Pianist, composer, and musical director Edward Simon continues to expand his body of work dedicated to Venezuelan and Latin American jazz with "Venezuela - Latin American Songbook Vol. 2"

 

Venezuela: Latin American Songbook Vol. 2

"Edward Simon has distinguished himself as a wonderful musician

 and a driving force behind Venezuelan jazz, both from its inception

 and throughout his career"

Musicians: Edward Simon (piano, arranger, bandleader); Reuben Rogers (bass); Adam Cruz (drums); Special guest: Jacqueline Rago (cuatro, maracas 5)

Tracks List: Presagio; Atardecer; Dama Antañona; Anhelante; El Vuelto de la Mosca; Sabana

This wonderful album is a true dedication to contemporary Venezuelan jazz waltz. shaped, colored, and animated by the rhythmic and melodic spirit of Latin America. The beauty of the traditional waltzes from this small yet magnificent country in South America and the Caribbean—enriched, shaped, colored, and enlivened by the rhythmic and melodic spirit of Latin America and jazz—is captured in the performance by Ed Simon and the outstanding musicians who accompany him (Reuben Rogers, Adsam Cruz and Jacqueline Rago), just like the magnificent bird that graces the album cover: the “macaw.” (la guacamaya).

This starting point is essential to understanding Edward Simon's artistic intention. He is first and foremost a composer, and while Latin musical traditions clearly nourish his language, they are never treated as mere decorative influences. They constitute the very structure of his music, integrated into its harmonic logic, rhythmic architecture, and emotional trajectory.

Throughout his career spanning more than thirty years, Simon has patiently and discreetly built bridges between jazz and Latin American musical traditions, creating a body of work that rejects any hierarchy. Jazz does not dominate folklore, nor is tradition frozen in museum-like nostalgia. Venezuela: Latin American Songbook Vol. 2 thus functions as a lively conversation, drawing on the cultural memory of his native Venezuela and neighboring countries while remaining fully in tune with contemporary musical thinking. At a time when globalization tends to flatten musical identities into immediately identifiable and marketable formulas, this album appears as a conscious gesture of preservation, reaffirming that cultural heritage can evolve without being diluted.

This is neither an exercise in style nor a reconstruction of heritage. It is an album driven by deep conviction and obvious emotional commitment. The trio's playing is simply remarkable for the balance it strikes between precision and freedom. At times, the music seems to breathe collectively, as if guided by a shared internal clock rather than explicit signals. The affinities with contemporary Cuban music are undeniable, particularly in the rhythmic elasticity and discreet complexity of the groove, even though Edward Simon is Venezuelan. In reality, throughout Latin America, as in much of Europe, a musician's career often begins with a solid classical training. This foundation is omnipresent here, both in the formal clarity of the compositions and in the architectural intelligence of the arrangements.

Edward Simon's piano playing deserves special attention. His touch is thoughtful, measured, deeply lyrical, favoring clarity over demonstration and resonance over effect. He constructs carefully balanced voicings, allowing the harmonies to linger just long enough to produce their emotional impact before dissolving into silence. Space plays a central role in his phrasing, and his interaction with the rhythm section is based more on trust than domination. The trio functions less as a soloist accompanied than as a true ensemble.

Here’s a little bit about the “guacamaya”: Guacamaya is a species of bird belonging to the psittacidae family. It is also one of the nine existing species of the genus Ara, and one of the largest among them, reaching up to 90.7 cm in length and weighing up to 1 kg. It is distinguished by its brightly colored plumage; the music Edward Simon Trio offers us is a treat for the eyes, ears, and soul.

Edward Simon:

Edward Simon, a native of Venezuela (Punta Cardon, Falcon State), has made a name for himself over decades in America as a jazz improviser, composer-arranger and band leader, with his profile heightening in recent years as he has explored the commonalities jazz can have with the folkloric sounds of Latin America. His brothers Marlon Simon and Michael Simon are both well-known professional musics. Jazz Times summed up his impact this way: “Simon is less talked about than many other important jazz pianists from the Caribbean and South America, but he may be the most complete creative artist among them.” Based in the San Francisco Bay Area as a member of the all-star SFJAZZ Collective, he has been a Guggenheim Fellow along with being awarded multiple composition grants as part of the Chamber Music America’s New Jazz Works initiative. Simon, a Yamaha artist, has recorded 15 albums as a leader or co-leader; his latest is Sorrows and Triumphs, released via Sunnyside Records in April 2018. This follows Simon’s 2016 album Latin American Songbook, with the four-and-a-half-star DownBeat review praising its “grand and sophisticated” sound. Latin American Songbook also won Simon an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Jazz Album. The New York Times has praised Simon’s “light, warm touch” as a pianist, while Jazz Journal International singled out “his deep emotional statements” as a composer and improviser.

