The tracks were recorded on the Collective's 2007 international tour at venues including the Overture Center for the Arts, Madison, WI; the Dakota Bar & Grill, Minneapolis, MN; Cullen Theatre, Da Camera, Houston, TX; Jazz at the Bistro, St. Louis, MO; Leighton Concert Hall, Notre Dame University, South Bend, IN; Herbst Theatre, San Francisco, CA; Laurie Auditorium, Trinity University, San Antonio, TX; and Miller Concert Hall, Wichita, KS.
“This version of the Collective with created some of our greatest musical challenges and rewards to date," said saxophonist Joshua Redman. “Thelonious Monk is the earliest of the 20th-century jazz masters whose compositions we have performed to date. And yet, there is such an innate sense of modernism in his works, something invariably fresh and compelling--melodies that are deceptively simple on first hearing, framed by harmonies that are so rich and complex, and driven by rhythms that are so compelling and infectious. Literally generations of musicians have spent entire careers exploring this body of work. And while to some extent, Monk always sounds like Monk, each successive generation has found new rewards, and new angles on the music. To perform and document our own new work in the context of Monk's music is sure to inspire new and rewarding directions in the Collective's group sound."
The recipient of “Rising Star Jazz Group of the Year" honors in the 2006 DownBeat Critics Poll, the SFJAZZ Collective is an all-star jazz ensemble comprising some of the finest performer/composers at work in jazz today. Launched in 2004 by SFJAZZ, the Collective has quickly become one of the most exciting and acclaimed groups on the American and international jazz scenes.
The Collective embodies SFJAZZ's organizational commitment to jazz as a living, ever-changing, and ever-relevant art form. To cultivate its distinctive sound, the SFJAZZ Collective convenes in San Francisco each spring for a three-week residency. Throughout this extended rehearsal period--a rarity in today's jazz--the ensemble workshops the season's new repertoire and interacts with the Bay Area community through SFJAZZ's education programs. The Collective then takes to the performance stage, including Bay Area concerts and a national and international tour, with stops in a number of the world's most prominent concert halls.
As of July 2007, the Collective features two new members, Grammy- winning saxophonist Joe Lovano and Grammy-nominated vibraphonist Stefon Harris, replacing Joshua Redman and Bobby Hutcherson, respectively. This new line-up has just completed a tour of the major European jazz festivals including the Umbria Jazz Festival (Italy), North Sea Jazz Festival (Netherlands), and Vitoria Jazz Festival (Spain). The same Collective line-up will re-convene in early 2008 with an all-new repertoire.
Live 2007 is priced at $35 (plus tax and shipping). It is available exclusively online at sfjazz.org and at the SFJAZZ Store (located at 3 Embarcadero Center, Lobby Level, San Francisco, CA 94111; phone 415-788-7353).
For more information contact Marshall Lamm Promotions & Public Relations.
