SFJAZZ Hotplate: Howard Wiley plays Coleman Hawkins

Howard Wiley digs into Coleman Hawkins' Body and Soul, playing through the ballad, and explaining Hawkins' vital role in the development of jazz, and popularizing the saxophone. At this Thursday's Hotplate, Wiley pays tribute to Hawkins in Joe Henderson Lab!

SFJAZZ Hotplate is a monthly series (every 2nd Thursday) that features local artists re-imagining the music of jazz legends.

PHOTO: Ornette Coleman - Through The Years

Ornette Coleman's world premiere of "Tone Dialing" at Masonic Center (1994)

This Thursday (3/13), SFJAZZ Hotplate honors the wildly innovative saxophonist Ornette Coleman, who turned 84 last Sunday! Bay Area saxophonist Howard Wiley has assembled a killer group, featuring Darrell Green (drums), Devin Hoff (bass), Geechi Taylor (trumpet) and Mitch Buttler (trombone), to recreate Ornette's defining album The Shape of Jazz To Come in Joe Henderson Lab. Although every Hotplate honors a great, this one in particular hits close to home. SFJAZZ has presented Ornette regularly since 1994. So we've dug into the archives and collected shots of Ornette over the past two decades!

2002, Davies Symphony Hall

A man of many instruments...

(Left: 2007, "The Master Maverick" at Masonic Center; Right: 2009, Davies Symphony Hall)

Grab a seat for Hotplate at sfjazz.org. See more photos of artists at SFJAZZ on Flickr. And check out a recent feature, "Sax man Howard Wiley: jazz should be sexy."

Next On HOTPLATE: Howard Wiley Plays Ornette Coleman's 'The Shape of Jazz To Come'

SFJAZZ Hotplate returns next Thursday! Monster saxophonist Howard Wiley plays Ornette Coleman's defining The Shape of Jazz To Come, which drastically altered the jazz landscape in 1959, an already pivotal year in jazz (Kind of Blue, Giant Steps, Time Out, etc...). Come hang and hear Wiley recreate Coleman's modern jazz masterpiece. As always, DJ Pat Les Stache will be on decks spinning Ornette and other greats. You don't want to miss this one!

Grab a seat at sfjazz.org. To nerd out before the show, have a listen to Studio 360's podcast on Ornette Coleman's legacy (with Sonny Rollins!). Also, check out a recent feature piece, "Sax man Howard Wiley: jazz should be sexy."