Sorrows and Triumphs showcases the long-running virtuoso quartet Afinidad, featuring Simon alongside alto saxophonist David Binney, bassist Scott Colley and drummer Brian Blade. The album’s color-rich arrangements also include several special guests: vocalist Gretchen Parlato, guitarist Adam Rogers and the chamber quintet Imani Winds, plus percussionists Rogerio Boccato and Luis Quintero. The album’s material blends two bodies of work commissioned from Simon by Chamber Music of America’s New Jazz Works: the suites “Sorrows and Triumphs” and “House of Numbers,” their individual movements re-sequenced to form a holistic listening experience that brims with a lyricism both intimate and majestic. About this music, influenced by Simon’s Buddhist practice, he says: “I wanted these compositions to bring joy to the listener, to be direct and accessible, with singable melodies.”

Simon first performed the “Sorrows and Triumphs” suite with Afinidad in 2009 at Walton Performing Arts Center in Arkansas and later at New York’s Jazz Standard, with performances broadcast on National Public Radio’s Jazz Set. Afinidad and Imani Winds unveiled the “House of Numbers” suite in 2016 at California’s University of the Pacific. Simon Rowe, executive director of Roots, Jazz & American Music at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, attended the premiere of “House of Numbers,” saying afterward that the blend of the five Imani Winds with Simon’s jazz quartet was “mesmerizing,” as the “writing juxtaposed the lyrical and often dense textures of the quintet with the ever-changing, percolating rhythmic drive of Afinidad.”

The music of Latin America has long been some of the world’s most beloved, whether Brazilian bossa nova, Argentinean tango, Cuban bolero or irresistible songs from Chile, Puerto Rico and Venezuela. Simon created fresh, supple interpretations of melodies from all these countries for his album Latin American Songbook. Released via Sunnyside in 2016, this album saw Simon leading his working trio with bassist Joe Martin and drummer Adam Cruz. The trio’s subtly virtuosic performances pulse with color and groove, giving instrumental voice to melodies originally made famous by such singers as Caetano Veloso, Mercedes Sosa and Carlos Gardel. Simon created artful piano-trio settings of such songs as Astor Piazzolla’s famously rhapsodic “Libertango” and Antônio Carlos Jobim’s lilting “Chega de Saudade,” as well as the gorgeous Cuban ballad “En La Orilla Del Mundo” (On the Edge of the World).

About Latin American Songbook, Simon explains: “I grew up listening to and loving these tunes. This music sings and dances – it’s irresistible. Later, I dealt with this material playing in Paquito d’Rivera’s band in the ’90s and then in my collaborations with singer Luciana Souza. As a mature jazz musician, I wanted to delve into these songs more deeply and make them my own.” Among the glowing reviews for the album, NPR said: “The combination of Latin standards and a jazz sensibility is always rich, but this recording really works because an expert musician applies himself so sincerely to songs that were formative for him. Simon puts his head and heart into Latin American Songbook, and the album gives Latin standards a rightful and joyful place at the center of instrumental jazz.”

Prior to Latin American Songbook came another key release for Simon, his 2014 Sunnyside album Venezuelan Suite – which saw the pianist blend the tuneful, buoyant sounds of his native country with the harmonically sophisticated, forward-looking manner of jazz. The rich compositions featured star saxophonist Mark Turner alongside virtuosos of the Venezuelan folk tradition, with the bright timbre of traditional native instruments – including harp, flute and the guitar with four nylon strings called the cuatro – mixed with the darker sounds of tenor sax, piano, double-bass and trap drums. All About Jazz marveled: “Venezuelan Suite is pianist Edward Simon’s love letter to his homeland, but that’s not all it is; it’s also the perfect confluence of Venezuelan ideals, jazz language and chamber-esque sophistication. In short, it’s a masterpiece.” DownBeat gave Venezuelan Suite a four-and-a-half star review, concluding: “Simon doesn’t forcibly create connections – he opens our eyes to natural connections that have always been there.”

