SFJAZZ Collective's Sean Jones, Matt Penman and Robin Eubanks kicked off the Collective's SFJAZZ Center Residency on Wednesday (10/21) with a special Members Listening Party. To give you a teaser, we asked each of them about the Michael Jackson song they chose to arrange. Sean Jones on "Rock With You"
My song choice, "Rock With You" (Off The Wall), is based on a few things: I absolutely love the tune and the feeling it gives me. Also I, at times, write with a sense of humor. The bridge of the tune starts with the lyric, "and when the groove is dead and gone"... So, I decided to make the groove "dead and gone" during the solo section by making the top of the phrase land in the middle of the solo form. The top of the arrangement also works this way with a piece of the chorus thrown in.
Matt Penman on "Blame It On The Boogie" I chose the Jacksons' "Blame it on the Boogie" (Destiny) because it's a perfect mantra for abdicating all personal responsibility. Just kidding! I love it because it's infectiously fun and funky, has nice chords and mentions 'Frisco in the lyrics!
Robin Eubanks on "The Love You Save" I went back to the beginning of Michael Jackson's career, with the Jackson 5. I arranged one of their first hits, "The Love You Save" (ABC). It's a light hearted song but it has a nice groove section that resonated with me and I thought I could develop it into a arrangement for the Collective. Here is a section of Michaels vocals demonstrating how talented he was at such a young age.
List of Collective Arrangements:
"Rock With You" (Sean Jones) "Blame It On The Boogie" (Matt Penman) "Thriller" (Obed Calvaire) "The Love You Save" (Robin Eubanks) "Don't Stop Til' You Get Enough" (David Sanchez) "Smooth Criminal" (Miguel Zenon) "Human Nature" (Warren Wolf) "This Place Hotel" (Edward Simon)
(Each SFJAZZ Collective member was also commissioned to compose an original for the all-star octet.)
The SFJAZZ Collective debuts new compositions and fresh arrangements of the music of Michael Jackson during its 2015-16 Tour, includingan upcoming 4-night run at the SFJAZZ Center (10/22-25). Here's a performance of Jackson's "Working Day And Night" arranged by vibraphonist Warren Wolf at NYC's Subculture during Winter Jazz Festival 2015.
From Hiromi's head-banging math-jazz and Mehliana's (Brad Mehldau & Mark Guiliana) atmospheric fusion, to Marc Ribot's edgy Ceramic Dog and Darcy James Argue's indie-rock big band Secret Society—here's a compilation of 15 groups in the intersection of rock and jazz you should hip yourself to.
58th Monterey Jazz Festival kicked off. The SFJAZZ High School All-Stars Orchestra performs on the Night Club stage at 2pm on Saturday (9/19)!
Ethan Hawke stars in Robert Budreau's Chet Bakernon-biopic ‘Born to Be Blue.’
Christian Scott released Stretch Music, featuring SFJAZZ High School All-Stars alum Elena Pinderhughes (flute). The release also includes an App, which let's fans play along with the record.
Danilo Perez, John Patitucci and Brian Blade (Wayne Shorter Quartet minus Wayne) released Children of The Light.
Despite the geographical distance and a chronological separation spanning many centuries, ancient forms originating with Udgatar priests in 1500 BC and the African-American musical inventions of the early 20th century would eventually meet and build upon their common ground.
SFJAZZ Resident Artistic Director Zakir Hussain presents "East Meets West" featuring Amit Chatterjee, Louiz Banks, Shankar Mahadevan, Chris Potter, Dave Holland and Eric Harland on October 1 and 2, and with Dave Holland and drummer Vinnie Colaiuta on October 3 and 4. More information.
Highlights include Chick Corea, Wayne Shorter, Brian Wilson, Brad Mehldau, Eric Harland, Esperanza Spalding, Kenny Barron, Chris Botti, Terence Blanchard's Champion: An Opera In Jazz, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Hiromi, The Bad Plus Joshua Redman, SFJAZZ Collective, Zakir Hussain, Merle Haggard, Maceo Parker, Cassandra Wilson, Cecile McLorin Salvant & many more!
The new Season, the fourth at the new SFJAZZ Center, features Chick Corea, Wayne Shorter, Brian Wilson, Brad Mehldau, Eric Harland, Esperanza Spalding, Kenny Barron, Chris Botti, Terence Blanchard's Champion: An Opera In Jazz, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Hiromi, The Bad Plus Joshua Redman, SFJAZZ Collective, Zakir Hussain & many more!
“I wrote this arrangement using the bass line from the intro of the original recording by Joe (from Page One) as the main motive. This is enhanced by layers of horn backgrounds under the main soloist, which build and climax towards the end of the chart, where the melody appears just once and fades to the end. The main groove is inspired by Afrobeat music, and I wanted to channel some of that with the arrangement as well.”
— Miguel Zenón, album notes from the SFJAZZ Collective's new album
Tabla genius Zakir Hussain’s triumphantly successful project originated during an appearance in Scotland in 2011, combining an ensemble of the greatest Indian musicians with a stellar group of artists from the Celtic tradition to explore their cross-cultural language. A 2014-15 SFJAZZ Resident Artistic Director, Hussain brings Celtic Connections to the SFJAZZ Center April 2-3, 2015.
2014-15 SFJAZZ Resident Artistic Director Eric Harland gives a teaser of his first SFJAZZ Residency coming up January 29 - February 1, 2015—featuring Snarky Puppy, Taylor Eigsti, Julian Lage, Walter Smith III, Chris Turner + live video gaming!
Eric Harland talks about his introduction to jazz and finding your voice as a musician. A 2014-15 SFJAZZ Resident Artistic Director, Harland's first Residency at the SFJAZZ Center begins January 29th, 2014—featuring Bay Area stars Taylor Eigsti, Julian Lage (w/ TEJ Trio) and Chris Turner (w/ Harland's Voyager), Snarky Puppy and even some live video gaming!
SFJAZZ Resident Artistic Director Eric Harland is hands down one of the most versatile and active drummers on the scene today. In the past year alone, we've caught him with Dave Holland's Prism and Sangam (w/ fellow Resident Artistic Director Zakir Hussain + 2014 NEA Jazz Master inductee Charles Lloyd). He held down the drum seat in the SFJAZZ Collective for eight years (2005-12). And today, Harland's carving his own path—notably dropping beats with The Loop Loft and leading his own project Voyager, who released their debut studio album Vipassana earlier this year.
