Grooves & Toons: High School All-Stars & Joshua Redman Bring ‘Fat Albert’ to Life

This Saturday, music meets the moving image in “Fat Albert: Live Jazz + Classic Cartoons,” a unique presentation interweaving Bill Cosby’s classic Fat Albert cartoons and the funk-infused music of Herbie Hancock, performed by the “amazing” (San Jose Mercury News) SFJAZZ All-Star High School Ensemble with special guest Joshua Redman.

Momentum   Joshua Redman Amazon.com

Fat Albert Rotunda      Herbie Hancock iTunes Amazon.com

Mwandishi  [Remastered]   Herbie Hancock iTunes Amazon.com

Of course, Redman is well known in SFJAZZ circles for his virtuosic saxophone playing, inspired compositions, and leadership as Artistic Director of both the SFJAZZ Spring Season and SFJAZZ Collective. On Saturday, he will highlight yet another of his roles at SFJAZZ: jazz educator. Redman’s behind-the-scenes mentoring of the talented young All-Stars musicians began this season back in March, when he led a series of “Meet the Masters” intensive workshops. Along with the other members of the SFJAZZ Collective, Redman coached, critiqued, and offered professional advice to the All-Stars as they rehearsed the music of Herbie Hancock — the artistic focus of their 2006 season. These sessions focused not only on musical technique, theory, improvisation, and ensemble dynamics, but also on such wide-ranging topics as the ins and outs of the jazz business as seen through the eyes of one its top performers.

This Saturday’s show represents not only the culmination of an exciting multi-generational collaboration, but also the continuation of the mentor–protégé context in which jazz has traditionally evolved—on the bandstand.

“I’m really looking forward to having the opportunity to perform with the All-Stars,” Redman said earlier this week. “They are incredible musicians and it’s going to be a great honor and inspiration — as well as an education — to play with them. I’m really, really impressed by their musicianship and their maturity, enthusiasm, sense of humor, their dedication. I was young once, [laughs] and it’s great to be able play with musicians from the younger generation.”

The musical centerpiece of the performance will be Herbie Hancock’s Fat Albert Rotunda, the great keyboardist’s first full-fledged album devoted to the jazz-funk movement that he himself helped found. As the title implies, the album was written for Bill Cosby’s venerated cartoon series, and the parallels run much deeper. Fat Albert was the first cartoon series starring African American characters, and Hancock underscores this social evolution by penning a contrast in styles representative of this consciousness through elegance and wit, coupled with a frolicking, joyful, uplifting charm. While the TV series’ visual and musical worlds are firmly rooted in the 1970s and early ’80s, Fat Albert’s approach to conveying positive social values (community, school, family, friendship) has stood the test of time gracefully, with its laughs and grooves intact. And that is due in no small part to Hancock’s own timeless contributions.

“Herbie has written so much great music over the course of his career,” Redman said, “and the Fat Albert music is no exception. This is fun music—funky and feel-good music—which may make it seem overlooked. But it has a tremendous integrity and depth, and there are a lot of possibilities for exploration. This is a great chance to perform this music, and to perform it in a different context with exciting new arrangements.

“But, most of all, I’m looking forward to hearing the kids play!”
 

SFJAZZ All-Star High School Ensemble w/special guest Joshua Redman Saturday, June 3 • 8pm Palace of Fine Arts Theatre

On May 19, the great Afro-Cuban pianist Hilton Ruiz was very seriously injured in New Orleans following the shooting of a promotional video for a new recording benefiting survivors of last year's Hurricane Katrina. Mr. Ruiz sustained broken bones in his face and suffered cardiac arrest en route to the hospital.

SFJAZZ has just been informed by the Ruiz Family that a special Hilton Ruiz Recovery Fund has been set up by Mr. Ruiz's agency, Joel Chriss & Co. To contribute to this fund, please send a check to:

Joel Chriss & Co.
300 Mercer Street
NY, NY 10003

All checks should be made out to Joel Chriss & Co. and marked at the bottom of the check Hilton Ruiz Recovery Fund. The Ruiz family notes that no amount is too small, and all contributions are much appreciated.

Details on Hilton Ruiz's condition
Biography of Hilton Ruiz


This week's trivia question:

Which of the following cartoon characters was not voiced by Bill Cosby in the 1970s Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids series: Fat Albert, Mushmouth, or Weird Harold?

This time, the 4th person to submit the correct answer will win the prize: 2 free tickets to this Saturday's "Fat Albert: Live Jazz + Classic Cartoons" show. [Please note: We'll notify the winner directly by e-mail by noon tomorrow (Thursday). So if you don't hear from us by noon, and you want to see the show, don't wait!—click here to purchase your tickets.]

Email Your Answer (include "Bill Cosby" in the subject line of your email)

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.