Simon’s four-part Venezuelan Suite explores four principal genres of the country’s folk music. Each of the suite’s movements is based on a rhythm or song form and titled after a city associated with its origin. “Barinas,” the birthplace of many father figures in Venezuelan music, centers on the joropo, the country’s lively national rhythm and dance. “Caracas” is based on the intricately syncopated merengue in 5/8 time. “Mérida,” named after the picturesque city in the Andes, is in the style of a Venezuelan waltz. And “Maracaibo” is based on a gaita, a style traditionally played during Christmas time. In addition to his original suite for the album, Simon also arranged Heraclio Fernández’s joropo-based “El Diablo Suelto” (The Devil on the Loose), first published in 1888 – a standard in Venezuelan culture akin to “All the Things You Are” in jazz. “Jazz has been informed by Latin traditions from the very beginning, as Jelly Roll Morton knew,” Simon explains. “Then Dizzy Gillespie did so much with the Afro-Caribbean tradition. I’ve always been inspired by that history. Latin American music has such rhythmic vitality, and when you combine that with the harmonic richness and real-time invention of jazz, it yields a profoundly beautiful mix – a real best of both worlds. I hope Venezuelan Suite helps those who hear it discover some of the riches of Venezuelan music. People all over the world love so many different kinds of music from Cuba, Argentina, Brazil. Some of the same beauties and joys are there in the tradition of my native country.”

Ed Simon - Venezuelan Suite (2014)

Simon – who first came to the U.S. in 1981 at age 12, then settled permanently stateside after attending the Performing Arts School in Philadelphia – grew up in a musical family in the oil-refinery town of Punta Cardón. His father planted a musical seed with young Edward and his siblings, the kids raised on the strains of their dad playing guitar and singing boleros with his drinking buddies. Chucho Valdés was Simon’s first big influence on piano, then he got the jazz bug watching a VHS tape of Dizzy Gillespie and Stan Getz playing at the White House – with “the freedom of jazz” forever instilled in him as an ideal. After graduating from the Performing Arts School at age 15, Simon received a music scholarship from the University of the Arts, where he studied classical music. Later, he transferred to the Manhattan School of Music, where he studied jazz piano. As a young striver in New York, Simon was inspired by the innovative Nuyorican jazz of Jerry Gonzalez & the Fort Apache Band, and he eventually played with the group.

From 1989 to 1994, Simon occupied the piano chair in Bobby Watson’s Horizon, touring and recording with the band. He moved on to become a member of the Terence Blanchard Group from 1994 to 2002, making several albums with the band and appearing on multiple Blanchard film soundtracks. The pianist also contributed to albums by the likes of Mark Turner, Greg Osby, Kevin Eubanks and Herbie Mann. Simon made his leader debut on record in 1994 with Beauty Within (Audioquest); that same year, he placed third in the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition. Simon has recorded a sequence of albums under his own name: Edward Simon (Kokopelli, 1995), La Bikina (Mythology, 1998), The Process (Criss Cross, 2003), Simplicitas (Criss Cross, 2005) and Danny Boy (2010). Simon has also worked at the head of his All-Star Trio with bassist John Patitucci and drummer Brian Blade, releasing the studio discs Unicity (CamJazz, 2006) and Poesía (CamJazz, 2009); the group’s most recent album, released by Sunnyside in 2013, is Trio Live at the Jazz Standard, which All About Jazz described as “a stellar date that combines head and heart.” Simon co-founded Afinidad with David Binney around the turn of the century. With the ace rhythm duo of Blade and bassist Scott Colley on board, they released the quartet discs Afinidad (Red Records, 2001) and Océanos (Criss Cross, 2007). All About Jazz described the sound of Afinidad as “wonderful, accessible and deep.” Simon and Binney have also worked together as a duo, releasing the album Fiestas de Agosto (Red Records, 2008). In 2010, the pianist became a member of the hit SFJAZZ Collective, which comprises what The New York Times called “eight of today’s most in-demand” performer-composers. A keen collaborator, the pianist recorded a duo album with Argentine-born guitarist Guillermo Rozenthuler, Agora, released in 2015.

