25th Annual San francisco jazz festival

fall artists making headlines

Even for a musician of Ornette Coleman's stature, 2007 has been an exceptional year. In addition to receiving a Lifetime Grammy Award, the legendary alto saxophonist and composer was also awarded a Pulitzer Prize—a first for a jazz musician. He joins a large group of Festival artists honored at the Jazz Journalists Association’s recent Jazz Awards. Read more about Coleman and some of the remarkable artists coming to San Francisco this fall.

Coleman, appearing at the Masonic Center on October 28, received four awards from the JJA: "Musician of the Year"; "Alto Saxophonist of the Year"; "Record of the Year" (for Sound Grammar); and "Small Group of the Year" for his quartet including bassists Tony Falanga and Greg Cohen, and drummer—and son—Denardo Coleman.

Other JJA honored Festival artists include multi-reedist Anat Cohen (10/27), two-time winner for “Up and Coming Musician” and “Clarinetist of the Year”; and Kurt Elling (11/10, a double bill with Nancy King) for “Male Jazz Singer of the Year.”

A recent JazzTimes review of John Abercrombie’s Third Quartet compared the guitarist’s all-star group (featuring drummer Joey Baron, violinist Mark Feldman, and bassist Marc Johnson) and Ornette Coleman,  related by “the snatches of melody, the loose-but-driving rhythm section, and the use of a strong bassist as an anchor that allows the drummer much more flexibility.”

The online magazine Slate asked the question: “Is Tinariwen the greatest band on earth?” The article describes this guitar-slinging band of Saharan nomads’ latest album, Aman Iman,  “as gleamingly contemporary as any record I've heard this year—great 21st-century dance music, made with just a few guitars and a lot of clapping hands.” Tinariwen appears at the Palace of Fine Arts on November 4 with fellow desert bluesman Vieux Farka Touré.