Grammy® Award Winning Saxophonist/Composer Miguel Zenón Earns 2026 Grammy® Nomination for Vanguardia Subterránea in Best Latin Jazz Album category
Miguel Zenón Quartet’s first-ever live album recorded at NYC’s legendary Village Vanguard
Pioneering alto saxophonist and composer Miguel Zenón has earned a 2026 Grammy® nomination in the category of Best Latin Jazz Album for his widely heralded album Vanguardia Subterránea. It’s the first-ever live album from his longstanding quartet featuring pianist Luis Perdomo, bassist Hans Glawischnig, and drummer Henry Cole.
Zenón’s 18th album as a leader was recorded over two nights in September 2024 at New York’s iconic Village Vanguard. Released on Zenón’s Miel Music label, it features all new material including six compositions by Zenón, plus his arrangements of Willie Colón and Héctor Lavoe’s “El Día de Mi Suerte” (1973) and Gilberto Santa Rosa’s “Perdóname” (1990).
Despite performing many hundreds of concerts around the world over the span of two decades, until now the quartet’s phenomenal, always surprising live shows have never been released as an album. “This album has an energy that's really different than all our other records,” says Zenón, “because it was recorded in this sanctuary of music.”
With extraordinary new music and arrangements by a saxophone giant and a commanding composer, Vanguardia Subterránea captures all the riveting excitement of Zenón’s uncommonly bonded quartet in the moment, and marks another significant addition to his remarkable canon.
The album has earned broad critical acclaim.
“Album of the Day: The Miguel Zenón Quartet… gives collective voice to his vivid conceptual genius… brilliant.” – Britt Robson, Bandcamp Daily
“★★★★ With Vanguardia Subterránea, Zenón does not just make his mark at the Village Vanguard—he redefines the possibilities of live jazz performance, grounding personal and cultural history in a language that is both boldly modern and deeply rooted.” – Mark Corroto, All About Jazz
★★★★ “…thrilling set…. an artist who, 18 albums into his career, has fashioned a metrically intricate and richly lyrical approach that cements his artistic stature.” – Kevin Le Gendre, Jazzwise
“...strongly melodic modern mainstream jazz date, benefitting from the energy of its historical locale.” – Andrey Henkin, JazzTimes
“62 minutes of music that confidently ignores the barriers between popular and abstract music. Even when Zenón occasionally allows his lyrical side to shine through, the level of intensity is high ... Until the Puerto Rican MacArthur Fellow brings his quartet to Europe again, ‘Vanguardia Subterránea’ is the second-best thing for Zenón fans." – Reinhold Unger, Jazz Podium
“On ‘Dale La Vuelta,’ recorded live at the Village Vanguard, the band swirls and dances at a jaw-dropping tempo before cooling down a bit for Perdomo’s insightful solo. One can’t help but hang on every frenzied note.” – Brad Farberman, Tidal
“Miguel Zenón has long stood at the vanguard of contemporary jazz, a singular artist whose work blends intellectual rigor with emotional depth…His latest release, a quartet recording captured live at New York’s iconic Village Vanguard, may well be one of the most luminous entries in his already distinguished discography.” – Thierry de Clémesat, Paris Move
"The album is a brilliant snapshot of how the band sounds now, in a hallowed room. Still, within the first 20 minutes of the early set on Thursday, I was shaking my head in disbelief. I had a wildly irresponsible thought — that at this moment, the Miguel Zenón Quartet might actually be the best band in the world." – Nate Chinen, The Gig (reviewing a live show)
About Miguel Zenón
Grammy® winner, Doris Duke Artist, Guggenheim and MacArthur Fellow, Zenón is one of 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 of his generation, Zenón has also developed a unique voice as a composer and as a conceptualist, concentrating his efforts on perfecting a fine mix between jazz and his many influences. Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Zenón has released eighteen albums as a leader. He has worked with luminaries and organizations 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. Zenón has given hundreds of lectures and master classes at institutions all over the world and is an Associate Professor in the Music & Theater Arts Department at MIT.
miguelzenon.com
