But such is the reality of the modern-day jazz festival, which years ago realized it had to dance to the rules of globalization. Not that that's a bad thing by any means - it couldn't be when audiences get exposed to riveting acts like the Argentine fado diva Mariza, Iran's haunting kamancheh master Kayhan Kalhor and the tremendous African guitar virtuosos Richard Bona and Lionel Loueke.
No one, however, could claim that SFJazz is neglecting the jazz when the United States is represented by such sterling improvisers as Bill Frisell, Brad Mehldau, Kenny Burrell, Michael Feinstein and Ahmad Jamal. On the contrary, thanks to SFJazz, the art form is being fertilized and spread around the world. The reason for that is the Spring Season's greatest innovation, the SFJazz Collective.
Formed in 2004, five years after the Spring Season spun off from the fall San Francisco Jazz Festival, the Collective consists of eight of the world's top jazz talents who are tasked with interpreting the work of a different major composer each year. The composer then sets the theme of the season.
This year each of the Collective members - trumpeter Dave Douglas, trombonist Robin Eubanks, drummer Eric Harland, tenor saxophonist Joe Lovano, bassist Matt Penman, pianist Renee Rosnes and alto saxophonist Miguel Zenón (vibist Stefon Harris is on paternity leave) - is taking a shot at arranging a piece by piano great McCoy Tyner, 70. The maestro will be here, too, performing with a trio - augmented by former Collective member Bobby Hutcherson, the superb vibraphonist - on April 26 at the Palace of Fine Arts Theatre and also the day before at an SFJazz fundraising gala at the Four Seasons Hotel.
When the Collective settles in at the Palace of Fine Arts for two nights on March 21 and 22, the group will be supercharged as it concludes a North American tour that will have taken it to Quebec, New York, Los Angeles and points in between, spreading the gospel of Tyner and jazz San Francisco style. Then, extending the Tyner theme, on June 7 the Collective's hyper-talented drummer, Harland, will sit in at the Great American Music Hall with the SFJazz High School All-Stars, performing repertoire by the pianist who cut his teeth in the John Coltrane Quartet.
The Spring Season - about 40 concerts in venues around the bay - runs through June 21. Here is a highly subjective list of highlights:
Jenny Scheinman Quartet, 7 tonight, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Forum: The violinist has been a mainstay of the New York experimental jazz scene for several years, but she also recently went on tour with country singer Rodney Crowell, and last year she released "Jenny Scheinman," an album of rootsy rock tunes on which she sings. Born and raised in Humboldt County, she's completely original and unpredictable. For tonight's show she's backed by guitarist Steve Cardenas, bassist Greg Cohen and drummer Rudy Royston.
Bill Frisell's Disfarmer Project, 8 p.m. April 3, Palace of Fine Arts Theatre: A perfect project for a guitarist who plays like a cinematographer. Frisell was inspired by outsider photographer Mike Disfarmer, who shot images in rural Arkansas in the 1940s and '50s. A selection of the photographs will be projected over the stage as Frisell, Scheinman, lap steel guitarist Greg Leisz and bassist Victor Krauss whip up string soundscapes in accompaniment.
Kayhan Kalhor With Brooklyn Rider, 7 p.m. April 5, Palace of Fine Arts Theatre: A Persian classical musician who came to international attention performing with cellist Yo-Yo Ma's Silk Road Project, Kalhor plays the kamancheh, a four-string instrument that sounds pitched somewhere between a guitar and the strings of a piano. Backed by the Kronos-like string quartet Brooklyn Rider, Kalhor's music stomps and roars.
Tinariwen, 8 p.m. April 16, Palace of Fine Arts Theatre: Guitar fans will love the sound of this group of Tuaregs, a nomadic tribe that roams the Sahara Desert. Tinariwen melds several North African styles, transposing them to electric guitars for a bluesy sound reminiscent of Malian artist Ali Farka Touré but with tantalizing call-and-response singing. Rock the casbah.
Chris Potter Underground and the Ambrose Akinmusire Group, 8 p.m. April 17, Palace of Fine Arts Theatre: Saxophonist Potter and trumpeter Akinmusire both were child prodigies (Akinmusire attended Berkeley High School) who have matured into masters who can elevate any musical setting. They are both in constant demand as sidemen, but their muses have led them to form their own groups. With guitarist Adam Rogers, keyboardist Craig Taborn and drummer Nate Smith backing Potter, and saxophonist Walter Smith III, pianist Fabian Almazan, bassist Harish Raghavan and drummer Justin Brown behind Akinmusire, both leaders navigate the tricky pathways of modern jazz with ease.
Adam Theis with special guest Lyrics Born, 3 and 8 p.m. April 18, Palace of Fine Arts Theatre: Jazz and rap have been dancing around each other for decades now, sometimes achieving synergy, usually not. Trombonist Theis, who's something of a jazz impresario in the North Bay, running bands large and small, has a classical sensibility that, like the egg in mayonnaise, emulsifies the oil of jazz and the vinegar of rap. SFJazz has commissioned Theis to create a suite that will utilize a 60-piece orchestra plus local rap star Lyrics Born.
CéU, 8 p.m. May 9, Herbst Theatre: Mariza, the fado star from Portugal, may be the Latin heavyweight of the 2009 Spring Season (she performs 8 p.m. May 2 at the Paramount Theatre), but Brazil's CéU demonstrates quite clearly why Portugal's old colony has conquered the world time and again with samba. She is probably the finest female exemplar of the breezy, jazzy form since Astrud Gilberto.
SFJazz Spring Season: Through June 21 at various venues. Check Web site for schedule and ticket prices.
By: David Rubien
