a nonprofit presenter of jazz artistic and education programs
Eric Harland (drums) and Matt Penman (bass) performing with the Collective at Jazz at Lincoln Center.

As Variety aptly wrote: “We know they can play—that’s a given. What’s special is the progressive repertoire they have chosen to champion.” Divided roughly in half between original compositions and new arrangements of works by a modern jazz master—with each Collective member contributing one of each—this repertoire, entirely new each season, offers a unique window on jazz’s recent history and on its wealth of present-day expressions.

As in past seasons, the Collective’s original compositions for 2008 highlight the state of the art in jazz composition, exploring new, often extended approaches to song form and reveling in the rhythmic, harmonic, and textural possibilities of the octet. The song titles themselves suggest the variety of inspiration at work, from the hints of mystery in Stefon Harris’ “Road to Dharma” and Dave Douglas’ “Secrets of the Code” to the more forthright “This, That and the Other” from Joe Lovano and “The Year 2008” by Eric Harland.

Artistic breadth also infuses the balance of the 2008 repertoire—the music of saxophonist and composer extraordinaire Wayne Shorter. In the words of fellow jazz legend Herbie Hancock: “Wayne Shorter has evolved as a human being to a point where he can synthesize all the history of jazz into a very special, very alive musical expression.”* Shorter has made a profound impact on that history over the past half-century, from his late-’50s days with Horace Silver and Art Blakey and his classic 1960s roles as a band-leader and a pivotal member of Miles Davis’ second great quintet, through his ’70s excursions with fusion pioneers Weather Report and up to his present-day work with his celebrated new acoustic quartet. The Collective cover an expansive range of Shorter’s oeuvre, from signature ’60s pieces like “Footprints” and “Infant Eyes” to 1974’s “Diana” and 1997’s “Aung San Suu Kyi,” Shorter’s tribute to the Burmese Nobel Peace Prize–winner.

“I consider [Shorter] one of my most important musical influences,” says Collective pianist Renee Rosnes.  “In 1988, I was a member of his band and that experience changed me forever. Through his music, he taught me about courage, passion, vulnerability, and freedom. Virtually all of Wayne’s compositions are inherently full of these qualities.”

“As has been the case with all the composers we’ve worked on with the band,” alto saxophonist Miguel Zenón notes, “the biggest challenge is to try keep the spirit of the original versions of the compositions, while at the same time reflecting the personality of the Collective. I really feel we get better and better at doing this every time we get together.”

 

* Quoted in Footprints: The Life and Work of Wayne Shorter by Michelle Mercer
Upcoming Concert
SFJAZZ Collective

Cal Performances
Saturday, March 15, 2008

8PM
Zellerbach Theatre