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To The Almighty, for opening the way. To Mami, Kelly, Yocha, Ricardo Andrés, Lawrence, Junito, Patri, Aidan, Vilma and to the rest of my family and friends. To Russ, Doyle, Clara and Maeve for their amazing musicianship and commitment to this project. To Mariah Wilkins and Ann Braithwaite for all your hard work. And to Elga and Elena; you make every day better than the last one and I love you both very much.
A special thank you to my friend Elliott Castro; we’ll miss you.
To Orlando Laureano, Ricky Villanueva, Kate Dumbleton and everyone at the Hyde Park Jazz Festival, The David and Reva Logan Center for the Arts, Eliot Heaton, Rio Sakairi and The Jazz Gallery, Susan Pandich and The Pocantico Center, Paul Mutzabaugh, Abdiel Flores, Dan Nichols, Laurent Coq, Taylor Hales, Greg Norman, Nick Broste, Brian Montgomery, Randy Merrill, Luis Perdomo, Matthew Levy, Bing Chang, Robert and Laura Watson, Kevin Sun, Talía Guzmán, all my students at NEC, everyone at Rico/D'Addario, to all the promoters and club owners that give our music a chance…
And to YOU for listening.
THANKSMiguel Zenón - Alto Saxophone Clara Lyon - ViolinMaeve Feinberg - ViolinDoyle Armbrust - ViolaRussell Rolen - Cello
Recorded September 22nd to 24th, 2017 at Electrical Audio in Chicago, IL by Greg NormanAdditional Recording by Nick BrosteMixed by Brian Montgomery Mastered by Randy Merrill
Cover Photo from The Teodoro Vidal Collection (Courtesy of Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of American History, Home and Community Life)Studio and Rehearsal pictures by Robert WatsonGraphic Design by Abdiel Flores, WIGO TechnologiesAssistant Producer: Paul MutzabaughProduced by Miguel Zenón
www.miguelzenon.com
For Bookings: Mariah Wilkins Artist Management LLCPhone: 212.426.3282 Skype: wilkinsm86Email: [email protected]: www.mariahwilkins.com
Publicist:Ann BraithwaiteBraithwaite & Katz CommunicationsPhone: 781.259.9600Email: [email protected]
“Yo Soy La Tradición” was commissioned by The Hyde Park Jazz Festival in Chicago, IL
Miguel Zenón plays D’Addario Jazz Select Reeds Exclusively
CREDITS
To The Almighty, for opening the way. To Mami, Kelly, Yocha, Ricardo Andrés, Lawrence, Junito, Patri, Aidan, Vilma and to the rest of my family and friends. To Russ, Doyle, Clara and Maeve for their amazing musicianship and commitment to this project. To Mariah Wilkins and Ann Braithwaite for all your hard work. And to Elga and Elena; you make every day better than the last one and I love you both very much.
A special thank you to my friend Elliott Castro; we’ll miss you.
To Orlando Laureano, Ricky Villanueva, Kate Dumbleton and everyone at the Hyde Park Jazz Festival, The David and Reva Logan Center for the Arts, Eliot Heaton, Rio Sakairi and The Jazz Gallery, Susan Pandich and The Pocantico Center, Paul Mutzabaugh, Abdiel Flores, Dan Nichols, Laurent Coq, Taylor Hales, Greg Norman, Nick Broste, Brian Montgomery, Randy Merrill, Luis Perdomo, Matthew Levy, Bing Chang, Robert and Laura Watson, Kevin Sun, Talía Guzmán, all my students at NEC, everyone at Rico/D'Addario, to all the promoters and club owners that give our music a chance…
And to YOU for listening.
