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Silver Linings : Latest incarnation of inspiring SFJAZZCollectives point of departure was the music of legendHorace Silver Tuesday night at UCSB Campbell HallBy Josef Woodard NEWS-PRESS CORRESPONDENT

March 4, 2010 10:43 AM

On one hand, the return of the SFJAZZ Collective,Tuesday at Campbell Hall, was a case of dja vu all

over again, this being the fourth local appearance by aproject that started back in 2004. On the other hand,

things inherently change as they embrace tradition inthis band, which has grown into one of the more

exciting entities in the current jazz scene.

By blending respect for history and tradition and the

natural jazz yearning for the new and the "now," theeight-piece "little big band" Collective is a blissfully

evolving and revolving musical organism. It fosters andcommissions new material each year, written by a cast

of top-drawer musical characters.

So what began as a project, an ambitious offshoot of the San Francisco Jazz Festival and more orless led by tenor saxist Joshua Redman (involved in the first two Santa Barbara concerts, also at

Campbell Hall), shifted gears to include such high-stakes players as tenor titan Joe Lovano andtrumpeter Dave Douglas in the version that landed at the Lobero Theatre in 2008.

As for this year's model, alive and kicking and thinking and swinging on Tuesday night, the onlycharter member was alto saxist Miguel Zenon, while drummer Eric Harland dates back to 2006.

Bassist Matt Penman, trombonist Robin Eubanks and vibraphonist Stefon Harris have been in thefold for two-plus years, and the newcomers are pianist Edward Simon (replacing charter member

Renee Rosnes), tenor saxist Mark Turner and trumpeter Avishai Cohen.

Again, things change as they remain, and the Collective's essential sound and musical philosophyprevails even as the personnel shifts. Roll call aside, the most important thing to understand, and

the message rang out clearly at Campbell Hall, is that these players are among the finest andmost thoughtful jazz musicians of our day, brought together under one roof and one rubric in the

Collective.

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As part of the annual structure of the Collective's residency, involving commissioning, aresidency, a tour and a resulting live recording each season, a legendary jazz composer is chosen

as a source of tribute and new arrangements. This year, the focus was on the music of themelodic and groove-inclined pianist-composer great Horace Silver.

Tuesday's set kicked off with Mr. Harland's jubilant, riff-based and occasionally abstract take onthe Silver classic "Senor Blues," followed by Mr. Eubanks' propulsive but also odd-meteredversion of Mr. Silver's "The Lady from Johannesburg," replete with a stunning solo by the

trombonist, certainly one of the greatest living jazz bone players. Closing the set, proper, on ahigh and disarmingly intricate note, was Mr. Harris' stirring new arrangement of Mr. Silver's

"Cape Verdean Blues," its coda section turning evermore rhythmically tricky, and a fine settingfor a knotty-cool drum solo by Mr. Harland.

Each member also is assigned to write a new composition for this group - now the proud owners

of a sizable songbook of charts. Highlights from that original segment of the Collectivesongbook on Tuesday included Mr. Cohen's variation-based "Suite for Ward Martin Tavares" (its

title an allusion to Horace Silver's other names), and Mr. Penman's "Triple Threat," which openswith pensive softness but rallies into rousing energy.

For an encore, the band closed on a cool, almost hymnal note, with the contemplative Silverballad "Peace," as arranged by Mr. Turner - who nicely demonstrated his proven penchant for

haunting lyricism. The full and varied evening of jazz, circa 2010 but with well-rooted tentaclesin jazz history, closed with a poised luster.