DownBeat Honorees Fill Fall Schedule
Around the SFJAZZ offices, we were thrilled to hear that our very own SFJAZZ Collective had topped DownBeat’s Critics Poll as 2006’s “#1 Rising Star Jazz Group.” But that’s just the tip of the iceberg for poll-winning jazz in San Francisco this year: the world’s premier jazz critics awarded top poll honors to no fewer than nine of this fall’s San Francisco Jazz Festival artists, with 18 fall musicians placing in the extended poll listings. In one Festival double bill—October 26’s “Rising Stars” concert starring vibist Stefon Harris and alto saxophonist (and SFJAZZ Collective Member) Miguel Zenón—both band leaders earned “#1 Rising Star” honors on their respective instruments.

Here’s a complete list of 2006 DownBeat poll winners appearing at the 24th annual San Francisco Jazz Festival:

DownBeat Poll Winners
Sonny Rollins. 10/20 Jazz Artist and Saxophonist of the Year	Jeremy Pelt, 10/25 (appearing w/ The Heath Brothers) Rising Star Trumpet
Stefon Harris, 10/26 Rising Star Vibes	Miguel Zenón, 10/26 Rising Star Alto Saxophone
Andrew Hill, 10/26 Jazz Album of the Year, Time Lines (Blue Note)	Steven Bernstein, 11/1 (appearing w/ Kamikaze Ground Crew ) Rising Star Arranger of the Year
Joe Zawinul, 11/2 Electric Keyboard/Synthesizer	James Carter, 11/3 Baritone Saxophone
Ravi Coltrane, 11/4 (appearing w/ his mother, pianist Alice Coltrane) Rising Star Soprano Saxophone

Union Square, SF

If Union Square is the heart of the city, then the SFJAZZ Summerfest series provides its vibrant, pulsating beat. Sponsored by US Bank, and presented in partnership with Macy’s and the Union Square Association, this August showcase in San Francisco’s shopping mecca is an open-air celebration of the wide, wonderful world of jazz.

The exhilaration begins at 6:00PM this Thursday with the Bay Area’s own Bat Makumba, a thrilling live band that “offer[s] an exuberant exercise in global thinking and the creative possibilities involved in breaking down barriers—and one heck of a good time” (Portland Tribune). Be prepared to drop your shopping bags and embrace their propulsive mix of ska, funk, reggae and Brazilian Tropicalismo.

Lavay Smith

Upcoming Summerfest shows at Union Square feature swing siren Lavay Smith and Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers (8/10); jazz-pop chanteuse Jacqui Naylor (8/17); flugelhornist Dmitri Matheny (8/24), a paragon of straight-ahead sophistication; and an incendiary finale featuring the Latin funk of Jesus Diaz y su QBA (8/31). All shows begin at 6PM, so be sure to stop by the square, grab a Peroni beer or a glass of Kendall Jackson wine, and enjoy the long summer evenings while they last.

Union Square Summerfest Contest: U.S. Bank is hosting a contest for 5 people to win reserved seats for 4 at a Union Square concert each week in August. In addition to VIP treatment, the winner will enjoy a reserved table in the wine/beer garden, and a gift from Macy's. Enter today for your chance to win a Five Star Experience!
 

A bit of San Francisco history to celebrate the start of our annual SFJAZZ Summerfest series in Union Square:

What famous San Franciscan was the model for the bronze Victory statue in San Francisco’s Union Square?

The fifth person to respond with the correct answer will receive a free Stanford Summer Jazz sampler CD featuring tracks by Bay Area jazz luminaries Lavay Smith, Kim Nalley, Dave Ellis, and Taylor Eigsti.

E-mail Your Answer (include "Union Square" in the subject line)

The fine print: Our contest winner will be notified directly by email, and both the winner’s name and the correct answer to the question will be published in next week’s e-News. The following are not eligible to enter: employees and current contractors of SFJAZZ and its seasonal sponsors; past e-News Jazz Trivia Contest winners.

Last week’s question was:
What Lee Morgan album is named after a composition by the pianist Andrew Hill?

Answer: Congratulations to last week’s winner, Eddie Jackson of Oakland, who pegged “The Rumproller” as the Andrew Hill composition that became the title of Lee Morgan’s 1965 LP.