Born in Puerto Rico in 1976, saxophonist Miguel Zenón has been developing in the last three decades an extremely relevant trajectory not only as composer and as instrumentalist but also as an academic and in the quality of cultural activist, which makes of him one of the most respected musicians of the North-American jazz circuit. Besides his impressive curriculum of collaboration with some of the most highlighted names of contemporary music such as Kenny Werner, Danilo Pérez, Kurt Elling or Steve Coleman, among many others, Zenón presents a body of work as leader and composer that gravitates towards the harmonization of jazz’s universalist roots with the many different branches of influence exerted by the richness of the musical heritage from Latin America. His compositions were commissioned by internationally renowned North-American institutions such as Guggenheim and MIT and, in parallel with his artistic activity, Zenón devotes much of his time to teaching in several universities all around the world and. He is also, since 2011, the main force behind the “Caravana Cultural”, a project of cultural investment in Puerto Rico based on the promotion and the knowledge of jazz.

All these dimensions of this consistent ad competent musician contribute to his status of respectability. By practicing, and therefore propagating, a fundamental principle of generosity and reciprocity involved in the exchange of musical ideas, Miguel Zenón raises the standards of musical quality of those who listen to him and with whom he dialogues. Simultaneously formal and sensual, and punctuated by a certain conceptualism that adds up layers of meaning, the music created by the Puerto Rican saxophonist will be, in Guimarães Jazz 2021, enrichened by three musicians of meticulous technique and melodic sensibility. Venezuelan pianist Luis Perdomo, Austrian bassist Hans Glawischnig and North-American drummer Henry Cole, complemented by Zenón’s leadership, form an eclectic quartet of made of different musical identities that merge in order to serve a music focused on the deepening and improvement of musical traditions, harmonized around universal assumptions of free navigation through sound.