SFJAZZ Collective Swings into Potsdam for 'Wonder'-ful Concert

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SFJAZZ Collective will perform their Stevie Wonder program on Saturday, March 3 at 7:30 p.m. at Hosmer Hall at SUNY Potsdam.

• SFJAZZ Collective performs their interpretation of Stevie Wonder’s “Superstitious.”

POTSDAM, NY (02/14/2012)(readMedia)-- Community Performance Series in Potsdam is pleased to present the SFJAZZ Collective for a Guest Artist Series performance on Saturday, March 3 at 7:30 p.m. in the Helen M. Hosmer Concert Hall at SUNY Potsdam's Crane School of Music.

A free pre-concert lecture will be given by SFJAZZ Collective musicians Marc Turner and Eric Harland at 6:30 p.m. immediately before the concert, in Hosmer Hall.

SFJAZZ tours to Potsdam to entertain the North Country audience with their powerful arrangements of Stevie Wonder's classic hits, including "My Cherie Amour," "Sir Duke," "Do I Do" and "Superstition." The award-winning all-star SFJAZZ Collective roster includes tenor saxophonist Mark Turner, vibraphonist Stefon Harris, trumpeter Avishai Cohen, trombonist Robin Eubanks, pianist Edward Simon, bassist Matt Penman and drummer Eric Harland. Alto saxophonist Antonio Hart will substitute for original Collective member Miguel Zenón, who will be taking paternity leave for the birth of his first child.

Each year, the ensemble performs a new list of compositions by a modern jazz master and new pieces by the Collective members, commissioned by SFJAZZ. Through this pioneering approach, the Collective simultaneously honors jazz history while evolving its own compositional style. After exploring the work of Ornette Coleman (2004), John Coltrane (2005), Herbie Hancock (2006), Thelonious Monk (2007), Wayne Shorter (2008), McCoy Tyner (2009) and Horace Silver (2010), the Collective has taken on the material of pop music icon Stevie Wonder for the balance of 2011 and Spring 2012.

"There hasn't been a group to call itself 'the All Stars' -- at least not without irony -- since the death of Louis Armstrong, but this collective deserves the title more than any other band playing today," proclaimed The Wall Street Journal.

SFJAZZ recently released "SFJAZZ Collective: Music of Stevie Wonder and New Compositions, Live in New York 2011 – Season 8," recorded live in the intimate setting of the Jazz Standard in New York City. The deluxe, hand-numbered 3-CD set features new arrangements of the classic works of Stevie Wonder, as well as all-new original compositions by Collective members.

Jack Conte, of famed YouTube sensation Pomplamoose, has directed four videos of the Collective performing Wonder's music. The first, "Superstition," has received over 87,000 views on YouTube since its release. A full-length documentary of the group is currently in production. Directed by Ken Ellis, "Collective Wonder" captures the group's creative process with interviews, rehearsals and live performance.

Founded in 1983, SFJAZZ is the largest non-profit presenter of jazz and education programs in the Western United States. SFJAZZ presents more than 100 concerts a year to over 100,000 fans and is dedicated to advancing the art form of jazz and cultivating new audiences through innovative programming, including the San Francisco Jazz Festival, SFJAZZ Spring Season, SFJAZZ Collective, SFJAZZ Summerfest, SFJAZZ Hotplate and SFJAZZ Education.

SFJAZZ Collective members Stefon Harris, Antonio Hart and Robin Eubanks will also conduct a 90-minute jazz masterclass for Crane School of Music students at 3 p.m. in Ralph Wakefield Recital Hall the day of the concert. The masterclass is free and open to the public for viewing.

Tickets range from $24 to $40, with additional discounts for students, seniors and SUNY Potsdam faculty and staff. Tickets can be purchased online at www.cpspotsdam.org, by phone at (315) 267-2277, or by visiting the CPS Box Office, located in the lobby of the Sara M. Snell Music Theater on the SUNY Potsdam campus, or at Northern Music & Video in downtown Potsdam.

The SFJAZZ Collective concert has been sponsored by Cappello, Linden & Ladouceur, Attorneys at Law, and the Corning Incorporated Foundation, with series underwriting by SUNY Potsdam's Crane School of Music. Media sponsors include WWNY Channel 7 News/Fox 28 and the Daily Courier-Observer.

Established in 1989, CPS at SUNY Potsdam is a college-community partnership presenting world-class performing artists and arts education opportunities in northern New York. A rich mixture of programs links community, classroom and audiences of all ages while preserving access to the performing arts for future generations.

For more information, please visit www.cpspotsdam.org.

Founded in 1816, The State University of New York at Potsdam is one of only three arts campuses in the entire SUNY system. SUNY Potsdam's arts curriculum offers the full palette: music, theatre, dance, fine arts and creative writing. No matter the discipline, people from all backgrounds can find their creative compass at Potsdam, with myriad arts immersion experiences available for both campus and community.

-www.potsdam.edu-