One of Simon’s most recent collaborative projects is the trio Steel House, with the pianist joined by frequent collaborators Colley and Blade for a new kind of group – one that finds these virtuoso improvisers blending acoustic jazz improvisation with electronic-tinged atmospherics for an inviting, song-oriented sound. This collaborative trio has performed at top venues across the country, with L.A. Weekly saying: “All-star bands can be a hit-and-miss prospect, but Steel House exceeds expectations… These extraordinary instrumentalists convert their shared histories into poetic, genre-leaping music.” The group presented its debut album, Steel House, via ArtistShare in 2017; such highlights as “What If…,” “Kingpin” and “Country” grab the listener immediately with melodies and grooves that tell a story in music. “The three of us wanted a sound for Steel House that went beyond the traditional jazz trio, to reach outside the box both compositionally and sonically,” Simon explains. “Overdubs of synthesizer, electric piano or organ on some tracks lend the music ambience in that way. With just the three of us, we also play a bit differently even acoustically than we would in Afinidad, taking advantage of space and softness. We still have a wide dynamic range, but this trio is about exploring nuances of phrasing and the subtle details of instrumental sound.”

Simon received fellowships from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts (2005), State of Florida (2007) and New York Foundation for the Arts (2008). He has served on the faculties of the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music, City College of New York and University of the Arts. He has taught master classes and clinics at conservatories and universities around the world, including Western Michigan University where he served as Visiting Jazz Artist. He is currently on faculty at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, the California Jazz Conservatory and is Resident Artist at the Brubeck Institute. Simon was honored in 1999 and in 2004 for his teaching work with a Certificate of Appreciation for Outstanding Service to Jazz Education from the International Association for Jazz Education. In 2008, thanks to a grant from the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board and U.S. Department of State, Simon was a visiting professor at the Instituto Universitario de Estudios Musicales in Caracas, Venezuela. In 2010, he was named a Guggenheim Fellow by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation. He became a McDowell Fellow the next year, with a residency at the prestigious McDowell Colony. Simon serves on the board of Creative Advisors for the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players.

Viva Yhe Latin Jazz!!

www.jazzcaribe.blogspot.com

jazzcaribe2001@yahoo.com

Ana Carla Maza captivates Europe and continues her “Alamar” tour

 

"Ana Carla Maza captivates Europe with her unique style,

talent, and refined artistry. Her compositions are an expression

of her Latin spirit through music, conveyed via

the cello and her voice"

ALAMAR

Musicians: Ana Carla Maza (vocal, cello); Norman Peplow (piano); Mirza Sierra (guitar); Arnaud Dolemn, Marc Ayza (drums); Luis Guerra (percussion)

Tracks List: Habanera; Me Lleva a t; Alamar; Corazoncito Mio; Je t'ai Aime; Cha Cha Cha; Les Jours Passent; Me Despido de Ti; Ma Cherie

ALAMAR is the new album by Ana Carla Maza.

A deeply personal and luminous work, ALAMAR transforms memory, love and cultural transmission into a contemporary and universal musical language. Through a unique dialogue between voice and cello, the album unfolds as a coherent artistic journey — one shaped by roots, departure, healing and joy.

Sung in Spanish, French, Portuguese and English, ALAMAR reflects Ana Carla Maza’s international path and affirms her position as a global independent artist. More than a collection of songs, the album is conceived as an œuvre — a statement of artistic freedom, authorship and emotional honesty.

Spanning nine tracks, the album explores genres such as bolero, son, salsa, reggae, and bachata, with jazz and an elegant and contemporary sensibility. Recorded during live performances and featuring collaborations such as that with her mother, guitarist Mirza Sierra, it reveals an intimate and intergenerational dimension.

With over 430 concerts in 25 countries, a background at the Paris Conservatory, and performances on some of Europe’s most prestigious stages, Ana Carla Maza is currently touring Europe and the United Kingdom with her ALAMAR 2026 tour. The tour includes cities such as Amsterdam, Paris, London, and Rome, and will culminate with her performance at the iconic L’Olympia in Paris.

