Collective Heading Home for SF Concerts!
N.Y. Times calls Carnegie concert ‘a standout performance’

Collective performs at SFJAZZ Gala, March 10.

Capping off a 2006 international tour that has reaped unprecedented media praise, the SFJAZZ Collective returns to San Francisco next week (April 14-16) for three nights of homecoming concerts at Herbst Theatre.

Each night will feature a different mix of the ensemble’s 2006 repertoire, comprising new arrangements of works by the great modern-jazz pianist/composer Herbie Hancock and new original compositions by the band members themselves. Note: The Friday, April 14 concert is open to SFJAZZ Members only. The April 15 and 16 concerts are open to the public.

Bobby Hutcherson on vibes and Eric Harland on drums.

The all-star octet, led by Artistic Director Joshua Redman, wrapped up the American leg of its tour last week before heading across the Atlantic for this week’s shows in Basel, Warsaw, Barcelona, and other European cities. Among the U.S. highlights was a three-night run at Carnegie Hall’s new state-of-the-art Zankel Hall in New York City.

Reviewing March 30’s Carnegie concert, The New York Times wrote, “Mr. Redman and his colleagues played three of Mr. Hancock's songs consecutively at Zankel Hall on Thursday night, making a compact case for his versatility as a composer. Bluesy hard bop came in the form of a piece called "And What if I Don't." Dissonant progressivism was the substance of "Riot." And "Maiden Voyage" conveyed a shimmering luminescence. All three selections featured subtle arrangements by Gil Goldstein, and each sparked impressive solo improvisations.

Miguel Zenón solos on the alto sax.

“One of the strongest was by the vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson, a contemporary of Mr. Hancock's, on "And What if I Don't." He started in a pecking style, eventually moving on to a cascading series of runs; then he hit a few choice blue notes, a high trill and some emphatic triplets. It was a rousing demonstration, all the more compelling because it was true to Mr. Hancock's conception of the tune.

“The trumpeter Nicholas Payton and the alto saxophonist Miguel Zenón were just as dazzling on "Riot," each in his own fashion. Mr. Payton exploited the chromatic tension of the theme in a row of terse phrases, saving his full firepower for a final arc. Mr. Zenón went for steadier forward motion, with a flow of sharp ideas, before ceding the spotlight to the loose-limbed drumming of Eric Harland. Altogether it was a standout performance, and a good measure of the group's talents.”

Earlier in March, the Times gave a glowing review to SFJAZZ Collective 2, the just-released CD from Nonesuch Records featuring highlights of the group’s 2005 tour, with repertoire including original compositions and works by John Coltrane. Calling the disc “a vivid and engaging acoustic jazz outing, quite possibly one of the best we'll hear this year,” Times critic Nate Chinen added:

“Mr. Redman is in fine form throughout, and he's not the only one. There's as much to be said for Nicholas Payton's outstanding trumpet work on Coltrane's "Moment's Notice" and his own "Scrambled Eggs"; Bobby Hutcherson's vibraphone filigree on "Naima"; the rhythmic daring of the alto saxophonist Miguel Zenón. The rare accomplishment of the SFJAZZ Collective is that it can contain such fierce talent without succumbing to it.”