CARNEGIE HALL PRESENTS
SFJazz Collective

Zankel Hall
Wednesday, March 5th, 2008 at 8:30 PM

SFJAZZ Collective
·· Joe Lovano, Saxophones
·· Dave Douglas, Trumpet
·· Miguel Zenón, Flute
·· Robin Eubanks, Trombone
·· Renee Rosnes, Piano
·· Matt Penman, Bass
·· Eric Harland, Drums
·· Stefon Harris, Vibraphone and Marimba

Nonesuch at Carnegie

The SFJAZZ Collective returns with a stellar new lineup and repertoire focusing on the music of
the legendary Wayne Shorter.

Presented by Carnegie Hall in partnership with Festival Productions

Program Notes:

The Concept
SFJAZZ, the San Francisco–based non-profit institution, is the Collective’s namesake and producer. The idea for the Collective arose from turn-of-the-millennium discussions between SFJAZZ’s founder and executive director, Randall Kline, and saxophonist and founding Collective member Joshua Redman. While deeply respectful of jazz’s origins and early traditions, SFJAZZ (as a concert presenter of the internationally renowned San Francisco Jazz Festival, among other year-round programs) was concerned that the modern side of jazz, from roughly the mid-20th-century to the present day, was often overlooked in the public eye in comparison with the music of jazz’s so-called “Golden Age.” Both Kline and Redman were eager to showcase—in a manner that would resonate with jazz aficionados and newcomers alike—the artistic continuum from modern masters like John Coltrane, Ornette Coleman, and Herbie Hancock to today’s new generation of touring and recording artists.

And so, with an inaugural line-up of modern jazz luminaries and the institutional support of SFJAZZ, the SFJAZZ Collective was unveiled in 2004, with an approach that was (and is) unique in the jazz world. For multiple weeks each year, eight of the most in-demand artists in jazz would set aside their numerous other high-profile projects and devote all their time and energy to the Collective. The group would annually divide its repertoire between new works written by and for the Collective’s members (and commissioned by SFJAZZ) and new octet arrangements of compositions by a modern jazz master—to date, Ornette Coleman (2004), John Coltrane (2005), Herbie Hancock (2006), Thelonious Monk (2007), and now Wayne Shorter. The ensemble would be an octet, enjoying both the flexibility of a small group and some of the expanded palette of a big band. In keeping with the “Collective” name, the group’s members would take turns sharing the spotlight as “leader” from song to song. And crucially, in order to give this work its full artistic due, the group would rehearse its annual repertoire in a multi-week San Francisco residency before going on tour—a rare opportunity in today’s jazz world, and one that would arguably be impossible without institutional backing. During the residency, in the interest of jazz’s ongoing development, the Collective members would also mentor promising young musicians, including the 20-strong SFJAZZ High School All-Stars.


The Repertoire
As in past seasons, the Collective’s original compositions for 2008 highlight the state of the art in jazz composition, exploring new, often extended approaches to song form and reveling in the rhythmic, harmonic, and textural possibilities of the octet. The song titles themselves suggest the variety of inspiration at work, from the hints of mystery in Stefon Harris’s “Road to Dharma” and Dave Douglas’s “Secrets of the Code,” to the more forthright “This, That, and the Other” from Joe Lovano and “The Year 2008” by Eric Harland.

Through the music of saxophonist and composer extraordinaire Wayne Shorter, artistic breadth also infuses the balance of the 2008 repertoire. In the words of fellow jazz legend Herbie Hancock, “Wayne Shorter has evolved as a human being to a point where he can synthesize all the history of jazz into a very special, very alive musical expression” (from Footprints: The Life and Work of Wayne Shorter by Michelle Mercer). Shorter has made a profound impact on that history over the past half-century: his ’50s days with Horace Silver and Art Blakey, his classic ’60s roles as a bandleader and a pivotal member of Miles Davis’s second great quintet, his ’70s excursions with fusion pioneers Weather Report, and his present-day work with his celebrated new acoustic quartet. The Collective covers an expansive range of Shorter’s oeuvre, from signature ’60s pieces like “Footprints” and “Infant Eyes,” to 1974’s “Diana” and 1997’s “Aung San Suu Kyi,” Shorter’s tribute to the Burmese Nobel Peace Prize–winner.

“I consider [Shorter] one of my most important musical influences,” says pianist Rosnes. “In 1988, I was a member of his band and that experience changed me forever. Through his music, he taught me about courage, passion, vulnerability, and freedom. Virtually all of Wayne’s compositions are inherently full of these qualities.”

“As has been the case with all the composers we’ve worked on with the band,” alto saxophonist Zenón notes, “the biggest challenge is to try to keep the spirit of the original versions of the compositions, while at the same time reflecting the personality of the Collective. I really feel we get better and better at doing this every time we get together.”