The “Alamar” Tour continues as follows:

March 29, 2026          Mola Di Bari        Italy           Theater Niccolo' Van Westerhout

April 4, 2026              Pristina                 Kosovo       AMC Hall

April 9, 2026              Nurnberg              Germany    Meistersingerhalle Nurnberg

April 10, 2026            Munchen              Germany    Carl-Orff-Saal (Gasteig)

Ana Carla Maza:

Ana Carla Maza is a Cuban cellist, singer and composer whose music moves freely between cultures, languages and traditions. Born in Havana and shaped by a life between the Americas and Europe, she has developed a singular artistic voice where classical training, popular rhythms and contemporary songwriting coexist naturally.

Trained as a classical cellist in Paris, Ana Carla Maza transforms the cello into a narrative instrument at the heart of her music, alongside a strong, expressive voice. Her compositions draw from the musical heritage of the Americas — from Cuban and Latin traditions to jazz and folk influences — while remaining deeply personal and unmistakably modern.

After hundreds of concerts across Europe, the Americas and beyond, Ana Carla Maza has established herself as a powerful live performer and an independent artist with a clear artistic vision. Her work is driven by authorship, freedom and transmission, turning personal history into music that resonates across borders and generations.

Raised in the musical neighborhood of Guanabacoa, Havana, she began studying piano at age 5 and cello at 8. Her father is Chilean pianist Carlos Maza and her mother is Cuban guitarist Mirza Sierra.

Since there are so many recordings by Ms. Maza, I recommend checking them out.

Viva The Latin Jazz!!

www.jazzcaribe.blogspot.com

Note: The bestselling book *The Bible of Latin Jazz* by the writer, musicologist, and educator will be available for direct purchase in the coming days at a special promotional price.

Jazz and World Music Festivals in The Caribbean - March 2026

 

The Caribbean is a vibrant tapestry of culture, music, and celebration, and 2026 is set to be a year filled with incredible jazz and music festivals that highlight the region's rich traditions and diverse sounds. From the soulful roots of Jamaica's Rebel Salute to the pulsating rhythms of deep house in St. Lucia's ZEMI Festival, the wonderful jazz festivals, including regional and international stars, each event offers a unique experience for those seeking to immerse themselves in the heart and soul of the Caribbean. Whether you're drawn to the electrifying energy of Trinidad and Tobago's Carnival or the laid-back, intimate vibe of the Virgin Islands Jam Fest, there's something for every music lover to enjoy. As you plan your 2025 festival calendar, get ready to explore stunning island destinations, dance to the beats of world-renowned artists, and create unforgettable memories in paradise.

Virgin Islands Jam Fest

March 5-7, 2026, Held at the Windmill Bar, St. John

Since 2019, Janice, Ronnie, Christie, Andy and Moe have been welcoming festivalgoers to  the VI Jam Fest. The 8th annual festival is scheduled for March 5-6-7, 2026. VI Jam Fest is a laid-back, grassroots, gateless event located on a scenic overlook on the  small island of St. John. Typically, we host around 350 attendees which makes it intimate and not crowded. The breathtaking sea views will mesmerize you while your favorite musicians entertain you.

Miami Gardens, Florida

Jazz in the Garden Music Fest  March, 7 and 8, 2026, Hard Rock Stadium

The cultural landscape of South Florida is set to transform this spring as the 19th annual Jazz in the Gardens (JITG) Music Festival returns to Hard Rock Stadium on March 7 and 8, 2026. Coming off a milestone year where it was lauded by Newsweek and crowned “Best Music Festival for 2025” by Miami New Times, the event has unveiled a roster that seamlessly bridges the golden era of R&B with the heavyweights of modern hip-hop.

St. Thomas, Virgin Islands

University of the Virgin Islands, March 14, 2026, at Prior Jollek Hall at Antilles School

UVI Concert Choir & Band

Steel Pan Ensemble

Jazz Combo

St. Thomas All Stars Elementary Band

Tortota, British Virgin Islands

March 21, 2026, Eileene L. Parsons Auditorium, Paraquita Bay

Tito Puente Jr last performed at the Eileene L. Parsons Auditorium on January 12, 2013, during the eighteenth season of the Series, delivering an electrifying concert still remembered as a defining moment in the programme’s history, HLSCC stated.

