Miguel Zenon 5 March 2021 Saxophonist Miguel Zenón has been a Guggenheim and MacArthur fellow, and he is known for innovative composition and fresh concepts in improvised music. But he is also the kind of creative big thinker who is always aware of the history that his work is built on. Perhaps that is why so many of his recent projects have been nods to artists and traditions that preceded him. “There is something to that,” he tells PopMatters. “It’s part of the tradition of creative music to build on what was laid out before you. I’ve always felt fortunate to be inspired by this history and tradition. And part of the tradition is tipping your hat.”