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If you’re in a romantic mood or wish to be, you’re well advised to put on the new release from alto saxophonist Miguel Zenón and pianist Luis Perdomo, El Arte del Bolero, turn down the lights, and . . . Well, you know what to do, right?

Miguel Zenón and Luis Perdomo
El Arte del Bolero (Miel Music)
A review
In September 2020, saxophonist Miguel Zenón and pianist Luis Perdomo recorded a live duo session at the Jazz Gallery in New York City, which was livestreamed in November. The exceptional quality of the music on that recording—no surprise, given the reputations of the two gentlemen—led them to release it as a digital-only album, El Arte del Bolero (available January 8 on the usual digital platforms and Zenón’s Bandcamp page).

Developed first in Cuba at the end of the 19th century by los trovadores, itinerant musicians who sang and played guitar, the bolero genre spread across Latin America, taking root across the region by the mid-20th century. Deeply romantic, distinguished by a slow tempo, popularized by a long line of expressive vocalists, and enriched by the genius of Latin American composers, bolero has managed to transcend generations, its classic songs well and widely known. Zenón and Perdomo grew up with this music and needed only to come to agreement on some tonalities and basic elements of form before launching into the set, which was recorded live in one take. The performances achieve a kind of buoyancy and expressive interpretive freedom made possible only by a profound respect for and familiarity with the material.

Bolero’s songs are often closely tied to individual vocalists and their unique expressive style, and Zenón quickly finds a vocal quality to his alto sax on the bittersweet opener, “Cómo Fue,” popularized by Benny Moré. Check out Perdomo’s chromatic upward entry into his solo, which captures in just a few seconds the very essence of bolero’s romanticism. On “Alma Adentro,” a musical incarnation of longing, Zenón squeezes his alto’s timbre, tightening the song’s emotional screw. On “Ese Hastío,” Zenón laments and Perdomo soothes. The altoist’s taut, muscular tone on “La Vida Es un Sueño” reflects both a desperate disappointment and a determination to get past it, and Perdomo, near the end of his solo, beautifully turns the harmonies inside out. Luxuriating in a sense of loss underscored by Zenón’s softer timbre, “Que Te Pedí” extends an invitation to dance and ultimately dances you out the door of that loss. Bobby Capo’s classic “Juguete” closes the album with a bright, playful vibe.

It is the genius of bolero to unabashedly capture the breadth and depth of romantic human feeling—love, heartbreak, hope, despair. The genius of Zenón and Perdomo plumbs those feelings and elaborates them in an expressive and satisfying jazz setting.

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© 2021 Mel Minter