SFJAZZ Collective: Meet the Band

SFJAZZ’s dynamic supergroup, boasting 19 years and 110 original compositions, premieres “New Standards” and classic rearrangements from Billie Holiday to Earth, Wind & Fire. Directed by Chris Potter, the Collective, with Mike Rodriguez, David Sánchez, Warren Wolf, Edward Simon, Matt Brewer, and Kendrick Scott. This ensemble, featuring jazz’s finest, honors the genre’s greats while pushing its modern frontiers, embodying SFJAZZ’s commitment to jazz as a dynamic, ever-evolving art form.

 

A Chicago native, Chris Potter is among the most prominent, influential, and visionary artists in jazz, fronting multiple ensembles and collaborating with a staggering list of major artists including Paul Motian, Pat Metheny, Dave Holland, Zakir Hussain, Herbie Hancock, Jim Hall, Steely Dan and the Mingus Big Band.

Since his early exposure with Dizzy Gillespie’s United Nations Orchestra, Puerto Rican tenor saxophone virtuoso David Sánchez has become one of the most celebrated instrumentalists in jazz. The five-time Grammy nominee has performed with a roster of greats including Charlie Haden, Eddie Palmieri, Roy Haynes, Tom Harrell and others.

A Grammy-winning trumpeter and composer hailing from Queens, New York, Mike Rodriguez was inspired to pursue music by his father, drummer Roberto Rodriguez. He’s recorded and performed alongside a stunning list of greats including Joe Lovano, Quincy Jones, Wynton Marsalis, Chico O’Farrill, Charlie Haden’s Liberation Music Orchestra, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, and Chick Corea.

Warren Wolf is a multi-instrumentalist from Baltimore, MD. Wolf began playing vibraphone, marimba, drums, and piano at age three. Active on the national scene after studying at, then teaching at Berklee, Warren has worked with Bobby Watson, Tia Fuller, Christian Scott, Donal Fox, Christian McBride, and Karriem Riggins and his own Wolfpack band.

Pianist Edward Simon was born in the coastal town of Punta Cardón, Venezuela, where he grew up in a family of musicians. Settling in New York City in 1989, he has worked with Herbie Mann, Paquito D’Rivera, Bobby Hutcherson, Bobby Watson, Terence Blanchard and Don Byron.

Matt Brewer was born in Oklahoma City and grew up in Albuquerque NM. At the age of 10, Matt fell in love with the bass and began a lifelong study of music. He has worked with Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Greg Osby, Steve Coleman, Dave Binney, Gerald Clayton, Ben Wendel, Aaron Parks, Vijay Iyer, and others.

Named “Rising Star – Drums” by DownBeat magazine, Kendrick A.D. Scott is a premier drummer and composer of his generation. The Houston-born Scott has worked with Herbie Hancock, Terence Blanchard, Marcus Miller, Charles Lloyd, Wayne Shorter, The Crusaders, Joshua Redman, Robert Glasper, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Dianne Reeves, Kurt Elling, Gretchen Parlato, and the Blue Note All-Stars.