a nonprofit presenter of jazz artistic and education programs
Joshua Redman   

The SFJAZZ Collective is a rare undertaking in jazz circles in this day and age. For one thing, there is the personnel, with every member of this eight-person group being not only an accomplished and established jazz instrumentalist, but also a band leader and composer in his or her own right. Then, there is the musical focus, with all of our repertoire devoted to a conception of jazz as a living, contemporary, forward-moving art—including new pieces by the Collective members themselves and new arrangements of works by modern jazz masters.

But perhaps the most distinguishing aspect of this ensemble, at least from a professional musician’s point of view, is the opportunity each season, thanks to non-profit institutional support, to rehearse for an extended period of time, away from the pressures of touring and recording. During our three-week residency in San Francisco each spring, we enjoy the chance to experiment with and fine-tune our own new materials and to devote a good amount of time to learning the new arrangements of modern classic compositions. For me personally, it is also a rare treat just to spend three weeks in one place in the company of so many exceptional musicians, getting to know them as people as well as artists.

On that note, I have to say I am really excited by the line-up for this third annual season of the SFJAZZ Collective. We are very fortunate to have most of the extraordinary musicians from last year’s edition of the group returning in 2006: vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson, trumpeter Nicholas Payton, pianist Renee Rosnes, alto saxophonist Miguel Zenón, bassist Matt Penman, and drummer Eric Harland. A great new trombonist, Andre Hayward, completes the 2006 line-up. Also, for the third consecutive season, we are fortunate to be graced with the contributions of arranger Gil Goldstein, who has provided us with provocative and ingenious ways to approach the music of one of modern jazz’s finest composers.

The composer I am referring to is the brilliant Herbie Hancock, who was a natural choice for us to focus on this season. Herbie’s music has played a critical role in defining the sound of modern jazz, and many of his songs have become veritable standards. All of us in the Collective have been hugely influenced by him — as an instrumentalist, as a band leader, as a creative artist, and as a composer. What’s more, Bobby and Herbie have a long-standing relationship—they’ve been playing together since they both came on the scene, and Herbie was the pianist on some of Bobby’s earliest recordings.

Part of what has given Herbie’s music such a lasting impact are his unerring senses of melodicism and groove. He is eminently lyrical—crafting melodies that are beautiful, memorable, and quite often downright singable. And he is a master at creating powerful rhythmic figures, which in turn give many of his tunes an infectious beat and a strong backbone.

But perhaps some of Herbie’s most essential innovations lie in the harmonic realm. His compositions offer incredibly evocative harmonic landscapes––ethereal, wistful, haunting, romantic. You can hear the influence of turn-of-the-century classical music on Herbie’s work, combined of course with a penchant for the blues. Together with his great friend and frequent collaborator Wayne Shorter, Herbie was instrumental in helping to develop a harmonic language for jazz after hard bop.

Another special quality of Herbie’s music is that, while his compositions all have a very strong identity, they also seem to welcome new interpretations. That’s a big part of why so many generations of musicians love to play his songs—they’re both fun and challenging, with seemingly endless possibilities.

And let’s not forget Herbie’s example as a fearless, intrepid, continually evolving artist. Over the course of his career, he has played everything –– straight-ahead post-bop, modal, free, fusion, funk, rock, hip hop, electronica, classical, you name it –– and he has played it all exceptionally well. The members of the Collective all feel a kinship to Herbie around those qualities of eclecticism, open-mindedness, and flexibility. His attitude towards the music is also very close to the spirit of SFJAZZ: the willingness to explore, the sense of adventure, coupled with a real commitment and focus.