Miguel Zenon Quartet

“This music is inspired by the history of the American continent—not only before European colonization, but also by what has happened since—cause and effect,” says Miguel Zenón about his latest album, Música de Las Américas, which is entirely composed of original works. The music stems from Zenón’s passion for the history of the Americas, and the resulting album pays tribute to its diverse cultures while also challenging modern ideas of what “America” represents and who is included in that definition.

With his longtime quartet—pianist Luis Perdomo, bassist Hans Glawischnig, and drummer Henry Cole—Música de Las Américas marks a significant expansion in scope and ambition for Zenón, who is best known for blending avant-garde modernism with the folkloric and traditional music of Puerto Rico. To realize this ambitious project, Zenón enlisted the renowned Puerto Rican ensemble Los Pleneros de La Cresta to bring their unmistakable plena sound to the album, alongside master musicians like Paoli Mejías on percussion, Daniel Díaz on congas, and Victor Emmanuelli on the barril de bomba.

Zenón’s compositions on Música de Las Américas reflect the vibrancy and complexity of the continent’s Indigenous cultures, their encounters with European colonizers, and the lasting historical consequences of those encounters. Zenón delved into these topics during the pandemic, reading classics like Las Venas Abiertas de América Latina (Open Veins of Latin America) by Eduardo Galeano, which details the West’s exploitation of South America’s resources and inspired his composition “Venas Abiertas.”

Other sources of inspiration include Taínos y Caribes by Sebastián Robiou Lamarche, which refers to the two major societies that inhabited the Caribbean prior to European colonization and are the focus of the album’s opening track. “These were the two predominant but very different societies: the Taínos were more passive and agricultural, while the Caribes were warriors, living for conquest,” explains Zenón, who captures the clash between these societies in the track’s interwoven rhythms.

Continuing the theme of Caribbean Indigenous societies, “Navegando (Las Estrellas Nos Guían)” pays tribute to the region’s maritime culture. “What struck me was how they could travel across the sea over long distances using only canoes, guided by the stars,” Zenón explains. “It opens up a discussion about what is considered ‘primitive’ versus ‘advanced’ in terms of scientific achievements between the ‘New World’ and the ‘Old World.’” Zenón based the piece on star formations used for navigation by these societies, and the track features the percussion and vocals of Los Pleneros de La Cresta, who sing and accompany the song’s refrain: “Navegando vengo, sigo a las estrellas.”

Perhaps the most harmonically and structurally complex track on the album, “Opresión y Revolución” evokes the tension and release of revolutions throughout the Americas, notably the Haitian Revolution. With Paoli Mejías’s percussion paired with pianist Perdomo’s rhythmic work, the track also reflects the influence of Haitian Vodou music, which Zenón became deeply familiar with through his collaboration with drummer Ches Smith and his ensemble We All Break.

While for many, the term “empire” evokes the contemporary Western world, Zenón composed “Imperios” with the Indigenous empires of the Americas in mind, including the Incas, Mayas, and Aztecs. “These were among the most advanced societies of their time; in fact, they were ahead of Europe in some areas—like mathematics, astronomy, social and political structures,” explains Zenón. “There was something truly sophisticated happening, and it makes me wonder what could have emerged from it.” The melody is based on Zenón’s transcription of music from a ceremony by descendants of the Aztecs and serves as the rhythmic backbone of the composition.

“Bambula” features percussion virtuoso Victor Emmanuelli, whom Zenón praises for pushing musical boundaries as a bandleader. The term “bambula” refers to a dance brought by enslaved Africans to the Americas. Over time, it evolved into what is now known as the habanera rhythm, which appears in much of today’s Latin American music. Here, Zenón captures a sense of connection across time and space through this rhythmic cell: “It’s a thread that links New Orleans to Brazil, to Central America, and then to Africa—through all these layers of history up to modern pop,” says Zenón. “I wanted it to feel like you were on the dance floor, but also hearing these more modern harmonies and melodies.”

By highlighting these geographic connections, Zenón returns to a central theme of the album: the idea of “America” not as a country—namely the United States—but as a continent. “América, el Continente” underscores this message while also calling attention to the political implications of the U.S. appropriating the term “America,” effectively erasing the rest of the Western Hemisphere.

“Antillano,” named after the people of the Antilles, exemplifies what Zenón is best known for: uniting past and present in a forward-thinking yet musically satisfying way. Closing the album on an upbeat note, the piece mimics aspects of contemporary dance music while spotlighting Daniel Díaz on congas. Some of the piece’s rhythmic surprises in odd meters may go unnoticed by casual listeners, but they seamlessly blend into the natural flow delivered by Zenón’s quartet.

By confronting challenging historical themes in Música de Las Américas, Zenón has crafted a masterwork whose musical pleasures will inspire and uplift while also provoking reflection on the power dynamics that have shaped the American continent. The notion that modern jazz cannot be simultaneously grooving and emotionally resonant for the casual listener—while also being formally and intellectually rich—is clearly disproven here, as Zenón has done time and again throughout his career.

About Miguel Zenón:

Grammy® winner, Doris Duke Artist, Guggenheim and MacArthur Fellow, Zenón is one of a select group of musicians who have masterfully balanced and blended the often-contradictory poles of innovation and tradition. Widely considered one of the most groundbreaking and influential saxophonists of his generation, Zenón has also developed a unique voice as a composer and as a conceptualist, concentrating his efforts on perfecting a fine mix between jazz and his many influences. Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Zenón has released seventeen albums as a leader. He has worked with luminaries and organizations such as The SFJAZZ Collective, Charlie Haden, Fred Hersch, Kenny Werner, David Sánchez, Danilo Perez, The Village Vanguard Orchestra, Kurt Elling, Joey Calderazzo, Steve Coleman, Ray Barreto, Andy Montañez, Jerry Gonzalez & The Fort Apache Band, The Mingus Big Band, and Bobby Hutcherson. Zenón has given hundreds of lectures and master classes at institutions all over the world and is a faculty member in the Music & Theater Arts Department at MIT, as well as the current Visiting Scholar for the Harmony and Jazz Composition Department at Berklee College of Music.

Line-up :

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