Philadelphia, PA: Acclaimed Latin jazz saxophonist Miguel Zenón will take the Annenberg Center stage to “create music that is full of life, history, richness, and realness” (All Music Guide). The 2008 recipient of the MacArthur Foundation’s prestigious Genius Award, Zenón possesses a progressive sound that fuses contemporary jazz and Latin rhythms, particularly drawing on his own Puerto Rican heritage.
This performance will take place on Saturday, February 16 at 7 PM and 9 PM. Tickets are $20-$45 (prices are subject to change). For tickets or for more information, please visit AnnenbergCenter.org or call 215.898.3900. Tickets can also be purchased in person at the Annenberg Center Box Office.
Since the release of his first album 11 years ago, Zenón has garnered a reputation as one of the most groundbreaking and influential saxophonists of his generation. Zenón’s 2011 album Alma Adentro: The Puerto Rican Songbook was selected as the #1 Best Jazz Album of 2011 by NPR, placed in New York Times music critic Nate Chinen’s 2011 Top Ten Albums List and was nominated for the 2012 Grammy for Best Large Jazz Ensemble. The New York Times raves that Alma Adentro “analyzes Puerto Rican music from the ground up and connects it, with great originality, to new jazz practice.”
During this performance, Zenón will reprise hits from Alma Adentro as well as his 2012 release Rayuela. Zenón will be joined by the talented group of musicians who worked with him to record his beloved 2011 album: Luis Perdomo on piano, Hans Glawischnig on bass and Henry Cole on drums, who also hails from Zenón’s native Puerto Rico. The Chicago Tribune raves, “the instrumental prowess of Zenón's playing, the vigor of his compositions, and the sensitivity of his band to Puerto Rican song forms point to new possibilities in jazz."
INSIGHTS
Artists and Audiences Changing Lives
Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Zenón celebrates and champions the fusion of arts with his Latin heritage. His 2011 album, Alma Adentro is a tribute to Puerto Rican music greats. 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”).
It is because of Zenón’s advocating of his roots that this presentation is a part of the Artists & Audiences Changing Lives program, an Annenberg Center initiative that spotlights not only artists with exceptional talent but also those who are also tirelessly dedicated to a specific cause.
This Artists & Audiences Changing Lives event offers audience members the opportunity to donate 10% of their ticket purchase on February 16 to Taller Puertorriqueño, the non-profit community center and respected Philadelphia institution based in Kensington that celebrates the arts of Puerto Rico, Latin America and the Caribbean. Dedicated to providing an outlet for neighborhood children, Taller provides after-school activities and programming rich in artistic and cultural discipline.
*6PM
Audience members are invited for a pre-show Artists & Audiences Changing Lives chat with Miguel Zenón and Carmen Febo of Taller Puertorriqueño hosted by Luis Hernandez, friend of and volunteer for Taller Puertorriqueño.
This performance will take place on Saturday, February 16 at 7 PM and 9 PM. Tickets are $20-$45 (prices are subject to change). For tickets or for more information, please visit AnnenbergCenter.org or call 215.898.3900. Tickets can also be purchased in person at the Annenberg Center Box Office.
Since the release of his first album 11 years ago, Zenón has garnered a reputation as one of the most groundbreaking and influential saxophonists of his generation. Zenón’s 2011 album Alma Adentro: The Puerto Rican Songbook was selected as the #1 Best Jazz Album of 2011 by NPR, placed in New York Times music critic Nate Chinen’s 2011 Top Ten Albums List and was nominated for the 2012 Grammy for Best Large Jazz Ensemble. The New York Times raves that Alma Adentro “analyzes Puerto Rican music from the ground up and connects it, with great originality, to new jazz practice.”
During this performance, Zenón will reprise hits from Alma Adentro as well as his 2012 release Rayuela. Zenón will be joined by the talented group of musicians who worked with him to record his beloved 2011 album: Luis Perdomo on piano, Hans Glawischnig on bass and Henry Cole on drums, who also hails from Zenón’s native Puerto Rico. The Chicago Tribune raves, “the instrumental prowess of Zenón's playing, the vigor of his compositions, and the sensitivity of his band to Puerto Rican song forms point to new possibilities in jazz."
INSIGHTS
Artists and Audiences Changing Lives
Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Zenón celebrates and champions the fusion of arts with his Latin heritage. His 2011 album, Alma Adentro is a tribute to Puerto Rican music greats. 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”).
It is because of Zenón’s advocating of his roots that this presentation is a part of the Artists & Audiences Changing Lives program, an Annenberg Center initiative that spotlights not only artists with exceptional talent but also those who are also tirelessly dedicated to a specific cause.
This Artists & Audiences Changing Lives event offers audience members the opportunity to donate 10% of their ticket purchase on February 16 to Taller Puertorriqueño, the non-profit community center and respected Philadelphia institution based in Kensington that celebrates the arts of Puerto Rico, Latin America and the Caribbean. Dedicated to providing an outlet for neighborhood children, Taller provides after-school activities and programming rich in artistic and cultural discipline.
*6PM
Audience members are invited for a pre-show Artists & Audiences Changing Lives chat with Miguel Zenón and Carmen Febo of Taller Puertorriqueño hosted by Luis Hernandez, friend of and volunteer for Taller Puertorriqueño.
