Miguel Zenón

An exciting and adventurous alto-saxophonist, Miguel Zenon first gained fame for his playing with David Sanchez and has since emerged as a very important soloist. Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Zenon studied saxophone at the Escuela Libre de Musica. Zenon attended the Berklee School of Music, meeting drummer Bob Moses, who got him a position with the Either/Orchestra. Zenon earned a Masters in Saxophone Performance from the Manhattan School of Music in 2001. Along the way he studied with such notables as Danilo Perez, Dave Liebman, George Garzone and Bill Pierce. Since graduating, Zenon has worked and recorded with many top musicians, adding excitement to each setting. His stint with Sanchez found him holding his own with the better known tenor saxophonist in stirring ensembles and tradeoffs. Zenon has also worked with Danilo Perez, Charlie Haden, the Village Vanguard Orchestra, Bobby Hutcherson, Jason Lindner, Guillermo Klein, the Mingus Big Band, Brian Lynch, Jerry Gonzalez and the Fort Apache Band, Ray Barretto, Steve Coleman, Branford Marsalis, the David Murray Big Band, Greg Tardy, William Cepeda, Tony Lujan, Luis Perdomo, Edsel Gomez, Michele Rosewoman, and the SF Jazz Collective. As a leader, Zenon’s quartet has toured the U.S. and Europe. He has recorded four CDs as a leader thus far: Looking Forward for Fresh Sound/New Talent and Ceremonial, Jbaro and Awake for Marsalis Music. Zenon also works as a teacher. In 2003, as part of the Kennedy Center’s Jazz Ambassadors Program, he and his quartet taught and performed throughout West Africa. Miguel Zenon serves as a private saxophone instructor at the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music.