Born in New York City and of Puerto Rican heritage, Puente Jr. continues the global legacy of his legendary father – Tito Puente – by blending Afro-Cuban rhythms, Caribbean musical traditions, and classic jazz elements with a spirited contemporary style. His 2026 return offers residents and visitors an exceptional opportunity to experience elite Latin jazz .

University of the Virgin Island, St. Thomas

March, 21, 2026, RCA Session at the Elridge Blake Sports & Fitness Center

The University of the Virgin Islands’ Reichhold Center for the Arts (RCA) will present an unforgettable evening of music and dance when RCA Sessions hosts the Jairay Petty Big Band in “Ode to Cotton Club” on Saturday, March 21, 2026, at the Elridge Blake Sports & Fitness Center on the Orville E. Kean Campus on St. Thomas.

Cayman Island, Cayman National Cultural Foundation, Camana Bay Area

March 21, 2026, Harquail Theatre Main Stage

Red Sky at Night is the anchor event for Cayfest and is a favourite of participants and attendees alike. Each year patrons are treated to live performances from musicians, dancers, actors, and storytellers, as well as displays of creative work by visual artists and artisans, all on the grounds of the F.J. Harquail Cultural Centre. Visitors revel in a sensory-filled experience at this multi-cultural arts festival, as the sounds of the steel pan, fiddle, and drums, and the aroma of mouth-watering local and regional culinary delicacies waft in the night air.

SXM Festival 2026 - Caribbean Music Festival, St. Martin

March 18-22, 2026, Happy Bay Beach, Bamboo Beach

From March 18 to 22, 2026, Saint Martin transforms into a true earthly paradise for electronic music lovers, adventurers, and those captivated by breathtaking landscapes. The SXM Festival 2026 immerses you in a magical atmosphere where the party, nature, and mesmerizing sounds come together to offer a one-of-a-kind immersive experience.

Viva The Latin Jazz!!

www.jazzcaribe.blogspot.com

jazzcaribe2001@yahoo.com

Miguel Zenon Quartet in concert this Saturday, March 7, 2026 at Vermont Jazz Center!

 

