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SPRING 2007 Highlights
- "A performance that both served as a tribute to the original “Carnegie Hall” masterpiece and worked as a standalone piece of art. Bravo." — Jim Harrington, Contra Costa Times
- "On Hancock's tunes, the Collective sounds like a lithe, potent working band." — Nate Chinen, The New York Times
- "Monk's perfect, quirky brilliance has set off a creative riot within the group; this was the most imaginative, well-paced, and flat-out entertaining concert..." —By RICHARD SCHEININ, Mercury News
- "Jazz economics being what they are, it's probably a pipe dream to wish the Collective could work year-round and often. But in its almost 25 years, the SFJazz organization has worked a bunch of miracles, so here's hoping." —David Rubien, SF Chronicle
- "Performing pieces from her latest album, [Etta] James revealed her everlasting brash and sexy appeal. This was about the time I fell in love."
—Nick Blair, Ovahere.com
Spring 2007 Reviews
- REVIEW: Toussaint explores life outside Big Easy
By Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle, May 14, 2007
He was abstracting the essence of his music into ruminations on the keyboard, stitching the pieces together with delicate filigree, as his fingers fluttered up and down the keys, almost exactly like a classical solo piano recital. Call it chamber R&B.
- REVIEW: Re-imagined Monk-Coltrane concert a thoughtful tribute
By Richard Scheinin, Mercury News, May 7, 2007
But Friday's re-imagining of the Monk-Trane concert - this time at San Francisco's Herbst Theatre and with pianist Brad Mehldau and tenor saxophonist Joshua Redman in the hot seats - was much more than some robotic exercise in concert promotion. It was thoughtful and kept heating up during the course of two sold-out shows.
- REVIEW: Redman, Mehldau pay tribute to Trane, Monk
By Jim Harrington, Contra Costa Times, May 4, 2007
Besides the long-awaited reunion [saxophonist Joshua Redman, pianist Brad Mehldau, bassist Christian McBride and drummer Brian Blade], another factor that made this show special was the material. The songs all hailed from “Thelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane at Carnegie Hall.” In all, the foursome turned in a performance that both served as a tribute to the original “Carnegie Hall” masterpiece and worked as a standalone piece of art. Bravo.
- SFJAZZ keeps Redman in touch with roots
By Jim Harrington, Contra Costa Times, May 3, 2007
Over the past seven years, Redman has balanced his SFJAZZ duties with his solo career. His recorded output during that time has been impressive; most notably, his 2001 release, "Passage of Time," ranks as a modern jazz masterpiece.
- Review: All hail Dave Brubeck!
By Jim Harrington, Inside the Bay Area, April 16, 2007
The centerpiece of the second set was the fascinating “Elementals” suite, a spellbinding blend of historically significant musical styles that borrowed from Gregorian chant, Bach chorale work, Viennese waltz and jazz swing. That suite alone was enough to make listeners understand why Brubeck is considered one of the most important musicians of our time....The standing ovation that followed came as no surprise.
- Review: Dr. Goodvibes: Hutcherson to play last jazz shows at Dakota
By Britt Robson, Minneapolis Star Tribune, March 22, 2007
It was vintage Hutcherson: Luminous, harmonically sophisticated and rhythmically acute, yet easily accessible to both children and grizzled jazz aficionados. Hutcherson, 66, always has been something of a jazz healer, with the talent, prestige and modesty to unite wildly divergent listeners.
- Teenager spins tales on tenor saxophone
By Andrew Gilbert, San Jose Mercury News, March 21, 2007
Writing about jazz, you learn quickly to listen closely when a musician offers a tip about an up-and-coming player. So when 17-year-old tenor saxophonist Jesse Scheinin's name started coming up in conversations with some of the top players in the area, it confirmed the strong impression he had already made in performances with various high school honor bands...Scheinin's gotten the most exposure with SFJAZZ, performing regularly around the Bay Area with the High School All-Stars.
- Recommended: SFJAZZ Collective
Minneapolis City Pages, March 16, 2007
Led by saxophonist Joshua Redman, the all-star octet SFJAZZ Collective soared to critical prominence in its initial 2004 season, thanks largely to the group's unique approach. It's like jazz camp for master players...and the stellar results not only shed fresh light on the jazz legend [Monk], they also show off SFJAZZ's extraordinary cohesive playing.
- SFJAZZ Collective
By Calvin Wilson, ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, March 20, 2007
It's hard to imagine a more exciting post-bop ensemble than the SF Jazz Collective. Popular saxophonist Joshua Redman, legendary vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson and superlative pianist Renee Rosnes all perform in this critically acclaimed octet, which is much more than just another all-star endeavor.
- Egos don't interfere with group's jazz
By JAMES T. CAMPBELL, Houston Chronicle, March 13, 2007
What happens when you bring together eight top-shelf jazz musicians/composers and ask them to perform sans their egos getting in the way? You get the synchronicity that is the SF Jazz Collective, led by artistic director and tenor saxophonist Joshua Redman.
