SF JAZZ COLLECTIVE - MUSIC OF STEVIE WONDER

The SF JAZZ Collective is a working jazz band unlike any touring the world now. Each year the accomplished stars are willing to park their own bands to participate in a genuine collective that looks back and re-arranges famous compositions from past jazz masters, including Coltrane, Hancock, Coleman, Shorter, Monk and Tyner, and adds original compositions that have been informed by this rich history. During 2011-2012, the Collective explores the compositions of the incomparable Stevie Wonder. A Motown Records star at 11 years old, Stevie released a string of classic pop albums in the 70’s that fused elements of his roots in the soul music of Detroit with elements of R&B, jazz and reggae into a singular vision that was both wildly successful on the charts, but respected by music critics and colleagues. Winner of 25 Grammy’s (plus a Lifetime Achievement Award) Stevie was recently honored with the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, presented to him by President Barack Obama.

This tour engagement of SF JAZZ Collective is funded through the Mid Atlantic Foundation’s Jazz touring Network Program with support from the National Endowment for the Arts.