Pounding drums, clanging piano, thumping bass and blaring horns. The SF Jazz Collective played last Saturday night in the Van Duzer Theatre.
The Collective consists of Mark Turner, flute and alto saxophone player Miguel Zenon, trumpet player Avishai Cohen, trombone player Robin Eubanks, vibes and marimba player Stefon Harris, pianist Edward Simon, bassist Matt Penman and drummer Eric Harland.
The group formed in 2004. The set list is a mix of original compositions and classic pieces. Every year they honor a different jazz musician. From 2004 to 2009, the band honored Ornette Coleman, John Coltrane, Herbie Hancock, Thelonious Monk, Wayne Shorter, and McCoy Tyner. This year, they are honoring jazz pianist Horace Silver.
Center Arts Event Coordinator Michael Moore said that the collective played on campus back in 2004.
As the lights dimmed in the theater, everyone found their seats.
“Horace Silver is the best, and that Steinway [piano] is going to shine," said Joe Ashenbrucker, a resident of Garberville and a fan of the Collective.
At 8 p.m. the band took the stage.They jumped into “Sister Sadie,” a Horace Silver composition.
After they played another Horace Silver piece Harris grabbed a microphone and introduced the band members. He explained that the group functions as a composer’s collective. Each member of the Collective composes an original piece.
“We absolutely love doing what we do,” said Harris before the band jumped into an original composition. “This wouldn’t be possible without the likes of [the crowd].”
During the first half of the show, there was one song that stood out: “Horace Ward Martin Tavares Silva,” which is Silver’s real name. It started out as drum taps, a minimal bass line and light echoes from the vibes, and it turned into an explosive performance. The tempo of the song increased, as the horns and piano joined. Drummer Harland changed from simple taps to a thunderous roll of beats. Then, Cohen and trombone player Eubanks soloed. The crowd seemed awestruck by the time the song concluded.
After intermission, an original composition called “Triple Threat” contained a brilliant vibe solo. Another original, titled “Devil in the Details,” featured short, explosive bursts of blaring horns that were beautifully frantic. Their second to last song had the vibe player conjuring up mysterious overtones. As the song progressed, the bass, piano and drums added to the mystery. The bass line sounded as if it were straight from the Middle East .
At the end of the set, the crowd burst with applause and the band came out for one final song.
Cohen spoke to the audience about the band’s CDs before the last song. He said that the tracks come from some of the live shows they play.
“Tonight, we recorded, so you might be part of a CD,” said Cohen. The crowd erupted.
The last song was a Horace Silver piece called “Dead Leaves.” The horns played in unison, led by a walking bass line. After a piano solo, the band came to the front of the stage and bowed. The crowd was ecstatic and gave the collective a standing ovation. The SF Jazz Collective showed that there is still great modern jazz in this world.
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