Miguel Zenón - Alto Saxophone Clara Lyon - ViolinMaeve Feinberg - ViolinDoyle Armbrust - ViolaRussell Rolen - Cello
Recorded September 22nd to 24th, 2017 at Electrical Audio in Chicago, IL by Greg NormanAdditional Recording by Nick BrosteMixed by Brian Montgomery Mastered by Randy Merrill
Cover Photo from The Teodoro Vidal Collection (Courtesy of Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of American History, Home and Community Life)Studio and Rehearsal pictures by Robert WatsonGraphic Design by Abdiel Flores, WIGO TechnologiesAssistant Producer: Paul MutzabaughProduced by Miguel Zenón
www.miguelzenon.com
For Bookings: Mariah Wilkins Artist Management LLCPhone: 212.426.3282 Skype: wilkinsm86Email: [email protected]: www.mariahwilkins.com
Publicist:Ann BraithwaiteBraithwaite & Katz CommunicationsPhone: 781.259.9600Email: [email protected]
“Yo Soy La Tradición” was commissioned by The Hyde Park Jazz Festival in Chicago, IL
Miguel Zenón plays D’Addario Jazz Select Reeds Exclusively
Rosario – This piece draws from “El Rosario Cantado”, a tradition with roots in the Holy Rosary and The Catholic Church. In these “Rosarios”, usually reserved for funerals and other religious occasions, each segment of the Rosary is presented in its usual order, but musicalized with traditional instruments. The musicians hired for these events specialize in this repertoire, which has been passed on to them from generation to generation.
Cadenas – “Las Cadenas” is a musical tradition centered on a four-line, six-syllable verse. In the same manner as similar genres, such as “El Punto Cubano” and “El Seis Español”, the verse is sung out of time and always preceded by a short musical interlude, which is played in time and in a more festive fashion. It is believed that it was originally dance music and that it takes its name (Cadenas, which means Chains in Spanish) from the traditional, chain-like dance formation. A variation on this genre, which uses eight syllables instead of six, is called “Los Caballos”.
Yumac – Named after the town of “Camuy” (with the name spelled backwards) where it was created by singer Germán Rosario during the mid 1900’s. It comes out of the “Jíbaro” tradition, which uses a ten-line stanza with an “ABBAACCDDC” rhyme scheme, also known as a “Décima”. Its creator recorded two versions, one where each syllable has six lines and another one with eight, which - as a default - makes it alternate between an “Aguinaldo” and a “Seis”.
Milagrosa - From the religious tradition of “La Promesa”, where an individual makes a promise to a Catholic deity and in return asks for a specific favor, frequently related to health or finances. If the favor is granted the individual is expected to fulfill this promise for the rest of his or her life. “Promesas” usually involve a musical presentation, where a specific amount of “Seises”, “Aguinaldos” and “Coros” are sung in reference to the deity in question. This piece references a “Promesa” to “La Virgen de La Milagrosa”.
Viejo – Written in allusion to the “Aguinaldo Viejo”, also known as “Aguinaldo Jíbaro” or “Aguinaldo Cayeyano”. This genre is believed to be the oldest example of the “Jíbaro” tradition, and some experts trace its harmonic cadence – ej. Am/G7/C/Dmin/B7/E7 – to medieval times. Over the years it has taken on many variations, usually named after the towns where they were created.
Cadenza – The essence of this piece was written around a harmonic progression which came out of the combination of “La Cadenza Jíbara” (see Viejo) and “La Cadenza Andaluza”: ej. Cm/Bb/Ab/G7.
Promesa – Another composition referencing the “Promesa” tradition, in this case the most popular of all: “La Promesa de Reyes”. The celebration of the Three Kings takes place on January 6th every year, with the “Promesa” festivities usually reserved for the night before. In Puerto Rico – as well as in other Latin American countries like México – the celebration of “El Día de Reyes” supersedes Christmas, both in importance and fervor.
Villalbeño – Named after the town of Villalba, where most believe it was created. This genre is another variation on “El Aguinaldo Jíbaro”, although with a freer, rubato-like melody.
Thank you for listening and I hope you enjoy the music.Miguel Zenón
THE MUSIC ON THIS RECORDING draws from various musical and cultural traditions from my native Puerto Rico. These traditions – present in one way or another for almost 200 years - are the by-product of various factors, all of them vital to the development of Puerto Rican Identity. These factors include:
-- The Colonization of America, which essentially forced a head-on collision of cultures from all over the world and had an impact on every territory it touched. -- The Island’s unique topography and size, which facilitated the distribution of information and contributed to its preservation.-- Puerto Rico’s distinctive political status, bonding the country as a territory of the United States while fighting to preserve its language, culture and traditions.
