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SFJAZZ Collective meets the musical & humanitarian moment at PennLiveArts concert

 On the last leg of their 2022 tour SFJazz Collective swung into Philadelphia on a cold, starry April 3 night and electrified the almost full Penn Arts Live concert in the Annenberg Center’s Zellerbach Theater. It’s Jazz appreciation month and after two years of industry shutdown over these musicians met the musical and humanitarian moment with

Musical director Chris Potter, a multi-reed virtuoso led on soprano & tenor sax, bass clarinet and alto flute. But all the musicians curated session ‘New Works Reflecting the Moment’  the group’s musical response to a world experiencing multiple global crises of pandemic, climate change conflicts abroad and political unrest at home.

Pianist Edward Simon introduced each player, commenting” This is our first tour since the pandemic began,” and added that Philly was “A second home for me…I’m originally from Venezuela, but I went to high school & college here and I have a lot of great memories.”

Instead of focusing on the music from such jazz giants from the past, Simon noted ” this time we were giving the freedom to bring either an original composition or arrangement, as long as it reflects what is happening in the world.”

The session opened with vibraphonist Warren Wolf’s ‘Vicissitudes” opening in an entrancing prelude by Wolf and interplay with pianist Simon. Then the simmering dynamic percussion by t Kendrick Scott’s and Chris Potter’s sinuous tenor sax turning it into a smoldering jazz sinfonia. The first sampling of the famed West Coast jazz milieu is a breezy ensemble virtuosity as tight as it is fluid and freewheeling in the performance moment that continued to entrance this audience for the entire concert.

Some random highlights from this memorable concert

Simon on electric organ framing the blazing harmonics of Saxophonist Etienne Charles and trumpeter David Sanchez, in a jazz-funk intro to Sly Stone’s ‘Stand’ as vocalist Martin Luther McCoy saunters onstage and launches into the vocals. McCoy’s builds it to that famous bridge that is just busted open as a jazz funk comet that took the roof off. The audience roared their approval, some audience members already on their feet dancing before it was over.

Later McCoy vocal interpretation of Edward Simon’s ‘8’46’’ his sobering and somber jazz chamber piece in response to the murder of George Floyd by police on the streets of Minneapolis. Simon’s lyrics laced with anguished upper registers burning through McCoy’s vocal.

Later, the band played an intro with echoes of a familiar tune and then dropped in the lead line of Marvin Gaye’s seminal 60s classic ‘What’s Going On.’ with McCoy straightforward passionate vocal in soaring through the jazz sub streams already built into Gaye’s orchestral harmonics and rhythmic drive.

Both these hits from the late 60s, then and now, are more than pop classics, but manifestos against the backdrop of the civil rights movement, the Vietnam War, sexual liberation, and social justice issues that we still have to solve today.

Throughout the concert, the rhythm section of Simon, Kendrick A.D. Scott, and the phenomenal Matt Brewer on double bass and switching up with bass guitar. And equally impressive, aside from their horn virtuosity Charles and Sanchez would also perform on conga and drums joining Kendricks for some meaty improvs.

Potter’s Composition ‘Mutuality’ inspired by lines from Martin Luther King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail’  “We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” Potter’s spirited humanity built into the melodies and rhythmic drive wrapped around McCoy’s passionate vocalese.

The SFJazz Collective is a non-profit organization that for 15 years has assembled some of the most accomplished and thrilling jazz musicians from around the world to tour. Each year a new group of musicians celebrate the music of the legends of jazz – Miles, Dizzy, Monk, Silver- just to name a few, in new arrangements. SFJazz Collective keeps this vital repertory alive and has explored every jazz genre and era. And this performance will be remembered as one legendary jazz night in Philadelphia.

Next up~Jazz in the Key of Ellison a concert production about the life and writings of Ralph Ellison who also happened to be an accomplished. And his association with jazz titans of the big band and bebob eras. With vocals by Lizz Wright, Quiana Lynell & the legendary Nona Hendryx in front of the phenomenal Andy Farber Jazz Orchestra. Stay tuned.