Copyright © 2008 by The Carnegie Hall Corporation

SFJAZZ Collective
·· Joe Lovano, Saxophones
·· Dave Douglas, Trumpet
·· Miguel Zenón, Flute
·· Robin Eubanks, Trombone
·· Renee Rosnes, Piano
·· Matt Penman, Bass
·· Eric Harland, Drums
·· Stefon Harris, Vibraphone and Marimba
The Collective is distinguished not just by degree, but diversity of talent. Each member is not only a celebrated instrumentalist, but also an outstanding composer and arranger, and most are among today’s most lauded bandleaders. The Collective’s current line-up also strikes a perfect balance among founding members, other multi-year veterans, and exciting newcomers.

Now in its fifth season, the Collective has become one of the leading ensembles on today’s international jazz scene, appearing in prestigious concert halls and festivals throughout the US, Europe, and Asia. The Collective has earned “#1 Rising Star Jazz Group” honors in DownBeat’s 2006 Critics Poll, and placed high in 2007’s year-end “best albums” lists from the likes of National Public Radio (#3 album) and JazzTimes (#14). To date, the group has released four limited-edition CD sets documenting its complete annual repertoire in concert, a newly released concert DVD recorded at 2007’s Jazz à Vienne festival in France (all available exclusively from sfjazz.org), and two concert-highlights discs in wide distribution on the Nonesuch label.

Joe Lovano (Tenor Saxophone)
Grammy Award–winning saxophonist and composer Joe Lovano stands alone at the vanguard of large and small group jazz. From his recent work with Gunther Schuller (Streams of Expression) to his role as Gary Burton Chair of Jazz Performance at Berklee College of Music, the Cleveland native fearlessly challenges the conceptual and thematic choices he makes, in a quest for new modes of artistic expression and new takes on what defines the jazz idiom.

Dave Douglas (Trumpet)
Two-time Grammy Award–nominated trumpeter Dave Douglas has earned national and international acclaim, including Trumpeter, Composer, and Jazz “Artist of the Year” by such organizations as the New York Jazz Awards, DownBeat, JazzTimes, and Jazziz. His solo recording career began in 1993 with Parallel World and he has since released 22 CDs. In 2005, Douglas launched his own label, Greenleaf Music, and was honored with a Guggenheim Fellowship. His current release, Meaning and Mystery, features his working quintet of Uri Caine, James Genus, Clarence Penn, and Donny McCaslin.

Stefon Harris (Vibraphone and Marimba)
Stefon Harris is committed to exploring the rich potential of jazz composition and blazing new trails on the vibraphone. A graduate of the Manhattan School of Music, Harris has received numerous accolades, including the Jazz Journalists Association’s “Best Mallet Player” for four years running (2000–2003) and “#1 Rising Star Vibraphonist” in the 2006 DownBeat Critics Poll. His string of Grammy Award–nominated albums for Blue Note includes Kindred, Black Action Figure, and The Grand Unification Theory. His latest album is 2006’s African Tarantella: Dances with Duke.

Miguel Zenón (Alto Saxophone and Flute)
A native of Puerto Rico, Zenón got his start at the famed Escuela Libre de Musica and later studied at Boston’s Berklee College of Music. Since his move to New York in 1998, he has worked with Charlie Haden, David Sánchez, the Village Vanguard Orchestra, and the Mingus Big Band, among others. Zenón came to the Collective in the wake of his second CD as a leader, Ceremonial. His most recent recording, Jíbaro, was released this summer. Miguel Zenón appears courtesy of Marsalis Music, LLC.

Robin Eubanks (Trombone)
Twice named “Trombonist of the Year” in the DownBeat Magazine Critics Poll, Robin Eubanks is one of the foremost trombonists at work today. In addition to leading his own groups, EB3 and Mental Images, Eubanks has done Grammy Award–winning work with Dave Holland and Michael Brecker, and has collaborated with music legends Art Blakey, Sun Ra, and the Rolling Stones. The native Philadelphian is also an acclaimed composer and recipient of prestigious grants from Chamber Music America and ASCAP, as well as numerous commissions from fellow musicians.

Renee Rosnes (Piano)
Canadian native Renee Rosnes has been described as a pianist and composer with a truly personal vision whose improvisations have an almost visual quality. During her distinguished career, she has been the pianist of choice for such legendary artists as Joe Henderson, J. J. Johnson, Wayne Shorter, Bobby Hutcherson, and James Moody, among others. She has made nine acclaimed recordings on the Blue Note label.

Matt Penman (Bass)
Originally from New Zealand, Matt Penman studied at Boston’s Berklee College of Music before relocating to New York in 1995. In addition to releasing his own critically acclaimed CD as a leader, The Unquiet (2002), Penman has recorded as a sideman on some 50 other discs, performing with the likes of Kurt Rosenwinkel, Gary Bartz, Kenny Werner, Nnenna Freelon, Madeleine Peyroux, Brian Blade, Mark Turner, and Guillermo Klein.

Eric Harland (Drums)
A leading drummer on the national scene, Texas-born Eric Harland has performed with jazz legends like Betty Carter, Joe Henderson, and McCoy Tyner, and has played on more than 35 recordings with such artists as Terence Blanchard, Greg Osby, Charles Lloyd, and Stefon Harris. In DownBeat’s 65th Annual Readers Poll, he was included in the short list of top drummers, in the company of masters like Roy Haynes and the late Elvin Jones.