Bobby Hutcherson

The elder statesman of the acclaimed SF Jazz Collective, 63-year-old Bobby Hutcherson is one of the most influential vibraphonists in jazz history. Born in Los Angeles, he first studied piano with his aunt and was influenced by his family’s interest in jazz. (His brother was a friend of Dexter Gordon and his sister, a singer, later dated Eric Dolphy.) Hearing a Milt Jackson record as a teenager spuured him to take up the vibes, studying with Dave Pike. Gigs with Curtis Amy and Charles Lloyd and a band led by Al Grey and Billy Mitchell led him to New York’s Birdland in the early 1960s. Soon he was jamming with Grant Green, Hank Mobley, and Herbie Hancock, while his unorthodox approach to harmony produced associations with the era’s experimentalists, including Jackie McLean, Grachan Moncur III, Archie Shepp, Andrew Hill, and Eric Dolphy. Now a veteran recording artist for Blue Note, Hutcherson returned to Los Angeles in 1967, where he collaborated with Harold Land. Now into a modal bop style, he played with Woody Shaw’s quintet, adding the marimba to his repertoire. In more recent years has recorded and performed with McCoy Tyner. Now living in the Bay Area and performing with the SF Jazz Collective, the Village Voice describes him as “mercurial, intense, and superbly inventive…the outstanding vibes player of his generation.”

Rene Rosness

Canadian pianist Rene Rosnes has slowly forged an acclaimed but under-appreciated career. Growing up in Vancouver, she began piano lessons at age three, followed by violin at age five. Attending the University of Toronto as a Classical Performance student, she played the club circuit before moving to New York in 1986 on a grant from the Canada Council of the Arts. Rosnes soon was gigging with jazz masters such as Joe Henderson, Wayne Shorter, and James Moody. A Blue Note artist since 1989, she has recorded with Herbie Hancock, Shorter, Henderson, Branford Marsalis, Chris Potter, Nicholas Payton, Jack DeJohnette and Christian McBride, has earned three Junos (the Canadian Grammy), and won two Jazz Report awards for Best Jazz Album. While her first eight Blue Note recordings featured Rosnes with small ensembles, she joined forces with the Danish Radio Big Band for the ninth release. In addition to serving as pianist for the SF Jazz Collective, she has also performed and recorded with The Drummonds, featuring husband drummer Billy Drummond and bassist Ray Drummond. Said Joe Venderford (The Independent Weekly), “This young Canadian may well be the Muhammed Ali of modern jazz piano -- floating, stinging and floating again, with a touch that's tender as a kiss and just as dangerous.”

Miguel Zenon

Alto saxophonist Miguel Zenón is regarded as one of the brightest players of his generation. A native of San Juan, Puerto Rico, he listened to the music of Charlie Parker and other jazz greats while in high school. However, Zenón did not formally study jazz until he began his studies at the Berklee School of Music, where he gained experience playing on the Boston area jazz scene with drummer Bob Moses' Mozamba and the Either/Orchestra. After graduating in 1998, Zenón received a scholarship to the Manhattan School of Music in New York City, earning his Masters in Saxophone Performance and studying with Danilo Perez, Dick Oatts, Dave Liebman, George Garzone, and Bill Pierce. Over the past few years, Zenon has played or recorded with such musicians as David Sanchez, Danilo Perez, William Cepeda's Afrorican Jazz, The Village Vanguard Orchestra, The Mingus Big Band, Charlie Haden, The David Murray Big Band, Branford Marsalis and Ed Simon, among others. He has released three recordings and was named “Talent Deserving Wider Recognition” in the 2004 Down Beat Critics Poll. Says the All Music Guide, Zenón is “a powerful player, with an almost miraculous sense of imagination and melody on the instrument.” His 2005 release, Jibaro, was on many “best of the year” lists. With Hutcherson and Rosnes, he is a member of the SF Jazz Collective.

Rufus Reid

A native of Atlanta, bassist/educator/composer Rufus Reid lived in Sacremento throughout his childhood and initially played trumpet. After playing in an Air Force Band, he was attracted to the bass, which he pursued through studies at Northwestern University in Chicago. His resume includes performing and/or recording with Gene Ammons, Kenny Dorham, Eddie Harris, Sonny Stitt, Don Byas, Philly Joe Jones, Thad Jones, Mel Lewis, Dexter Gordon, Bill Evans, Stan Getz, Dizzy Gillespie, and Art Farmer, and current collaborations with Lee Konitz, Bob Mintzer, George Cables, Billy Hart, Bill Mays, and his own Rufus Reid Quintet. He was director of jazz studies at William Paterson College in New Jersey for 20 years. Noted the New Yorker, “…Reid is the man to call for any musical situation that demands both the utmost skill and impeccable taste.”

With four truly cosmic artists coming together as one ensemble, this will be one of the best shows of the summer at Yoshi’s in Oakland—reserve at www.yoshis.com.