Nobel Prizes and different scientific honors are practically routine at MIT, however a Grammy Award is one thing we don’t see yearly. That’s what Miguel Zenón, an assistant professor of music and theater arts, has gained: El Arte Del Bolero Vol. 2, which he recorded with the pianist and composer Luis Perdomo, obtained the Grammy for finest Latin jazz album in February.

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“I’m extremely joyful and honored with this Grammy win,” says Zenón, a famend saxophonist. “We’ve been making albums for a very long time, so it’s extraordinarily rewarding to earn this recognition.”

“The Latin American Songbook is so huge and various that it naturally lends itself to limitless explorations,” Zenón wrote within the album’s liner notes. “We purposely appeared past the Caribbean (exploring composers from México, Venezuela, and Panamá, for instance) as a result of we needed to emphasise the purpose that these songs deserved to be explored and acknowledged for what they’re, past labels, classes, and regionalisms.” 

Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Zenón has recorded and toured with musicians together with Charlie Haden, Fred Hersch, David Sánchez, Danilo Pérez, Kenny Werner, Bobby Hutcherson, and the SF Jazz Collective. He joined the MIT college in 2023, and his many accolades embrace 12 Grammy nominations and a 2008 MacArthur “genius” grant.