Miguel Zenón and Jason Yeager play Jobim

Miguel Zenón and Jason Yeager

Two brilliant jazz artists, who live right in our neighborhood, present a concert of the music of Antonio Carlos Jobim.

Grammy Winner, Doris Duke Artist and Guggenheim and MacArthur Fellow Miguel Zenón represents a select group of musicians who have masterfully balanced and blended the often-contradictory poles of innovation and tradition. Widely considered one of the most groundbreaking and influential saxophonists and composers of his generation, he has also developed a unique voice as a conceptualist, concentrating his efforts on perfecting a fine mix between jazz and his many musical influences.

Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Zenón has released seventeen recordings as a leader, including his latest Golden City (2024), the Grammy-winning album El Arte Del Bolero Vol. 2 (2023) and the Grammy-nominated Música De Las Américas (2022), Sonero: The Music of Ismael Rivera (2019) and Yo Soy La Tradición (2018). He has worked with luminaries such as The SFJAZZ Collective, Charlie Haden, Fred Hersch, Kenny Werner, David Sánchez, Danilo Perez, The Village Vanguard Orchestra, Kurt Elling, Joey Calderazzo, Steve Coleman, Ray Barreto, Andy Montañez, Jerry Gonzalez & The Fort Apache Band, The Mingus Big Band and Bobby Hutcherson.

In April 2008 he received a fellowship from the prestigious John Simon Guggenheim Foundation. Later that year he was one of 25 distinguished individuals chosen to receive the coveted MacArthur Fellowship, also known as the “Genius Grant.” He topped both the Jazz Artist of the Year and Alto Saxophonist of the Year categories in the 2014 JazzTimes Critics Poll and was selected as Alto Saxophonist of the Year by the Jazz Journalists Association in 2015, 2018, 2019 and 2020 (when he was also recognized as Arranger of the Year). In 2023 he was recognized by the same organization as the Composer of the Year.

What do Kurt Vonnegut, Thelonious Monk, and Latin American folk music have in common? All find their way into the music of award-winning pianist/composer Jason Yeager. An adroit and sensitive accompanist as well as an imaginative soloist and bandleader, Jason has released eight critically acclaimed albums of original music, including most recently Sanctuary (Sunnyside Records, 2024), a collaborative effort with virtuoso jazz violinist Jason Anick. In 2022 Jason celebrated the release of two records: Hand in Hand (Club 44 Records) with his spouse and Broadway star Julie Benko, and Unstuck in Time: the Kurt Vonnegut Suite (Sunnyside) with his eponymous septet and special guest Miguel Zenón. His music has been featured in Down Beat, The New York Times, Jazz Times, and the Boston Globe.

Jason has performed across six continents, at such storied venues as Carnegie Hall, Birdland, the Blue Note, the Panama Jazz Festival, and on Broadway. In addition to his work as a bandleader, Yeager has recorded on over 40 additional albums and performed with such luminaries as Sean Jones, Jason Palmer, Luciana Souza, George Garzone, and Noah Preminger. An honors graduate of the Tufts/New England Conservatory Double Degree Program and the Berklee Global Jazz Institute, Jason is currently an Associate Professor of Piano at Berklee College of Music and Adjunct Instructor of Music at MIT.

Jason was the winner of the 2022 Jazz WaHi Composition Competition.

Miguel Zenón, saxophone
Jason Yeager, piano

https://miguelzenon.com
https://www.jasonyeager.com