Because nature insists on taking its course, there has been much here lately about people who have passed on. Inevitably, there will be more.
It is time to affirm life. I encountered video of alto saxophonist Miguel Zenon doing just that last summer as he toured Spain. Because of the surrealistic opening minute or so and the sideways camera perspective throughout, I nearly talked myself out of showing you this, but the excitement and content of the performance carried the day. Zenon, pianist Luis Perdomo, bassist Hans Glawischnig (heard, not seen) and drummer Eric Doob played “Olas y Arenas†by Sylvia Rexach, the influential Puerto Rican songwriter of the 1950s. The piece also appears on Zenon’s most recent CD, but not with quite the exhilaration of this July, 2011, version at the Jimmy Glass Jazz Bar in Valencia. The enthusiasm of the audience deserves a share of the credit for elevating the performance.
¡Olé!