Miguel Zenón is a New York jazz saxophonist and composer who plays straight-ahead jazz, but is always connected with his Puerto Rican roots. Zenón is a multiple Grammy nominee, MacArthur Fellow, and Guggenheim Fellow. He is the 2023 Ken Pullig Visiting Scholar at Berklee College of Music in Boston.
He plays with many artists, both as a leader and as a sideman, all over the world, but is so generous that he also plays some very small clubs and theaters in New York.
Miguel Zenón in New York City
SEPTEMBER
Village Vanguard
Miguel Zenón Quartet plays a week of jazz at the Village Vanguard in Greenwich Village, Manhattan; on Tuesday-Sunday, September 16-21, 2025 at 8pm & 10pm. $44. 🇵🇷
AUGUST
Tompkins Square Park
Dee Dee Bridgewater & Bill Charlap; Gary Bartz: Ntu Troop; The Jazz Gallery All-Stars featuring Miguel Zenon, Joel Ross, Kendrick Scott, Renee Neufville, Melissa Aldana, Dabin Ryu, Ryoma Takenaga, and Charles Altura, Lucía, and DJ KulturedChild (Angelika Beener) play jazz and Latin jazz for the 33rd Charlie Parker Jazz Festival NYC 2025 for NYC SummerStage at Tompkins Square Park, in Manhattan’s East Village; on Sunday, August 24, 2025, from 3-7pm. FREE. 🇺🇸 🇨🇱 🇯🇲 🇯🇵 🇲🇽 🇵🇷 🇰🇷
NOVEMBER
Colombia University
Miguel Zenón plays the New York Premiere of his latest jazz album, “Golden City,” a history of San Francisco; at the Miller Theatre at Columbia University in Morningside Heights, Manhattan; on Thursday, November 14, 2024. From $20. millertheatre.com 🇵🇷
Miguel Zenón is a Multiple Grammy Nominee and MacArthur and Guggenheim Fellow
Zenón is a multiple Grammy nominee, and MacArthur and Guggenheim Fellow. He is a popular sideman with countless bands. Miguel a busy guy and very respected in the music industry.
Like a few of the giants of jazz in New York City, Zenón gives back to the community a lot. He’s a major artist but is willing to lend his brand power to some small venues. We really respect Miguel. He’s a great artist, who is very smart, and very generous. ¡WEPA!
The Miguel Zenón Quartet is:
- Miguel Zenón on alto sax 🇵🇷
- Louis Perdomo on piano 🇻🇪
- Hans Glawischnig on bass
- Henry Cole on drums 🇵🇷
New York Venues
- Americas Society
- Birdland
- Carnegie Hall Citywide
- Charlie Parker Jazz Festival
- Dizzy’s Club
- Harlem Stage
- Hispanic Society
- Hostos Center
- Jazz Gallery
- Miller Theatre, Columbia University
- Nublu 151
- Roulette Intermedium
- Symphony Space
- Teatro LATEA
- Village Vanguard
Albums
In twenty years, Zenón has cut fifteen albums of his own, and been a sideman on many more.
- “Música de las Américas” (2022) was nominated for a Grammy.
- “El Arte Del Bolero with Luis Perdomo” (2021) was nominated for a Grammy. Perdomo is Zenón’s pianist.
- “Sonero: The Music of Ismael Rivera” (2019) was nominated for a Grammy. In Puerto Rico, Ismael Rivera was one of the most beloved salseros. He and Rafael Cortijo put Puerto Rican bomba rhythms into what we now call salsa. Rivera’s band reformed into El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico, the most popular salsa band of all time, and an incubator for many great artists.
- “Yo Soy La Tradición” (2018) was nominated for a Grammy.
Do you see a pattern here? Zenón is a great artist.
Recent Shows
NoMad, Manhattan
Miguel Zenón, Puerto Rican sax, plays jazz with multicultural influences in the Dan Weiss Even Odds trio; at the Jazz Gallery in NoMad, Manhattan; on Tuesday-Wednesday, April 30 – May 1, 2024 at 7:30pm & 9:30pm. From $28. 🇵🇷 🇺🇸