Discover Jazz: The Tenor Sax

The great tenor saxophonists have long embodied the maverick spirit inherent to jazz. From early jazz to hard bop and beyond, tenorists like Ben Webster, Sonny Rollins, John Coltrane, and Wayne Shorter (pictured at right) have been at the forefront of innovation and influence. These tenormen and their legacy also provide an excellent lens for viewing the broader picture of jazz history, music, and culture—as SFJAZZ’s “Discover Jazz” students will discover this spring.

Running five consecutive Thursdays, February 7–March 6, this season’s all-new Discover Jazz course brings the story of the tenor sax to life with themed classes spanning the swing era through the modern day. Led by SFJAZZ Director of Education Cory Combs, each class features a guest talk and performance by a highly regarded Bay Area tenor player, as well as historic audio and video clips.

A sneak preview of this spring’s course, in the words of our esteemed guest instructors:

Feb. 7: Ben Webster, Coleman Hawkins, Lester Young and the Art of Swing With Guest Dave Ellis.

Ellis calls Lester Young’s music “an intimate personal expression of [Young’s] life, and life for the African-American culture in the mid- 20th century.”

Feb. 14: Sonny Rollins: Bebop, Hardbop and the Saxophone Colossus
With Guest Dayna Stephens

Stephens claims Rollins as an important influence, citing how “his positive attitude on life comes through every note.”

Feb. 21: John Coltrane: The Master of Innovation
With Guest Robert Stewart

Stewart explains how Coltrane’s “greatest divine gift was his ability to intensely focus or concentrate in spite of any and all things that were happening around him.”

Feb. 28: Wayne Shorter: Art Blakey, Miles Davis, Weather Report and Beyond With Guest Howard Wiley

Wiley calls Shorter “a major contributor to the compositional textural language of America’s only original art form.”

Mar. 6: Dewey Redman, Joe Lovano, Michael Brecker, and the Modern Jazz Masters With Guest Steve Heckman

Heckman says Joe Lovano has “develop[ed] his own unique jazz language which is almost, if not completely, devoid of repetition or cliche or of imitation of another player's style or lines—thus making him one of the most original and refreshing players on the scene.”

Enjoy further insight from these musicians this spring at the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco (JCCSF).  Discover Jazz is available as a complete course ($100 general public; $75 SFJAZZ or JCCSF  Member) or on a drop-in basis ($25 per class). Click here for complete course information.