Since its founding in 2004, the SF Jazz Collective has distinguished itself through its persistently stellar lineup and marvelous approach to repertoire. Each spring, the group convenes in the Bay Area for an extended residency that focuses on the music of a landmark jazz artist from the modern era (bebop and beyond) for approximately half its material, and pens original compositions inspired by the artist for the rest. The results from that template have been uniformly superb — even with a gradual turnover in personnel, the Collective continually ranks as one of the elite ensembles in jazz.

The exciting development for cost-conscious jazzheads is that with Live 2010, the Collective decided to offer its recordings beyond the realm of specific SF Jazz supporters into the broader marketplace. This year's landmark artist is Horace Silver, a pianist-composer renowned for the funky lilt, staggered rhythms and gentle island vibe of his tunes, motivating the Collective into nearly three hours of splendid new and vintage music. "Song For My Father," one of Silver's signature tunes, is a particular highlight, with pianist Edward Simon's ace arrangement goosed by a glorious sax solo from either Mark Turner or Miguel Zenon and closing out with a mesmerizing… read more »