- Jazz Town: SFJazz Collective is bringing its winning formula to the Gem
By JOE KLOPUS, The Kansas City Star, March 13, 2007
The collective is a year-round creative endeavor of the organization that presents the San Francisco Jazz Festival. They do it as if presenting a festival, endowing activities to train young musicians and maintaining a busy schedule of audience-building activities wasn’t enough already. (Other jazz presenters should be following SFJazz’s example.)
- Review: Etta James - SFJAZZ Spring Season
By Nick Blair, Ovahere.com, March 13, 2007
Performing pieces from her latest album, James revealed her everlasting brash and sexy appeal. This was about the time I fell in love. Her appeal is as a provocateur, however, she is classy and possesses a vintage sound, that of a different and more reserved era than today.
- SWELLS: Hornin' In
By Catherine Bigelow, SF Chronicle, March 11, 2007
Bright and early next morn after Straight, No Chaser, the Thelonious Monk-themed gala benefiting the education and arts programs of SFJazz, caffeine-seeking patrons in line at Blue Bottle Coffee on Linden were spotted sporting fezzes. The gang raised 250K and kick-started the organization's spring concert season (now through June 23). In return, they received hot licks and one of the coolest swag bags ever seen by this gala veteran.
- CD REVIEW: Live 2006: 3rd Annual Concert Tour
By Mike Shanley, JazzTimes, April, 2007
When large groups of established musicians converge, their m.o. often stops at celebrating the past. It’s encouraging that the SFJazz Collective is largely committed to expanding the potential of this music with provocative originals, with a tip of the hat to their roots.
- Concert REVIEW: Flights of fancy, with a cue from Monk
By David Rubien, SF Chronicle, March 13, 2007
So what's a poor group of Monk interpreters to do? Well, if the band is the Collective, it does the same thing it did with Coleman and Coltrane -- use the original source as a starting point for flights of fancy. And as the standing ovation that capped the group's 7 p.m. show demonstrated, the Collective did it splendidly...Jazz economics being what they are, it's probably a pipe dream to wish the Collective could work year-round and often. But in its almost 25 years, the SFJazz organization has worked a bunch of miracles, so here's hoping.
- No rules, no boundaries for Frisell
By Jesse Hamlin, SF Chronicle, March 13, 2007
[Frisell] plays lyrical melodies and creates strange sonic worlds, using delay and distortion devices, that echo and hum with celestial harmonics, slashing chords and ringing long tones. All kinds of sounds could pour forth Friday night at San Francisco's Grace Cathedral, where Frisell plays a solo "sacred space'' concert as part of SFJazz's Spring Season.
- Concert review: SFJAZZ Collective imaginative, entertaining
By RICHARD SCHEININ, Mercury News, March 12, 2007
Monk's perfect, quirky brilliance has set off a creative riot within the group; this was the most imaginative, well-paced, and flat-out entertaining concert I've seen the Collective give in its four years. Redman was wailing Sunday. In fact, everyone's soloing was off the charts or close to it... It was great.
- Blues Society to honor West Coast legends in Oakland; Seasons of Jazz
By Jim Harrington, Oakland Tribune, March 9, 2007
The best number of the night was the Harland composition "Union," which was highlighted by a sensational exchange by the two saxophonists (Zenon and the East Bay's Redman)... The SFJAZZ Collective wasn't the only musical treat on the gala bill. The event also featured several members of SFJAZZ's All-Star High School Ensemble — none of whom was more impressive than young saxophonist Jesse Scheinin. Indeed, Scheinin held his own (and then some) during a post-dinner jam session that included Redman and Zenon.
- Nine Questions (for Dave Douglas)
By Gene Armstrong, Tucson Weekly, March 8, 2007
Jazz trumpeter Dave Douglas has played with musical luminaries as diverse as Bill Frisell, Tom Waits, Andy Bey, Cibo Matto, Don Byron, Suzanne Vega and John Zorn's Masada, in addition to leading his own band. Douglas also happens to be the latest recruit to the much-acclaimed San Francisco Jazz Collective...
- Dave Douglas works his magic on Monk with the SFJAZZ Collective
By Derk Richardson, SFGate.com, March 8, 2007
In creating "San Francisco Suite," as well as in arranging the Monk tunes, Douglas kept in mind exactly who would be playing the pieces. "The instrumentation is pretty unique," he said. "I can't think of another ensemble that's quite like this, somewhere between a large ensemble and a small improvising group, with vibes and piano. It has such distinct personalities. "Playing this music and the Monk tunes with the Collective is great as an idea, but it's even more great in the flesh-and-blood doing of it."
