The jazz world got to know Miguel Zenón quite well in 2004. The young alto saxophonist/composer expanded his already impressive sideman résumé with featured roles in the SF Jazz Collective and Charlie Haden’s Liberation Music Orchestra. He also captivated numerous listeners with his heralded Marsalis Music debut, Ceremonial. With Jíbaro, his second Marsalis Music release, Zenón makes his most deeply rooted yet visionary statement to date. Among the most original, lyrical and passionate statements you will hear this year, the new disc explores the rural music of Zenón’s native Puerto Rico through his ten original compositions that both honor and expand upon the tradition with its unique sense of organization and form.