Most of these traditions, kept alive by families and tight-knit communities, are in constant evolution. They embody the richest and most historically relevant cultural expressions Puerto Rico has to offer and provide a seemingly endless well of information and inspiration.
I was drawn to the idea of writing a series of pieces that extracted elements from these traditions, using them as a point of departure for each composition. The pieces are scored for Alto Saxophone and String Quartet and are meant to provide a platform where various musical worlds (Jazz, Puerto Rican Folklore, New Music) can find common ground in a chamber-like context.
Rosario – This piece draws from “El Rosario Cantado”, a tradition with roots in the Holy Rosary and The Catholic Church. In these “Rosarios”, usually reserved for funerals and other religious occasions, each segment of the Rosary is presented in its usual order, but musicalized with traditional instruments. The musicians hired for these events specialize in this repertoire, which has been passed on to them from generation to generation.
Cadenas – “Las Cadenas” is a musical tradition centered on a four-line, six-syllable verse. In the same manner as similar genres, such as “El Punto Cubano” and “El Seis Español”, the verse is sung out of time and always preceded by a short musical interlude, which is played in time and in a more festive fashion. It is believed that it was originally dance music and that it takes its name (Cadenas, which means Chains in Spanish) from the traditional, chain-like dance formation. A variation on this genre, which uses eight syllables instead of six, is called “Los Caballos”.
Yumac – Named after the town of “Camuy” (with the name spelled backwards) where it was created by singer Germán Rosario during the mid 1900’s. It comes out of the “Jíbaro” tradition, which uses a ten-line stanza with an “ABBAACCDDC” rhyme scheme, also known as a “Décima”. Its creator recorded two versions, one where each syllable has six lines and another one with eight, which - as a default - makes it alternate between an “Aguinaldo” and a “Seis”.
Milagrosa - From the religious tradition of “La Promesa”, where an individual makes a promise to a Catholic deity and in return asks for a specific favor, frequently related to health or finances. If the favor is granted the individual is expected to fulfill this promise for the rest of his or her life. “Promesas” usually involve a musical presentation, where a specific amount of “Seises”, “Aguinaldos” and “Coros” are sung in reference to the deity in question. This piece references a “Promesa” to “La Virgen de La Milagrosa”.
Viejo – Written in allusion to the “Aguinaldo Viejo”, also known as “Aguinaldo Jíbaro” or “Aguinaldo Cayeyano”. This genre is believed to be the oldest example of the “Jíbaro” tradition, and some experts trace its harmonic cadence – ej. Am/G7/C/Dmin/B7/E7 – to medieval times. Over the years it has taken on many variations, usually named after the towns where they were created.
Cadenza – The essence of this piece was written around a harmonic progression which came out of the combination of “La Cadenza Jíbara” (see Viejo) and “La Cadenza Andaluza”: ej. Cm/Bb/Ab/G7.
Promesa – Another composition referencing the “Promesa” tradition, in this case the most popular of all: “La Promesa de Reyes”. The celebration of the Three Kings takes place on January 6th every year, with the “Promesa” festivities usually reserved for the night before. In Puerto Rico – as well as in other Latin American countries like México – the celebration of “El Día de Reyes” supersedes Christmas, both in importance and fervor.
Villalbeño – Named after the town of Villalba, where most believe it was created. This genre is another variation on “El Aguinaldo Jíbaro”, although with a freer, rubato-like melody.
Thank you for listening and I hope you enjoy the music.Miguel Zenón
Rosario – 7:19Cadenas – 7:16Yumac – 5:56Milagrosa – 6:58Viejo – 8:41Cadenza – 8:58Promesa – 9:41Villalbeño – 7:07
1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.
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All music written by Miguel Zenón (MAZENONMUSIC/BMI)
www.miguelzenon.com
