Saxophonist Miguel Zenon embarks on his most ambitious project yet on his latest album Golden City: no less than a tribute to the city of San Francisco. Aided by a stellar band including pianist Matt Mitchell, bassist Chris Tordini, drummer Dan Weiss, guitarist Miles Okazaki, percussionist Daniel Diaz, and brass men Diego Urcola, Alan Ferber, and Jacob Garchik,, Zenon tackles the history of his adopted town, in all its beauty and ugliness. “Acts of Excursion” indicts the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, while “Cultural Corridor” celebrates the city’s diversity. “9066” blasts Franklin Roosevelt’s executive order creating Japanese internment camps, while “SRO” pays tribute to the single-occupancy hotels that allowed immigrants to live cheaply while they established themselves. “Displacement and Erasure” notes the city’s disappearing culture, while “The Power of Community” highlights one of its defining features. All these ideas get executed by the musicians with fire and taste, coming together to express Zenon’s vision like they were born to it. Impeccably composed and beautifully performed, Golden City is a strong portrait of an iconic city, warts and all.
