Miguel Zenón Berklee Quintet Performs at the Red Room at Cafe 939

On March 11, the Miguel Zenón Berklee Quintet will perform at the Red Room at Cafe 939. Led by jazz saxophone legend Miguel Zenón B.M. ‘98, the concert will feature students from across the globe performing a repertoire that encompasses the last 10 years of Zenón’s successful recording and touring career. Tickets are $10 for the general public (standing room only). 

Zenón is a multi-Grammy nominee and a Guggenheim and MacArthur fellow, widely regarded as one of the most groundbreaking and influential saxophonists of his generation. He has developed a unique voice as a composer and conceptualist, concentrating his efforts on perfecting a fine mix between Latin American folklore and jazz. 

Zenón has released 12 recordings as a leader, including the Grammy-nominated albums Yo Soy La Tradición and Típico, as well as his latest album, Sonero: The Music of Ismael Rivera. He has worked with jazz luminaries such as Charlie Haden, Fred Hersch, Kenny Werner, and many others. He has been featured in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, Boston Globe, and Chicago Tribune. In addition, he topped both the Jazz Artist of the Year and Alto Saxophonist categories in the 2014 JazzTimes critics' poll, and Jazz Journalists Association named him Alto Saxophonist of the Year in 2015, 2018, and 2019.  

“It’s been very exciting to get the opportunity to work with such a talented group of young musicians,” says Zenón. “Particularly as an alumni of Berklee, I’m happy to connect with current students, and I think we’re putting together a really great show.” 

The student ensemble includes trumpeter Bastien Rieser (Munich, Germany), bassist Gonn Shani (Caesarea, Israel), pianist Kento Tsubosaka, (Tokyo, Japan), and drummer Roni Kaspi (Tel Aviv, Israel). “I am so honored to be a part of this ensemble,” remarks Tsubosaka. “Miguel’s music and his rhythmic and harmonic ideas are so intricately intertwined, and it makes for a hugely dramatic musical experience.”  

The show at Berklee marks the end of a multiday trip during which Zenón and the students will run a musical clinic at the Harlem School of the Arts, then perform at Birdland Jazz Club in New York City on March 8.