

Hey there! Questions? We'll answer them! Need your login info? We've got it! Inaccuracies? Faulty curations by the Ghost in the Machine? Contact us here, or email sparrowroberts@gmail.com. Thank you! (I'm Randy "Pardal/Sparrow" Roberts and I built this matrix!)

EZ INSTRUCTIONS

The matrix is a small world curation network.

It is designed to be coursed through, from node (person/entity) to node to node in a voyage of discovery.

This is universal open curation in series. A 21st century twist on the oldest and most effective means of publicity of all: word-of-mouth.

Curations in series form worldlines, which enter pages via the THEY CURATE ME section and exit via the I CURATE THEM section (above).

The totality of worldlines taken together make up the matrix...a matrix in the original sense of "source", from "mater", Latin for "mother".

We are — per below — real mothers for ya!

All are welcome to curate, and all may decide for themselves whose judgement to trust. One aspect of open curation is that it allows us to see the curations of performing experts in their area, no matter how obscure this area might be, areas where perhaps there are no professional curators.

After a page has been created (it can be as simple or as complex as you like) you create arts-related categories for which you can be recommended. Examples can be seen at the bottom of every member page, including your own.

Categories for which you can be recommended are created in your "THEY CURATE ME" section. Then when somebody clicks on one of your categories, their image and a link back to their own page will appear there. You will appear in their "I CURATE THEM" section.

When YOU click on somebody else's category in their "THEY CURATE ME" section on their page, your image and a link back to your own page will appear there. THEY will appear in YOUR "I CURATE THEM" section.

If wish merely to curate (recommend), simply don't create categories for yourself. Whatever the case, people getting to your page can see who you think is great. The people you think are great can see you think they are great!

You can put Spotify album or artist links in the Spotify fields; people on your page can click on these links and the Spotify web player will open up to your music.

You can put your music into your own Matrix player by clicking on the Add Music button at the top of your (or any) page.

You can embed YouTube videos into your own video page by clicking on the Add Videos button at the top of your (or any) page.

Join from the top of any page.

If you find yourself sufficiently moved by this artist, click on categories for which they may be recommended (within their THEY CURATE ME area) above. The artist, together with the categories for which you are recommending them, will then appear on your own I CURATE THEM list.

ABOUT THE MATRIX

Wow! Very impressive! ... I love what you've built here... Derek Sivers, founder, CD Baby

If Myspace Music had been set up like this they'd be using it to hear Hermeto Pascoal in Andromeda by now! ... Sparrow Roberts, founder, The Matrix

WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE WORLD'S FIRST EVER SMALL WORLD CURATION NETWORK?

Any artist (in any field) in any place in the world can be potentially reached by anybody from anywhere.

BY WHAT WIZARDRY?

We've all heard of six degrees of separation, more properly called a small world network. Within six or so steps we can move through a chain of people knowing other people to just about anybody on the planet.

SIMPLY CHANGE "KNOW" TO "RECOMMEND"

In exactly the same way, step by step we can move through chains of ARTISTS RECOMMENDING (curating) OTHER ARTISTS to to just about any artist on the planet.

LIKE THIS...

Quincy Jones recommends artists under his wing including stellar young Cuban pianist Alfredo Rodriguez. Alfredo recommends a fabulous multinstrumentalist he plays with, Munir Hossn. Two more steps and we've reached Raimundo Sodré, lost in Bahia:

Raimundo Sodré Now

Dengo

Add to my Playlist

Sina de Cantador - Raimundo Sodré (6,520 plays)
Add to my Playlist

Magnetismo - Raimundo Sodré (6,228 plays)
Add to my Playlist

Sacando a Cana - Raimundo Sodré (5,877 plays)
Add to my Playlist

Mêrêrê - Raimundo Sodré (5,402 plays)
Add to my Playlist

A Massa - Raimundo Sodré (4,958 plays)
Add to my Playlist

Jardim do Amor - Raimundo Sodré (4,631 plays)
Add to my Playlist

Debaixo do Céu - Raimundo Sodré (4,112 plays)
Add to my Playlist

Desejo de Amar - Raimundo Sodré (3,823 plays)
Add to my Playlist

Oração pra Yá Oxum - Raimundo Sodré (3,701 plays)
Add to my Playlist

Yá África - Raimundo Sodré (3,472 plays)
Add to my Playlist

Meu Rio, Cadê o Papel - Raimundo Sodré (3,148 plays)
Add to my Playlist

Casa de Trois - Raimundo Sodré (2,868 plays)
Add to my Playlist

Mulher é Laço que Prende o Coração do Va... (2,531 plays)

Share | Report | 57,271 plays | 9,512 views

DICTATED SILENCE

Sodré's meteoric major-label career was crushed and his life threatened by the Brazilian dictatorship years ago, sending him into a 19 year exile. He became almost impossible to find and hear.

MUSIC FALLS LIKE RAIN

But now lines of everbranching interlinked recommendations rise from Bahia to form a (small world) network rounding the planet like the arboreal canopy of a vast Amazonian rainforest. When the dictatorship ground Sodré into the dust, they unwittingly planted a seed.

IS THE MATRIX AN ALTERNATE REALITY?

The original meaning of "matrix" is "source", from "mater", Latin for "mother". We're real mothers for ya!

Pre-Brazil we "rescued" unpaid royalties for performers and composers including Aretha Franklin, Barbra Streisand, Led Zeppelin, Philip Glass, Mongo Santamaria, Airto Moreira, Gilberto Gil, Astrud Gilberto, Jim Hall, Robb Royer of Bread, Speedo & the Cadillacs, and many more! Recording by WXPN's Kim Junod

DOES THE MATRIX WATCH YOU?

Zero surreptitious tracking, data mining and data brokerage per Cambridge Analytica, Facebook, et al.

PATHWAYS ACCESSIBLE VIA ANY NODE BELOW, OR VIA A CATEGORY, OR USE THE SEARCH BOX:

Our logo is a sugarcane cutter, representative of the fact that the great root of Brazil's music is planted Congo-deep in the massapê -- rich alluvial soil -- of the sugarcane plantations of Bahia: