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."

News+Happenings: August 30, 2012

Highlights include:

• Would Thelonious Monk even qualify for the jazz competition named after him?
• The Los Angeles Times explores the "groove" where jazz and dance music meet - spearheaded by artists like Robert Glasper, DJ Quantic and Flying Lotus. 
• The SFJAZZ Center is in the news again, with an intimate San Francisco Chronicle interview between Executive Artistic Director Randall Kline and Jesse Hamlin.
• The Bad Plus' new album Made Possible hits stores on Sept. 25th, but you can get a sneak peek here.
• Joe Jackson is taking his Duke Ellington tribute on the road with a six-piece band featuring violinist Regina Carter.
• The New Yorker reviews Shirley Clarke's recently restored 1985 documentary Ornette: Made In America.
• Legacy Recordings released an incredible 8-CD anthology of the Brecker Brothers' Arista Records sessions from the 70s and early 80s.
• Steve Lehman takes a stab at the six easiest ways for jazz musicians to expand their audience.

News+Happenings: August 16, 2012

Highlights include:

• The jazz world mourned the loss of Chicago based tenor saxophonist Von Freeman who passed away at the age of 88 last weekend.
• Robert Glasper announced plans to release Black Radio Recovered: The Remix EP this fall, featuring re-imagined tunes from his latest album.
• Can Ravi Coltrane live up to his father's legend with the release of his new album Spirit Fiction?
• Check out Esperanza Spalding live at Jazz in Marciac, performing her new single "Crowned & Kissed".
• Fast Company has their own spin on social web strategies, taking cues from jazz great Miles Davis!
• Ornette: Made in America is the title of a newly restored documentary film about jazz giant Ornette Coleman, made by Shirley Clarke and set to open August 31 at New York City’s IFC Center. 
• The New York Review of Books provides some insight into the extensive career of saxophonist Sonny Rollins in their most recent blog post.
• Branford Marsalis spoke with NPR about the failings of modern jazz and his hopes for the next generation of musicians.
• SFJAZZ Collective member Edward Simon is on a quest to put out a new live CD featuring his trio, can you help him achieve his goal?