Miguel Zenón, Spektral Quartet to Perform ‘Yo Soy La Tradición’

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Miguel Zenón
Miguel Zenón

MacArthur and Guggenheim fellow and jazz great Miguel Zenón partners with Grammy-nominated Chicago string ensemble Spektral Quartet for a concert at Bowker Auditorium on Wednesday, Nov. 14 at 7:30 p.m.

The evening’s program is an immersive, concert-length work inspired by the culture of Zenón’s native Puerto Rico, “Yo Soy La Tradición” or “I Am the Tradition.”  Spektral Quartet features Clara Lyon (violin), Maeve Feinberg (violin), Doyle Armbrust (viola) and Russell Rolen (cello).

Premiering at the Hyde Park Jazz Festival in 2016, “Yo Soy La Tradición” is an eight-movement suite that pairs lush, melodic strings with complex rhythmic interactions. Outlining four of Puerto Rico’s musical traditions, the work does not fit into a single genre, blurring the lines between jazz, classical, and folk music to represent the island’s unique cultural landscape.

Just two days before Zenon went into the studio in 2017 to record “Yo Soy La Tradición,” Hurricane Maria hit his native island of Puerto Rico. During session breaks, Zenon called family and friends for news about the devastation back home.

Michele Mercer on NPR’s All Things Considered gave this review, “Miguel Zenon isn’t just waving a musical flag for Puerto Rico. He's composed its deep traditions into new musical landscapes. And recording so soon after Hurricane Maria hit, the resulting album is an imaginative and heartfelt tour of his homeland.”

The recording was released in September.

“Like most countries in Latin America, music has a very special place in Puerto Rican everyday life,” says Zenón. “It oozes out of every street corner, it springs out of every conversation. Even the most basic human interactions seem to have some kind of musical cadence to it. Puerto Rican music is an integral part of who I am, and my ultimate goal as an artist would be to synthesize and express everything it means to me.”

Named “Chicagoans of the year” in 2017 by The Chicago Tribune, string ensemble Spektral Quartet is dedicated to sparking musical conversations between exhilarating works of the traditional canon and contemporary compositions.

Tickets for Miguel Zenón and Spektral Quartet: Yo Soy La Tradición are $35 and $25; Five College Students and youth 17 and under are $10. Faculty and staff are eligible for 15 percent  off tickets (limit two per person). For tickets call the Box Office at 545-2511, toll-free at 800-999-UMAS, or purchase online at fineartscenter.com/ZenonSpektral.