JazzOrchestra

A Cole Christmas with Philly’s Jazz Orchestra

 Trumpeter Terell Stafford & Jazz Orchestra of Philadelphia

 

JOP director Terell Stafford & Freddy Cole reunite in holiday concert

Kimmel Center, Philadelphia

Dec. 15

www.jophilly.org

Trumpeter Terell Stafford founded The Jazz Orchestra of Philadelphia in 2014 and in five years they have covered a lot of musical ground with concerts that have represented every era of jazz- From the heyday of the big-bands, bebop, cool, progressive and contemporary compositions.

Every December though they revisit Duke Ellington/Billy Strayhorn holiday classic The Harlem Nutcracker. Philly Jazz legend Jimmy Heath so admired what Stafford and the JOP orchestra was bringing the piece that they should include it every year. Indeed, it is vintage Ellington magic, with jazz and blues riffs on Tchaikovsky’s classic ballet score.  But at key points JOP swings it more like the Basie Band.   The year, The Harlem Nutcracker is the opening act ‘A Cole Christmas’ with guest vocalist and pianist Freddy Cole, the latest in the orchestra’s stellar line-up of jazz giants to perform with the orchestra. Stafford said he has wanted to perform with Cole since JOP launched.

“Freddy’s worked with everyone and he is such a legend,” Stafford said in a phone interview earlier this month. “I first worked with him in Dizzy Gillespie’s band. And we’ve done recordings together.” Freddy Cole is among a handful of veteran jazz musicians who emerged after WWII as the great big-band era was coming to an end. Cole whose career spans 65 years and he still records and sings with jazz and symphonic orchestras around the world.  Cole is one of the standard-bearers of classic jazz vocal style, with indelible blues and jazz artistry. His brother was jazz titan Nat King Cole, who of course, sang the definite jazz Xmas classic version of Mel Torme’s ‘A Christmas Song.’

Cole is added to the list of jazz virtuosos who have performed with JOP so far including Wynton Marsalis, Jon Faddis and Philly vanguards The Heath Brothers, Larry McKenna, Bootsie Barnes, Benny Golson, Pat Martino. Add to that list Freddy Cole. “Yes, Freddy can do everything and more than anything if any pianist wants to know what the artistry of accompaniment is, they should listen to Freddy sing and accompany himself,” Stafford commented.

Jazz Orchestra of Philadelphia continues to refine their sound. They regularly create new works for big-band and re-envisioned arrangements of standard repertoire. Most of the 17 musicians have been on the roster since the beginning and the line-up includes three generations of stellar musicians, mostly Philly-based musician-composers, all with their own separate careers. Trumpeter Brandon Lee is newest musician on the JOP roster that includes such heavyweight players as virtuoso saxophonists Dick Oates and Tim Warfield.  Stafford has limited tours with the band and several of the players perform with him as part of the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra regularly at their regular Monday night sets at the Village Vanguard

JOP has limited tours, and their last performance in the Kimmel’s Verizon Hall was the premiere of a jazz adaptation of Gustav Holst’s ‘The Planets’ with each movement inspired by the Holst’s themes as jazz orchestral jumping off point. The event was in collaboration with NASA scientists and filmmakers, who screened live footage from space and the Mars landrover.

The performance was by all accounts one of the jazz highlights of the musical year in Philly. Stafford said “I have two recordings I really want to do. ‘The Planets’ would be great to record and document,” he said, but his first priority dream is to get all of the guest artists in the studio with the band and “to celebrate Philly jazz legends with all of those artists. “That is my top (recording) priority. I’m going to be optimistic about the funding.”

Meanwhile, Stafford, the virtuoso trumpeter is very much in demand. In JOP concerts he often doesn’t pick up his horn until the last numbers in the show.  Yet his solos are as warm and commanding as if he has been performing throughout the concert. Stafford will admit “yes, it’s easier actually to be playing all night when you have a solo. But I get so inspired by just listening to the improvisations of these musicians during our concerts together. It always a joy to listen to their artistry.”

The spotlight will be on Stafford’s solo playing when he performs as solo guest artist in with the 65-piece Philly POPS Orchestra, January 18-21 (www.phillypops.org).  Stafford and POPS Musical Director Michael Krajewski are creating an overture homage toDizzy Gillespie’s music and Stafford will be the led trumpet on tributes to Philly jazz titans John Coltrane and Lee Morgan. Jazz vocalist Dee DeeBridgewater will join Stafford onstage for a set from the Billie Holiday songbook.     

Trumpeter Terell Stafford (courtesy of Kimmel Center)