Experience the Virtuosity and Creativity of Grammy Award-Winning  Miguel Zenón Quartet on Saturday, March 7    The Vermont Jazz Center is honored to present Miguel Zenón in concert with his long-standing quartet, on March 7, 2026. The Grammy Award-winning saxophonist will appear with Luís Perdomo on piano, Matt Penman on bass, and Henry Cole on drums. Aside from Penman, this group has been together for over 25 years. In promo for one of his sponsors, D’Addario saxophone reeds, Zenón discussed the positive attributes of working with the same people for so many years, saying, this quartet is “always there, always game. It doesn’t matter what I’m working on, the level of difficulty, the level of commitment – they’re always there. It’s not necessarily the norm these days, because the industry pushes us to present ‘all-star’ bands. It’s good to have a vehicle you can trust and conceptualize for – it’s been a blessing.” The music played by this band is consequential, heady, and heartfelt.    Zenón is known for creating projects that reflect his love for the music, culture, and people of his native Puerto Rico. In an interview with CODA podcasts (which explores the arts of Puerto Rico), he stated: “I have a close relationship with Puerto Rico - it is my principal inspiration and serves as a bridge to understanding and portraying my true self.” Nonetheless, Zenón is quick to point out that his varied discography, although greatly informed by his knowledge of Latin music, is broad. From the Grammy Award’s website, he is quoted as saying: "I consider myself a jazz musician who happens to be from Latin America." His influences stem from the language invented by Charlie Parker (bebop), the post-bebop stylings of John Coltrane (especially the albums Crescent and A Love Supreme), and are also strongly affected by his fascination with complex rhythms.  https://youtu.be/HopFBoMYXGQ?si=Z2Ya561RlCqS0xL-   Before his ascension as a leader, Zenón was mentored by the legendary Panamanian pianist and composer, Danilo Perez. He then went on to record and study with another of his mentors, David Sánchez. Zenón was a founding member of the 8-piece, SFJazz Collective (2004-2019) with whom he recorded the music of Chick Corea, Stevie Wonder, and Thelonious Monk and others, arranging a healthy selection of their epic charts. In the early 2000s he performed and recorded with percussionist Ray Barretto, bassist Charlie Haden, the Mingus Big Band and many others, where he demonstrated the extreme breadth of his abilities and interests. Zenón’s discography as a leader began in 2002 with the prescient recording: Looking Forward, he then embraced deep dives into such topics as Law Years: The Music of Ornette Coleman, Alma Adentro: The Puerto Rican Songbook and two volumes of El Arte del Bolero (Volume 2 won him and pianist, Luís Perdomo a Best Latin Jazz Grammy in 2024). To date Zenón has recorded eighteen commercially available recordings as a leader. He has established himself as an artist who cuts his own path and, in doing so, has earned great critical acclaim.     After graduating high school, Zenón had to choose between a scholarship to Recinto Universitario de Mayagüez (in Puerto Rico) to study engineering, or the Berklee College of Music to study music. Music won out, but his love for math, engineering and disciplined study have served him well, and these focuses continue to inform the way he embarks on new creative endeavors. In the interview with D’Addario, Zenón discussed his methodology: “Through all the different projects that I've made, what I really enjoyed is this idea of focusing on one project or one source of information, be it something that has to do with Puerto Rico, or something else that interests me…That research part, for me, is as important as writing the music.” Zenón’s curiosity, discipline and passion have led to an associate professorship at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is also affiliated with Columbia University where he is involved with the Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute. In 2008, Miguel received the prestigious MacArthur Fellowship, also known as the Genius Grant. The MacArthur website states that Zenón was granted the Award "for expanding the boundaries of Latin and jazz music through his elegant and innovative musical collages. In his work as a saxophonist and a composer, Zenón demonstrates an astonishing mastery of old and new jazz mediums, from African American and Latin American rhythmic concepts to free avant-garde jazz.” In 2022 he received an Honorary Doctorate from La Universidad del Sagrado Corazón in San Juan, Puerto Rico.    What makes Zenón’s music so important, so interesting, and so listenable? There are three attributes that are consistent throughout his body of work: the intentional quality of his sound, his unfathomable attention to rhythmic detail, and his heart connection to the music and to the community.  https://youtu.be/dqpoTa0pIDw?si=YcYdfNLsLOyBDy9s   Sound: Even though he can play biting lines that cut through and lead a musical arrangement, Zenón sculpts his tone and balances his intensity with great beauty. In a conversation with Larry Appelbaum at the Library of Congress, he alluded to his sound as a thumbprint that represents his identity: “I'm attracted to personality in sound. And that's something that I work on myself. I've always been really interested in the idea that the instrument is a reflection of our personality and it's a reflection of the way our bodies move…So when I hear Charlie Parker or musicians in that category, I hear the personality in their sound…I'm listening to a connection to the evolution of the tradition of jazz, you know. What connection do they have to the evolution of the language? So when I hear players, be it older or more modern players, I'm listening for that connection.” Zenón’s sound is instantly recognizable – it reflects his intentionality and individuality, but it is also a product that embodies the legacy of his influences.    