Very few jazz musicians have gained more respect on cultural levels in recent years than the superb saxophonist Miguel Zenón. In addition to his musical achievements as leader of a Quartet that has been together now for some 11 years, and his valuable contributions to the highly regarded SF Collective, he has, in a unique way, become an unofficial international ambassador for his native Puerto Rico and its complex cultures. His last four albums have reflected different facets of that culture. Identities Are Changeable is a major further step forward, featuring his orchestrations for a 16-piece band – his work with SF has obviously helped here – under, above and around the pre-recorded voices of seven New Yorkers of Puerto Rican descent (including the up-and-coming bassist Luques Curtis) answering Zenón's question: “what does it mean to be Puerto Rican?” To be honest, the spoken word aspect of this CD (which, of course, is the whole point of its existence) may not mean much to the average reader of this magazine, but the music is much too majestic to be ignored. Harmonically, and especially rhythmically, its layered multiple meters create a totally different music that is neither conventional jazz nor too obviously related to the island itself. The only big band soloists heard are tenorist John Ellison on ‘Same Flight’ and Tim Albright on ‘First Language’. Otherwise it's Zenón in spellbinding form and his terrific rhythm team, which inspires the ensemble, with drummer Henry Cole occasionally achieving seemingly impossible polyrhythms. If you can live with the highly personal voiceovers, the music is magnificent.