SEASON RUNS MARCH 6 - JUNE 20, 2008
TICKETS ON SALE SUNDAY, JANUARY 6
(SAN FRANCISCO, CA) -- Randall Kline, the Executive Director of SFJAZZ--the leading non-profit jazz organization on the West Coast and the presenter of the San Francisco Jazz Festival today announced the complete artist line-up for the Ninth Annual SFJAZZ Spring Season. The four-month-long curated concert series will begin on March 6 with an opening weekend that includes Keith Jarrett, Gary Peacock, and Jack DeJohnette, and “The Discovery Series" with double bills featuring Travis Sullivan's Bjrkestra and Realistic Orchestra, Nik Bartsch's Ronin and The Frequency, 2 Foot Yard and Iron & The Albatross, and Third World Live with the Yaron Herman Trio. The season will continue through June 20 with will some of the most illustrious names in jazz and related music including: Wayne Shorter, Bobby McFerrin, Chick Corea & Jack DeJohnette, McCoy Tyner with Savion Glover, Taj Mahal, Charles Lloyd, Regina Carter, Joe Sample, Lee Konitz, Dianne Reeves, Mose Allison, Rosa Passos, Hiromi, Ron Carter, Lenny White, Jessica Williams, Brad Mehldau, James Moody and many more. A complete list of the Ninth Annual SFJAZZ Spring Season can be found below.
For this year's Spring Season, SFJAZZ is conducting “The Wayne Shorter Project," a wide- ranging exploration of the music and legacy of Wayne Shorter. Along with this project, SFJAZZ is offering distinctive ancillary programming designed to complement and enhance the concert experience. This includes “The Discovery Series," of four concerts featuring the modern sounds of jazz (3/6-3/9); “The Jazz Masters Series," celebrating four living legends at the YBCA for the Arts Forum (4/24-27); popular Family Matinees: shorter, discount-priced events for jazz fans young and old (Joe Sample, 4/6; Crosspulse Percussion Ensemble (5/4); a “Jazz + Silent Film Festival" at the Castro Theatre (4/12); the five-part “Discover Jazz Course: The Tenor Sax," (Thursdays, 2/7-3/6) and Pre-Concert Talks with the artists themselves.
“This Spring Season continues our 25th Anniversary with a mix of jazz masters and new discoveries," said SFJAZZ Executive Director Randall Kline. “The wide reach of our schedule, from classic jazz to world music and beyond, is a tribute to the diversity of San Francisco and Bay Area audiences."
SFJAZZ SPRING SEASON HIGHLIGHTS & THEMES
THE WAYNE SHORTER PROJECT
SFJAZZ pays a multi-concert tribute to one of jazz's greatest living saxophonists and composers, Wayne Shorter, including the legend's own appearance with his quartet and the Imani Winds (4/11) and explorations of the Shorter repertoire with Conrad Herwig's “The Latin Side of Wayne Shorter" featuring Eddie Palmieri (4/5) and the SFJAZZ High School All-Stars with Miguel Zenn (6/1). Also this spring, the SFJAZZ Collective performs Shorter's music and their own new works in concert at UC Berkeley's Cal Performances (3/15).
THE DISCOVERY SERIES
Immerse yourself in the modern sounds of jazz and more with eight forward-thinking bands--including Travis Sullivan's Bjrkestra, Nik Brtsch's Ronin, Carla Kihlstedt's 2 Foot Yard, and Third World Love-- over four nights (3/6-9) at the YBCA Forum.
JAZZ MASTERS SERIES
Four living legends of jazz--saxman James Moody (in an SFJAZZ Members-only performance), singer/composer/pianist Mose Allison, singer Ernestine Anderson, and alto saxist Lee Konitz--in a specially priced four-night run (4/24-27) at the YBCA for the Arts Forum.
