TEXAS PERFORMING ARTS PRESENTS

SFJAZZ COLLECTIVE
PERFORMING
THE MUSIC OF STEVIE WONDER

Miguel Zenón – Alto Saxophone
Mark Turner – Tenor Saxophone
Avishai Cohen – Trumpet
Robin Eubanks – Trombone
Stefon Harris – Vibraphone
Edward Simon – Piano
Matt Penman – Bass
Eric Harland – Drums

THURSDAY, MARCH 24, 2011, 8:00 P.M.
IN BASS CONCERT HALL

PRESENTED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE BUTLER SCHOOL OF MUSIC

“The best overall live jazz set this writer has heard in the New Millennium.”
– All About Jazz

Share an evening with a jazz band unlike any touring the world today. The SFJAZZ Collective is the future of jazz – a constantly evolving, ever-relevant and quintessentially modern art form. The group brings their colossal sound to the Bass Concert Hall stage in a performance that explores the compositions of the incomparable Stevie Wonder.

SFJAZZ Collective is an all-star jazz ensemble comprising eight of the finest performers ] and composers at work in jazz today. Launched in 2004 by SFJAZZ, the SFJAZZ Collective has quickly become one of the most exciting and acclaimed groups on the American and international jazz scenes. In addition to its outstanding line-up, the SFJAZZ Collective has been praised for its innovative approach to repertoire. Each year, the ensemble performs unique arrangements of compositions by a modern jazz master along with new pieces by the Collective members, commissioned by SFJAZZ. Given the elite talent assembled in the SFJAZZ Collective, it is tempting, on first glance, to think of this ensemble as just another “all-star band.” But as the “Collective” portion of the group’s name suggests, these exceptional artists have come together in pursuit of a larger purpose. Through this pioneering approach, simultaneously honoring jazz’s recent history while championing the music’s up-to-the-minute directions, the Collective embodies SFJAZZ’s organizational commitment to jazz as a living, ever-relevant art form.

The Collective’s 2011 personnel features MacArthur “Genius Grant” winner, three-time DownBeat “#1 Rising Star Alto Saxophonist” and founding member Miguel Zenón; trombonist Robin Eubanks, a two-time DownBeat “Trombonist of the Year,” trumpeter Avishai Cohen, Grammy-nominated vibraphonist Stefon Harris and the incendiary rhythm section boasts 2010 Guggenheim Fellow Edward Simon on piano along with two of the most in-demand sidemen on the international scene – bassist Matt Penman and Eric Harland, winner of DownBeat #1 Rising Star drummer for the last three years.

After exploring the work of Ornette Coleman (2004), John Coltrane (2005), Herbie Hancock (2006), Thelonious Monk (2007), Wayne Shorter (2008), McCoy Tyner (2009) and Horace Silver (2010), the Collective takes on the material of pop music icon Stevie Wonder for its spring 2011 tour. The group approaches the work of Wonder, an artist outside of the jazz tradition, but one whose sophisticated songcraft and timeless melodies are more than worthy of exploration. The Collective will perform new arrangements of Stevie’s work along with fresh original compositions by each of the eight Collective members.

“Playing Stevie Wonder’s music with the SFJAZZ Collective is exhilarating because it’s the music I grew up with,” says Harland. “It’s so great to now hear arrangements of some of those classics that I remember seeing my family dance to as a child. Now within the Collective family, it is an honorable opportunity to participate in Stevie’s music not just as a listener but as a performer and arranger.”

More information on the SFJAZZ Collective and SFJAZZ can be found at www.sfjazz.org.

CALENDAR LISTING
Thursday, March 24, 2011, 8:00 pm–Texas Performing Arts presents the SFJAZZ Collective in Bass Concert Hall (E. 23rd St. and Robert Dedman Dr). A map of the campus: TexasPerformingArts.org/visit/maps_directions. Tickets ($24/ $34 / Limited $10 student tickets / discounted tickets available for UT faculty & staff, seniors and Military) are on sale now at authorized ticket outlets, which include the Bass Concert Hall Box Office, most H-E-B stores and all Texas Box Office outlets, online at TexasPerformingArts.org, or by calling (512) 477-6060 or (800) 982-BEVO (2386).

PRESS CONTACT:
Gene Bartholomew;512.471.0632 gbartholomew@TexasPerformingArts.org

Download the SFJAZZ Collective press release – PDF 153 KB