LISTEN: "We Love Joe" Playlist

In honor of Joe Henderson's birthday today, and the SFJAZZ Collective closing out its Music of Joe Henderson & Original Compositions Spring Tour tonight at the Reno Jazz Festival, here's a playlist of our favorite recordings from the "goateed astronaut of the tenor sax" and longtime San Francisco resident!

SFJAZZ Collective members pick their favorite Joe Henderson recordings

SFJAZZ Collective's Avishai Cohen: Notes on Joe Henderson's "Inner Urge"

Avishai Cohen © Jay Blakesberg

“I was sitting with this tune for a long time, mainly playing the melody, rubato, over an F# bass. My original plan was to use only that part — basically the melody, but almost unrecognizable, since it’s very slow, and played over different changes. I liked that idea because it presented just the melody and gave it a different look, a different perspective, far from the original tune. After arriving in San Francisco, I realized I also wanted to add a part that emphasized the unique bass movement of this tune. Even though it’s all in 4/4, it sometimes feels like it’s in a different rhythm. The original melody is only lightly hinted at. There are tenor saxophone and vibes solos where it goes to a regular 4/4 feel, and that part clearly tells the educated listener that you’re hearing ‘Inner Urge.’ Throughout the tune (but mostly in the intro and outro) you’ll hear some clues that show

I’ve been listening intensely to Rachmaninoff.”

— Avishai Cohen, album notes from the SFJAZZ Collective's new album The Music of Joe Henderson and New Compositions, now available!

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After a 4-night run at NYC's Jazz Standard, SFJAZZ Collective's 2015 Spring Tour heads west, to Loveland, CO tomorrow (4/15), and then the West Coast through the end of April!

See Tour Dates.

SFJAZZ Collective Spring 2015 Tour Dates!

The SFJAZZ Collective takes The Music of Joe Henderson & Original Compositions on the road throughout April, starting with a four-night run at the Jazz Standard tonight (4/9), and wrapping up on the West Coast!

See 2015 Spring Tour Dates.

Obed Calvaire's funky arrangement of "Fire" (Joe Henderson) will get you excited for the live experience.



Watch the SFJAZZ Collective perform on NPR's Jazz Night In America!

SFJAZZ Collective jams in Linden Alley

The SFJAZZ Collective, decked out in custom made Collective baseball jerseys, broke into an impromptu jam on Joe Henderson's "Recorda Me" toward the end of a shoot with photographer Jay Blakesberg during their SFJAZZ Center Residency October 23-26, 2014.

Next up: the Collective takes the music of Henderson + new original compositions on the road! Peep the Tour Dates.

SFJAZZ Collective 2014-15 Repertoire

Check out the SFJAZZ Collective's 2014-15 Joe Henderson repertoire, which will be recorded live at the SFJAZZ Center 10/23-26 and released before their Spring 2015 Tour.

"Jinrikisha" (Page One) arr. Warren Wolf

"Fire" (The Elements) arr. Obed Calvaire

"Recorda-me" (Page One) arr. Miguel Zenón

"Afro-Centric" (Power to the People) arr. Matt Penman

"Black Narcissus" (Power to the People, Black Narcissus) arr. Robin Eubanks

"Y todavia la quiero" (Relaxin' at Camarillo) arr. David Sánchez

"Shade of Jade" (In Pursuit of Blackness) arr. Ed Simon

"Inner Urge" (Inner Urge) arr. Avishai Cohen

As always, each Collective member has also composed an original composition (repertoire to be posted soon), commissioned by SFJAZZ, also to be performed and recorded live at the SFJAZZ Center during their upcoming 4-night run (10/23-26)!

SFJAZZ Collective 10th Anniversary Spring 2014 Tour

For the SFJAZZ Collective's 10th Anniversary Spring Tour, we asked each member to pick their favorites from the Collective Songbook! Check out their responses, interwoven with recordings and video clips from the past 10 years! The backdrop is Sandow Birk / Elyse Pignolet's tile mural "Jazz and the Nation," a fictionalized cityscape of important jazz venues across the United States, which lives on the 2nd floor of the SFJAZZ Center.

Peep the SJAZZ Collective Tour Dates! Watch more videos of the SFJAZZ Collective. Follow the SFJAZZ Collective (@SFJAZZCollectiv) on Twitter!