Rhythm: When a listener hears a sound emanating from a musician’s instrument they respond first to that impulse, but afterwards, it’s the rhythm that keeps them engaged. Zenón’s ability to create and manipulate rhythmical tapestries leaves most musicians in the dust. But he would never use rhythm superficially to impress; he uses rhythm as a tool to create new layers of sounds, as a prompt for composing, and as a visceral device to make people move. In an interview on the Dr. Jazz Talks podcast, Zenón discussed his approach: “Rhythm has always been an interest of mine. Even before I played any instruments I was always attracted to the abstract idea of rhythm and eventually, once I started to understand the theory of rhythm, I became even more attracted to it because there was a certain intellectual side to it. But I'm also interested in rhythm as an agent for groove…I want it to feel like it's grooving, you know, like it has a drive – it’s something that you can kind of feel…I'm trying to find ways to translate that complexity into something that…could move you in a in a certain way. A lot of the things that I'm interested in about rhythm have to do with different rhythmic dimensions… [so that] they could exist, for example, in seven and five at the same time.”    Social Endeavors: Zenón is a person who “pays it forward,” using his involvement with music as a direct way to benefit his chosen communities and his audience. In the CODA podcast referred to above, the interviewer mentioned that Zenón’s visit to her village in Puerto Rico several years earlier, was a life-changing experience. She is not alone. In 2011 Zenón used the money he received from the MacArthur “Genius” fellowship to launch the Caravana Cultural Project, a jazz awareness program he designed to eventually visit all 78 municipalities of Puerto Rico. In a conversation with Melissa Aldana (a saxophonist from Chile), Zenón stated - "I wanted to go to places where people wouldn't normally have access to this kind of music... to eliminate the 'taboos' around who should listen to jazz." Caravana’s programming pays tribute to major figures from the jazz canon like Miles Davis, Duke Ellington and Keith Jarrett. The free of charge, day-long events include pre-concert educational sessions, a performance with Zenón’s quartet, and the on-stage inclusion of area youth musicians. Other indications of his community involvement include Zenón’s participation in a Jazz Ambassadors tour to West Africa, his continued work with the music school of his youth, and a recent commission by SFJazz. For the SFJazz commission, Zenón conducted over 50 in-depth interviews with immigrants from the San Francisco area that served to inspire the compositions he created for his recording, the Golden City Suite. His achieved goal was to bring awareness to the tremendous impact that the immigrant communities have added to the rich culture of the Bay Area. The resultant recording, Golden City Suite, was nominated for a 2025 Grammy award.    Joining Zenón for this concert will be members of his quartet. All, except for the bassist, have been with him now for about twenty-five years. In the interview with the Dr. Jazz Talks podcast, Zenón commented “it's a luxury to be able to have a working band. I write music with them in mind, I don't want to say it makes things easy, but it's definitely comforting. I like each one of them, and hopefully they like me as well.”    Born in 1971 in Caracas, Venezuela, the group’s pianist Luís Perdomo was playing on Venezuelan TV and radio stations from the age of twelve. He eventually realized that he would have to travel to New York City to fulfill his musical destiny. “Being in a more competitive and challenging environment was a big change that I welcomed,” he says. In 1993, Perdomo relocated to New York and enrolled with a full scholarship to the Manhattan School of Music. Perdomo has appeared on over two hundred recordings and has become sideman to artists like Dave Douglas, David Sanchez, Tom Harrell, Steve Turre, Ben Wolfe, Ray Barretto, Brian Lynch, David Gilmore, Conrad Herwig, Ignacio Berroa, Ralph Irizarry and Timbalaye. He was a member of Ravi Coltrane’s Quartet for ten years and is a founding member of this quartet.                             Bassist Matt Penman is originally from New Zealand. He moved to the U.S. to attend Berklee College of Music and ended up as a first-call bassist in the NYC jazz scene. He is an established member of the SFJazz Collective and is the founder of the James Farm quartet, a jazz super-group with Joshua Redman, Aaron Parks and Eric Harland. Penman has recorded and performed with John Scofield, Joe Lovano, Wayne Shorter, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Kenny Werner, Aaron Goldberg, Dave Douglas, Chris Cheek, Seamus Blake, Guillermo Klein, Rebecca Martin, Nicholas Payton, Fred Hersch and Madeleine Peyroux. He is featured on over 100 recordings and has released four albums as a leader.    Drummer Henry Cole performs and records with Grammy winner David Sánchez, the Edward Simon Trio, Fabian Almazan, Residente, Calle 13, Gerald Clayton, Ben Wendel, Eric Reed, Seamus Blake, the LeBoeuf Brothers and others. He leads the Afro-Beat Collective. Born in 1979 and raised in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. He has shared the stage as a performer with artists such as Giovanni Hidalgo, Dave Valentin, Jerry Gonzalez, Danilo Pérez, Branford Marsalis, Luís Marin, William Cepeda’s Afro-Rican Jazz, salsa artists La PVC, the rock band Vivanativa and many others.  https://youtu.be/HtTbbRe7fDc?si=su7p5HqHEt454K5o Viva The Latin Jazz!! www.jazzcaribe.blogspot.com jazzcaribe2001@yahoo.com