SFJAZZ Center
201 Franklin Street, San Francisco

Rova Saxophone Quartet
plays John Coltrane's 'Ascension'
& Tribute to Butch Morris

A treasured Bay Area ensemble whose connection to SFJAZZ goes back to the second Jazz in the City festival in 1984, the Rova Saxophone Quartet has consistently explored the fertile territory at the edges of composition and improvisation. In a reprise of their 2005 performance celebrating the 40th anniversary of John Coltrane’s ecstatic masterpiece Ascension, Rova revisits their electrified re-imagining of the work with a number of guests artists including bassist Fred Frith and drummer Don Robinson, who performed on that momentous occasion eleven years ago, as well as harpist Zeena Parkins and guitarist Trey Spruance. The other half of the evening pays homage to the late cornetist, composer, and conductor Lawrence “Butch” Morris in a program called No Favorites. Arranged for a lineup including Rova, a “power trio” of electric guitar, electric bass, and drums, and a string quartet, No Favorites pays homage to Morris’ adventurous spirit and his signature style of “conduction,” a term he coined to describe his combination of conducting, cueing, and improvisation. Rova’s new release dedicated to No Favorites will be released in October 2016 on New World Records.

Cost: $35

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