Live 2009: Sixth Annual Concert Tour

SFJAZZ Collective
SFJAZZ
Jazz | Oct 2009

Reviews

Fo
Reviewed 2009-11-22
SFJAZZ COLLECTIVE: Live 2009: 6th Annual Concert Tour SFJAZZ, 2009

MODERN JAZZ – This all-star septet, sponsored by SFJAZZ (the people who run the San Francisco Jazz Festival), meets every spring to premiere new compositions and celebrate the legacy of a major jazz composer – this year, it was McCoy Tyner. The band tours, conducts educational workshops, and generally blows every other band out of the water for a month or two, then everybody goes back to doing their regular thing.

If you’ve heard any of the previous years’ output, you know what to expect here: brainy arrangements and dynamic post-bop playing in a “little big band” mode, recorded live. The only major change this year is that there’s no vibraphone, making the group a bit smaller and the sound a little more streamlined. Outstanding work as always.

Joe Lovano - tenor sax
Miguel Zenón - alto sax
Dave Douglas - trumpet
Robin Eubanks - trombone
Renee Rosnes - piano
Matt Penman - bass
Eric Harland - drums

* * * * * | All great; take your pick. (some shorter tracks on Disc 2)

DISC ONE

1. 10:49 – moody, abstract intro; propulsive Brazilian theme soars with high drama… authoritative piano and high-speed sax work
2. 06:26 – odd, percolating tune in 6/4 time: solos alternate w/ ensemble play
3. 14:44 – celebratory in odd meters: cool horn groupings over strong rhythms; trombone solo really digs in; turns relaxed & soulful in second half
4. 12:41 – serious, flowing work: excellently layered horns over ticking-clock rhythm; brooding and melancholy; sweet bass and sax solos
5. 15:38 – free-flowing improv within a thickly layered Ornette Coleman-style structure; drifts somewhere between free jazz and modern bop
6. 12:19 – fast bounce: catchy theme gets busy; strong trombone & sax solos

DISC TWO

1. 11:39 – striding postbop anthem with bright lyrical accents, great trumpet
2. 06:42 – hi-octane modern-bop romp with twisty sax & piano solos. Yow!
3. 06:43 – midtempo ballad: interesting mix of old-school and modern sounds
4. 06:56 – long, billowing intro; bright optimism: full, rich sound & fine trumpet
5. 11:08 – serious, complex rhythms: spinning sax & trombone, hard drums
6. 10:22 – vocal percussion, then heavy rhythmic sound with popping horns
7. 10:18 – rich, gliding: elegant piano & soaring trumpet, mellows out later
8. 07:19 – upbeat, speedy: horn solos burn wth bop energy

[ Fo ] 11/22/09

Recent airplay

Yes We Can - Victory Dance
Moonlight ImpressionsDec 09, 2015
Fly With The Wind
Moonlight ImpressionsOct 14, 2015
Fly With The Wind
RebopFeb 20, 2015
Fly With The Wind
RebopFeb 06, 2015
Four By Five
RebopOct 17, 2014
Four By Five
No Cover, No MinimumMay 28, 2010

Charting

2009-11-22 — 2010-01-24 Jazz
Week EndingAirplays
Jan 24 3
Jan 17 1
Dec 13 1

Track listing

1. Fly With The Wind
2. Three Flowers
3. Yes We Can - Victory Dance
4. Sycamore
5. Jazz Free
6. No Filter
7. Peresina
8. Four By Five
9. Aisha
10. Consensus
11. Indo-Serenade/Parody
12. E-Collective
13. Migrations
14. Yup, We Did