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SFJAZZ Collective to perform March 4 at

Mondavi Center

mcrowder@sacbee.com

Published Sunday, Feb. 28, 2010

For seven years, the highly praised SFJAZZ Collective has been the rarest of jazz bands.

The eight-piece group is a noteworthy assemblage of world-class musicians. Though membershead their own distinctive groups, this band functions as a true collective, with no one inparticular as its artistic leader.

The Collective annually changes its repetoire, examining the works of one pre-eminent jazzcomposer (this year Horace Silver), while each member also writes new original music for theband. What makes the group a real anomaly among jazz ensembles is the intensive rehearsalperiod before each season's series of concerts.

This year the Collective stops at the Mondavi Center at the Univesity of California, Davis, amongonly a handful of California dates, before heading to Europe for a spring tour. In the fall, theband reconvenes for a more extensive North American stretch.

Though alto saxophonist Miguel Zenón remains the only original member, the band has retainedremarkable continuity. Bassist Matt Penman and drummer Eric Harland have been with the groupsince 2005, while trombonist Robin Eubanks and vibraphonist Stefon Harris have with it since2008.

SFJAZZ executive artistic director Randall Kline feels the Collective has developed a familialsensibility. Potential new members must be approved by all the existing members. Kline looks forplayers who are not only strong soloists and creative writers, but who can also get along with therest of the band.

"They work so hard together. It's quite an intense scene when they're rehearsing," Kline said.

Trumpeter Avishai Cohen, who played with the Collective as a substitute for Dave Douglas lastyear, joins this year as a full-time member.

Newly added tenor saxophonist Mark Turner says he looks forward to doing just one thing for awhile.

"I've never done it before, so I'm kind of into it," Turner said after a February rehearsal indowntown San Francisco.

"It means one or two bands I'm in may not happen for a while, but that's fine," Turner added.

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Also new to the Collective this year is Venezuelan-born pianist Edward Simon. Simon, who hasbeen a fixture in the bands of trumpeter Terence Blanchard for several years, is likewise happy tobe in this unusual situation.

"When you have this sort of setup, it gives you the opportunity to be more invested in the music,to get deeper into it," Simon said.

Turner concurred. "This is a situation where you can pretty much go as far as you want because

you know you're going to have time to work it out."

Turner and Simon know each other from New York, where they have played and recordedtogether for years. They are also familiar with most of the other new band members, whichallows for challenging musical situations.

"There are some very strong personalities in this group," Simon said. "That's an incredible assetwhen you're writing for musicians like that. You can write parts you know are going to soundgreat when they play them."

Drummer Harland said he is particularly glad the band is presenting the music of hard-bopmaster Silver. The pianist's music and bands defined the legendary Blue Note sound of the late'50s and '60s.

"He always did his music," Harland said. "You don't often see an individual who has enoughstrong material where they can survive on that material and it is always cutting-edge andtranscending."

Silver wrote some of the best-known jazz with a bright, accessible style.

"His music was straight to the point," Harland added.

Though Harland plays with any number of progressive musicians, he acknowledges the experiencecan be relatively esoteric for the listener.

"People end up responding to the energy onstage, but the music just goes over their heads.

Sometimes people need to be able to digest the music when they hear it. I think that's somethingHorace did."

SF JAZZ Collective 2010 Repertoire

Horace Silver compositions:

• "Lonely Woman" arranged by Miguel Zenón

• "Peace" arranged by Mark Turner

• "Baghdad Blues" arranged by Avishai Cohen

• "Cape Verdean Blues" arranged by Stefon Harris

• "Song for My Father" arranged by Edward Simon

• "The Lady From Johannesburg" arranged by Robin Eubanks

• "Sister Sadie" arranged by Matt Penman

• "Señor Blues" arranged by Eric Harland

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