- SFJAZZ Swings into Spring
By Sean McCourt, San Francisco Downtown, March 7, 2007
Kline is both grateful and happy that so many luminaries in the jazz world come to play at concerts put together by SFJAZZ in the Bay Area. “They’re popular for a reason,” he laughs. “They’re great artists, and they don’t perform that much around here.”
- Pure Thelonius: Composer-pianist Monk's legacy is a fertile mine for the SFJAZZ Collective
By Marcus Crowder, Sacramento Bee, March 4, 2007
If ever there was a natural in jazz, Thelonious Monk was it. The composer and pianist was ever himself: an original defying explanation with a true poet's simplicity and eloquence to his work. Monk's everlasting contribution to jazz will be showcased by the SFJAZZ Collective on Friday at the Mondavi Center.
- SFJAZZ celebrates pianist Monk
By Andrew Gilbert, Contra Costa Times, March 4, 2007
Monk's musical career runs through the organization's sprawling spring concert season, which opens Thursday at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art with a sold-out solo recital by pianist Fred Hersch, who released a heady album dedicated to Monk's knotty compositions...
- Review: Live 2006: 3rd Annual Concert Tour
By J Hunter, All About Jazz
“Parallellogram,” which opens disc one, is Redman’s best writing to date, and his tenor is consistently spicy throughout the disc. Trumpeter Nicholas Payton flat-out wails here, and his complex composition “Sudoku” nails the most challenging thing to happen to puzzles since the New York Times.
- Collective brilliant in all jazz corners
By David Momphard, South China Morning Post, January 5, 2007
A triptych composition by trumpeter Dave Douglas was next and a highlight of the evening. The first part, Alcatraz, was a bebop blowout and contrasted with the laconic moodscape of the second and third parts, Amoeba and Acizzi...
- SFJAZZ season offers tribute to Monk's dream
By Jim Harrington, Oakland Tribune, March 2, 2007
AS PART of this increasingly popular festival, SFJAZZ will conduct what the nonprofit arts organization has dubbed "The Monk Project," a lengthy and insightful exploration of the music and legacy of the great Thelonious Monk.
- SF Chronicle's Leah Garchik on the 2007 SFJAZZ Gala
By Leah Garchik , San Francisco Chronicle, Wednesday, February 28, 2007
The crowd was buzzing, about jazz in particular and art in general...The chairs of the jazz event were Robert Mailer Anderson and Nicola Miner, and every table was piled with black-tasseled red felt fezzes, Stanlee Gatti's reference to the evening's homage to Thelonious Monk, who often wore one.
- SFJAZZ Collective Preview (PDF)
By Robin Lynam, South China Morning Post, January 3, 2007
"Monk's music is, I feel, the finishing school for a jazz musician. To learn the inner workings of his pieces is to gain a lifetime of knowledge about harmony, melody, rhythm and good taste. And life."
- Practice Makes Perfect
Familiarity Makes The SFJazz Collective's Spontaneity All The More Rewarding
By Geoffrey Himes, Baltimore City Paper, January 24, 2007
Contrary to the popular myth, rehearsed arrangements don't constrain improvisation; they push it out of lazy habits and into new territory. [Redman] knew the world didn't need another repertory big band replicating past arrangements of old standards. What the world needed was a band with enough rehearsal time to create new arrangements of both standards and new compositions. So he formed the SFJazz Collective and persuaded the festival to fund three weeks of rehearsal for each season... The results are riveting. Read article
- Record reviews: SFJAZZ COLLECTIVE
"Live 2006: 3rd Annual Concert Tour"
By Nate Chinen, The New York Times, January 4, 2007
Modernity is the mantra of the SFJazz Collective, which plays a strictly post-bop jazz repertory with compositions by its own eight musicians stirred into the mix.
- The Best of 2006: Music
By GEOFFREY HIMES, Washington Post, December 29, 2006
The SFJazz Collective , "SFJazz Collective 2." This octet, led by Joshua Redman and sponsored by the San Francisco Jazz Festival, is a rarity among jazz bands today: a well-rehearsed, large combo that moves surely from notation to improvisation, from solos and duets to trios and ensembles. The group proved it with this album and an exciting show at the Music Center at Strathmore on March 22.
- SFJAZZ IS PAYING HOMAGE TO MONK
By RICHARD SCHEININ, Mercury News, December 24, 2006
Monk, who died in 1982, would have turned 90 in 2007. Hence the Monk Project, in which SFJazz will showcase his music as performed by the likes of the SFJazz Collective, pianists Jason Moran, Fred Hersch, Dick Katz and Brad Mehldau; saxophonist Joshua Redman; and drummers Ben Riley, T.S. Monk (Thelonious' son) and Scott Amendola.
- Live 2006: 3rd Annual Concert Tour - SF Jazz Collective
By Curtis Schieber, The Columbus Dispatch, December 21, 2006
This installment of the SF Jazz Collective achieves its mission well with live recording. The project revives the music of Herbie Hancock and contributes originals in the influential spirit of Hancock’s compositions.
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