JAZZ + SILENT FILM FESTIVAL
Classics of silent cinema meet red-hot live jazz in a mini-fest at SF's majestic movie palace, the Castro Theatre (4/12). All three films--Sherlock Jr., The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, and Nosferatu-- feature the return of Bay Area legends the Club Foot Orchestra, innovators in accompanying silent film for more than two decades.
GLOBAL SOUNDS
The Spring Season brims with international stars, including Brazilian bossa nova queen Rosa Passos (5/25), Portuguese fadista Ana Moura (4/13), and a Venezuelan Festival with Edwards Simon, Aquiles Baez, and the Bay Area's own VNote Trio (6/8).
SFJAZZ 25TH ANNIVERSARY GALA HONORING WAYNE SHORTER
The SFJAZZ Gala, an annual benefit for SFJAZZ artistic and education programs, will be held on Friday, May 16 at the Four Seasons Hotel in San Francisco. The Gala will honor Wayne Shorter in his 75th birthday year. The festivities, chaired by Nion McEvoy, will include intimate performances by Shorter and members of the SFJAZZ Collective, the SFJAZZ High School All-Stars, and surprise musical guests, a silent auction, a gourmet seated dinner in the elegant Four Seasons Veranda Ballroom, and the “SFJAZZ After Party." For information on tickets and tables, email [email protected] or call 415-283-0326.
SFJAZZ COLLECTIVE 2008 SEASON
Named “Rising Star Jazz Ensemble of the Year" in Down Beat's 2006 Critics Poll, the SFJAZZ Collective returns in 2008 with an all-new repertoire of original compositions and works by Wayne Shorter. The 2008 Collective roster includes trumpeter Dave Douglas; alto saxophonist Miguel Zenn; trombonist Andre Hayward; pianist Renee Rosnes; bassist Matt Penman; drummer Eric Harland; and the two recent additions, tenor saxophonist Joe Lovano and vibraphonist Stefon Harris.
SFJAZZ COLLECTIVE 2008 INTERNATIONAL TOUR
February 15, Newmark Theatre, Portland, OR
February 22, KLIMAT Entertainment Center, Bielsko-Biala, Poland
February 23, Wiener Konzerthaus, Vienna, Austria
February 24-25, Bimhuis, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
February 26, Casa Da Musica, Porto, Portugal
February 27, Central Station, Darmstadt, Germany
March 1, Memorial Hall, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
March 2, Spivey Hall, Clayton State University, Morrow, GA
March 5, Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall, New York, NY
March 7, Berklee College of Music, Boston, MA
March 12, Wharton Center for the Performing Arts, East Lansing, MI
March 13, Michigan Theatre, Ann Arbor, MI
March 15, Zellerbach Auditorium, Berkeley, CA
March 19, Grand Theatre Center for the Arts, Tracy, CA
March 20, Lobero Theatre, Santa Barbara, CA
March 21, Royce Hall, UCLA Center for the Arts, Los Angeles, CA
March 22, National Hispanic Cultural Center, Albuquerque, NM
SFJAZZ EDUCATION
SFJAZZ, in addition to being the largest non-profit jazz presenter on the West Coast, is a year-round education organization that offers a dynamic and innovative array of artistic and educational programs in the concert hall, classroom, and community. This spring, SFJAZZ offers the following education programs in connection with the SFJAZZ Spring Season.
DISCOVER JAZZ COURSE: THE TENOR SAX
Explore the fascinating, swinging story of one of jazz's signature instruments, the tenor saxophone, in this five-part jazz appreciation course--the perfect preparation for this spring's shows by Wayne Shorter, Charles Lloyd, and other tenor masters. The course is taught by bassist, jazz educator, and SFJAZZ Director of Education Cory Combs, and features live jazz performances by guest artists. Classes take place on five consecutive Thursdays from 6-8pm at the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco:
February 7, Coleman Hawkins, Lester Young and the Art of Swing
February 14, Sonny Rollins -- Bebop, hard bop and the Saxophone Colossus
February 21, John Coltrane -- The Master of Innovation
February 28, Wayne Shorter -- Art Blakey, Miles Davis, Weather Report
March 6, Joe Lovano, Michael Brecker and the Modern Jazz Masters F
ull course: $75 SFJAZZ & JCCSF Members; $100 General Public. Individual classes: $25.
