By Don Berryman
Alto saxophonist extraordinaire Miguel Zenón is releasing his longstanding quartet’s first-ever live album featuring pianist Luis Perdomo, bassist Hans Glawischnig, and drummer Henry Cole. Vanguardia Subterránea, meaning “Underground Vanguard” was recorded on September 20th & 21st, 2024, at NYC’s legendary underground jazz club, The Village Vanguard in Greenwich Village, and was just released via Miel Music and is available on vinyl, CD, and streaming services.
I first became aware of Miguel Zenón when he played at the Dakota jazz club in Minneapolis with the SFJAZZ Collective, of which he was a founding member, and participated from 2004 -2009 as both a saxophonist and a composer. Both with the collective and in his own groups, Zenón has worked to expand jazz, exploring rhythmical concepts from Afro-Caribbean and Latin American sources including the indigenous music of his native Puerto Rico. He has been awarded the McArthur “Genius” fellowship, a Guggenheim fellowship, and the Doris Duke Artist Award. His 2023 duet album with Luis Perdomo, El Arte del Bolero, Vol. 2, (which I covered in my “Jazz Picks For 2023” article) earned him a Grammy Award.
Of the eight tracks on Vanguardia Subterránea: Live at The Village Vanguard, six are original compositions by Miguel Zenón including “Vita” for his grandmother Jovita Soto Santiago and “Bendición” for his mother Nancy Matos Soto. The title track pays homage to the Village Vanguard: “This album has an energy that’s really different than all our other records,” says Zenón, “because it was recorded in this sanctuary of music.”
Throughout the album the rhythms are infectious starting with the opening track “Abre Cuto Güiri Mambo”. “El Dia De Mi Suerte” then follows, opening with Hans Glawischnig’s bass pedal point, then Miguel Zenón’s soaring alto saxophone provides more than the melodic lines, it is also a rhythmic catalyst as the rest of the band joins. Hans also has a nice solo on this track. Luis Perdomo’s piano work is elegant and flawless throughout the album, both his solos and his comping ties the whole group together.
The Miguel Zenón Quartet will be returning to the Village Vanguard to perform album release shows on Tuesday, September 16 to Sunday, September 21, 2025
- Abre Cuto Güiri Mambo – 7:19
- El Día de Mi Suerte – 8:27 (William Colón & Hector Perez) Arr. by Miguel Zenón
- Vita – 7:51
- Dale La Vuelta – 8:01
- Coordenadas – 6:53
- Vanguardia Subterránea – 6:08
- Bendición – 7:15
- Perdóname – 10:54 (Jorge Luis Piloto) Arr. by Miguel Zenón
View original Jazz Police Article here: https://jazzpolice.com/archives/18871
