That’s the ticket

What: SFJAZZ Collective

When: 8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 23, with a 7 p.m. talk by Rob Tocalino, former associate director of marketing with SFJAZZ

Where: Jackson Hall, Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts, UC Davis

Tickets: Starting at $25; www.mondaviarts.org, 530-754-2787

The SFJAZZ Collective will visit the Mondavi Center for a concert at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 23, in Jackson Hall. It’s part of the ongoing collaboration between the Mondavi Center and SFJAZZ, the West Coast’s largest nonprofit jazz institution and the presenter of the annual San Francisco Jazz Festival.

The SFJAZZ Collective is an all-star jazz ensemble comprising eight of the finest performer/composers at work in jazz today. Launched in 2004 by SFJAZZ, the collective has become one of the most acclaimed groups on the jazz scene. As the New York Times hailed the collective upon its debut, “A serious jazz band rises in San Francisco.”

The musicians in the SFJAZZ Collective are an international group, featuring Miguel Zenón, alto saxophone, from Puerto Rico; David Sánchez, tenor saxophone, also from Puerto Rico; Avishai Cohen, trumpet, from Israel; Robin Eubanks, trombone, a native of Philadelphia; Warren Wolf, vibraphone, who grew up in Baltimore; Edward Simon, piano, born in Venezuela; Matt Penman, bass, from New Zealand; and Obed Calvaire, drums, from Miami. Some of them are already familiar to Mondavi Center audiences through previous visits by SFJAZZ ensembles.

In addition to its outstanding line-up, the SFJAZZ Collective has been praised for its innovative approach to repertoire. 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, simultaneously honoring jazz’s recent history while championing the music’s up-to-the-minute directions, the collective embodies SFJAZZ’s commitment to jazz as a living, ever-relevant art form.

After exploring the work of Ornette Coleman (2004), John Coltrane (2005), Herbie Hancock (2006), Thelonious Monk (2007), Wayne Shorter (2008), McCoy Tyner (2009), Horace Silver (2010), and Stevie Wonder (2011-12), the collective now turns its sights on legendary pianist and composer Chick Corea.

In recognition that the SFJAZZ Collective is marking its 10th anniversary this season, the ensemble will be performing a selection of material reflecting the range of music that they’ve performed over the past decade.

Preceding the concert will be a 7 p.m. talk by Rob Tocalino, who currently serves as the Mondavi Center’s director of marketing, and who previously served as associate director of marketing with SFJAZZ, where Tocalino worked on a variety of projects.

“I’ll be offering a brief view of the 10-year history of the SFJAZZ Collective’s history, with musical examples, talking about the phases that the band has been through,” he told The Enterprise. “And they have gotten better and better with every year.”

Tickets start at $25, available at www.mondaviarts.org or 530-754-2787.

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