SFJAZZ FAMILY MATINEES Bring the kids to two fun-filled daytime shows this spring: a rollicking history of jazz piano with Joe Sample (4/6) and Keith Terry's high-energy Crosspulse Percussion Ensemble (5/4). An hour before each Matinee, kids can make their own music in the lobby with music teacher Doug Goodkin and the easy-to-play Orff instruments.
PRE-CONCERT TALKS Get a behind-the-scenes perspective on this season's shows from the people who know the music best--the artists themselves--in these compelling onstage dialogues, held one hour before select concerts. Free to ticket- holders for the events to follow.
March 6, Travis Sullivan, leader of the Bjrkestra
April 11, Pianist Danilo Perez of the Wayne Shorter Quartet
April 24, Saxophone legend James Moody (Members-Only Concert)
May 15, The Bad Plus (Ethan Iverson, Reid Anderson, Dave King)
June 8, Edward Simon and VNote Ensemble's Jackeline Rago
SFJAZZ SPRING SEASON ARTIST LINE-UP
Calendar Editors, Please Note: SFJAZZ is spelled as one word in all caps. This is not a graphic treatment, but the name of the organization. All concerts are a production of SFJAZZ and are part of the 9th annual SFJAZZ Spring Season. Please print the SFJAZZ Spring Season when referring to the organizations spring programming. A complete list of the Ninth Annual SFJAZZ Spring Season can also be found at www.sfjazz.org.
ABOUT SFJAZZ
SFJAZZ, now celebrating its 25th Anniversary, is the largest non-profit presenter of jazz in the western United States. SFJAZZ presents over 100 concerts a year to over 100,000 fans and is dedicated to advancing the art form of jazz and cultivating new jazz audiences through artistic and educational programming, including: The San Francisco Jazz Festival, SFJAZZ Spring Season, SFJAZZ Collective, SFJAZZ Summerfest, SFJAZZ Education and SFJAZZ Membership.
The 2008 SFJAZZ Spring Season is a project of SFJAZZ, a non-profit presenter of jazz music and education programs. Brought to you by: Jet Blue Airways. Major Sponsors: 7x7, California Home and Design, KCSM Jazz 91, KPIX, Telemundo. Official Sponsors: Citypark, East Bay Express, Foxxdance Productions, Galleria Park Hotel, Hotel Rex, Hilton San Francisco, Hotel Carlton, Hotel Majestic, Jazz Times, JW Marriott San Francisco, KBLX, Kendall-Jackson, KPFA, North Coast Brewing Company, Personality Hotels, Queen Anne Hotel, Sibelius, Sir Francis rake Hotel, Smartwater, SoMa Hotels, Virgin Megastore, San Francisco, Weston Presidio, Yamaha Pianos.
SFJAZZ receives funding from the following corporations, foundations and government agencies: The Herb Alpert Foundation, Amgen Foundation, California Bank and Trust, Chamber Music America, Cisco Systems Foundation, City National Bank, Creative Work Fund, David B. Gold Foundation, Bill Graham Foundation, Grants for the Arts/San Francisco Hotel Tax Fund, Great Gable Partners, Walter and Elise Haas Fund, William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, Hood & Strong, The James Irvine Foundation, Stanley S. Langendorf Foundation, Louis R. Lurie Foundation, Music Lives Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, Northern Trust, San Francisco Foundation, Seyfarth Shaw Charitable Foundation, Surdna Foundation, Inc., US Bank Foundation, The Wallace Foundation, Western States Arts Federation, Weston Presidio, Yahoo! Employee Fund.
For more information contact Marshall Lamm Promotions & Public Relations.
