During the recording sessions for our new album, Yo Soy La Tradición, our collaborator and composer Miguel Zenón would dart out on breaks to call family and friends in Puerto Rico, which had been devastated by Hurricane Maria just days earlier. So rather than simply host a record release concert this season, we want to send this dynamic new album out into the world, and aid our fellow citizens in need!
Yo Soy La Tradición is an eight-movement suite for saxophone and string quartet that pairs lush, melodic string writing with complex rhythmic interactions, blurring the lines between jazz, classical, and folk musics. Though it outlines four of Puerto Rico’s musical traditions, the piece is much more than a collection of dances designed to get you moving – it is a heartfelt, insider-tour of a rich cultural landscape.
Puerto Ricans are still largely without power, and the rebuilding process continues to be painful and slow, so in partnership with the Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center (the longest standing Latino cultural center in Chicago), all proceeds from this concert will benefit the Chicago Hurricane Aid for Puerto Rican Arts.
Limited tickets are available for preferred seating as well as a VIP package that includes access to a private rehearsal and an exclusive conversation the day of the show with both us and Miguel.