A year on from the release of Live: SFJAZZ Center 2014, The Music of Joe Henderson and New Compositions, SFJAZZ Collective are ready to unveil a new album next week.
Each year, the collective celebrate the music of a modern jazz master with each one of its eight members arranging a composition as well as writing new pieces. Their upcoming effort, Music of Michael Jackson and Original Compositions, sees them paying homage to the music of the King of Pop.
Recorded live at the SFJAZZ Center in San Francisco last October, the upcoming 2-disc set features new arrangements of Michael Jackson classics including ‘Thriller’, ‘Smooth Criminal’, ‘Human Nature’ and ‘This Place Hotel’ amongst others, as well as eight new original compositions by the ensemble. Music of Michael Jackson and Original Compositions is out on March 4th exclusively through SFJAZZ. Ahead of it, and to get us in the swing of things, the band have let loose pianist/keyboardist Ed Simon’s groovy arrangement of Michael Jackson’s ‘This Place Hotel’, originally recorded with The Jacksons in 1980. Give it a listen now.

It’s only been a minute since the wondrous San Francisco based octet SFJAZZ Collective celebrated their tenth anniversary with the release of SFJAZZ Collective: 10. They are ready to follow it up, and as is usual with the collective, their new offering serves as a tribute to a modern jazz master. Drawing on a vast reservoir of musical influences, the collective’s new album celebrates the music of legendary saxophonist and composer Joe Henderson. Featuring both new arrangements of Henderson’s classic and lesser-known pieces, and original compositions written be each member of the collective, the upcoming Live: SFJAZZ Center 2014, The Music of Joe Henderson and New Compositions was recorded live last October at the SFJAZZ Center in San Francisco.
“There’s a catchy quality to Joe’s melodies”, said the collective’s pianist Edward Simon, adding that “they’re sing -able, and yet his tunes have very interesting harmonic progressions and sonorities,”.
Live: SFJAZZ Center 2014, The Music of Joe Henderson and New Compositions is due out on March 10th. Ahead of its release, we can get a taste of it with the funky and sterling first single ‘Fire, arranged by drummer Obed Calvaire. Lifted from Joe Henderson’s album Elements, the piece was originally recorded in 1973 featuring Alice Coltrane.

San Francisco based collective SFJAZZ Collective have been performing and crafting marvellous jazz compositions for a decade now. Currently comprising alto saxophonist Miguel Zenón, tenor saxophonist David Sánchez, vibraphonist Warren Wolf, trumpeter Avishai Cohen, trombonist Robin Eubanks, pianist Edward Simon, bassist Matt Penman, and drummer Obed Calvaire, the collective are celebrating their tenth anniversary with a new album, SFJAZZ Collective: 10. The album, set to be released tomorrow, was recorded live during the SFJAZZ Collective’s four-night residency on the SFJAZZ Center’s Robert N. Miner Auditorium stage a year ago. Known for their unique approach to musical creation, that sees the eight members arrange a composition by a modern jazz master as well as writing new pieces each year, SFJAZZ Collective: 10 “highlights the best of the SFJAZZ Collective, from the fresh arrangements of the music of Herbie Hancock, Ornette Coleman, John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk and Stevie Wonder, to their own stimulating compositions”, as the press release describes.
To get us enticed, SFJAZZ Collective have shared Eric Harland’s ‘Union’. Listen to it below.

Head over here to grab SFJAZZ Collective: 10.