SFJazz Records has just released a limited edition double-CD from the SFJazz Collective, Live 2007: 4th Annual Concert Tour. The album features original numbers by Collective members as well as new arrangements of the music of Thelonious Monk, and was recorded at various venues on the Collective’s 2007 international tour. The ensemble was created in 2004 as a part of SFJazz, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting jazz on the West Coast. SFJazz is also responsible for the annual San Francisco Jazz Festival, this year celebrating its 25th anniversary with a run from Sept. 22 through Nov. 30.
The Collective convenes in San Francisco each spring for a three-week residency, workshops the season’s repertoire, conducts SFJazz education and outreach programs, and then heads out to perform, first at Bay Area concerts and then at national and international venues.
The 2007 line-up featured on the recording includes artistic director and tenor saxophonist Joshua Redman (pictured), vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson, trumpeter Dave Douglas, alto saxophonist Miguel Zenón, trombonist Andre Hayward, pianist Renee Rosnes, bassist Matt Penman and drummer Eric Harland. The Collective now features two new members, saxophonist Joe Lovano and vibraphonist Stefon Harris, replacing Redman and Hutcherson, respectively. The new line-up just completed a tour of major European jazz festivals, and will re-convene in early 2008 to begin work on the new repertoire.
The two-CD set costs $35 and is available at the SFJazz Store located at 3 Embarcadero Center in San Francisco, and online through the SFJazz Web site.
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