Episode summary

Music Director and saxophonist Chris Potter joins Backstage Bay Area to preview the SFJAZZ Collective’s tribute to Wayne Shorter’s Native Dancer. We talk about why this album matters, how the Collective reimagined its songs for today’s band, Potter’s personal encounter with Shorter, and what new music is on deck.

What you’ll hear

• Why Native Dancer remains a living blueprint for jazz–Brazilian exchange

• How the Collective divided up arrangements and found fresh angles on classics like “Ponta de Areia”

• A rehearsal-room story that captures Shorter’s mix of imagination and precision

• What to expect across the three Miner Auditorium shows (setlist variety, originals, and ensemble chemistry)

• Potter’s upcoming projects and where the Collective heads next

Guest

Chris Potter — saxophonist, composer, and Music Director of the SFJAZZ Collective.

Selected quotes

• “The SFJAZZ Collective comes together every year to workshop new music, and this season we wanted to make a real statement with Native Dancer.”

• “We each brought in arrangements. The original album is so perfectly realized that the challenge was to find our own way through it.”

• “Wayne could ask you to imagine Superman flying over the mountain—and in the next breath correct a single B-flat. That balance guided us.”

• “The feeling on stage is, ‘This is a band.’ Mutual respect, shared history, and material we truly love.”

About the music

• Wayne Shorter’s 1975 collaboration with Milton Nascimento braided Brazilian songcraft with jazz harmony and studio-era rhythm—music built for reinvention.

• The Collective’s program features the full Native Dancer songbook alongside new originals that extend its spirit.

Credits

Host/Producer: Steve Roby — Backstage Bay Area

Guest: Chris Potter

Music: Excerpts as permitted by rights holders

Recording: SFJAZZ Collective sessions & interview

Links & tickets

Event: SFJAZZ Collective — Tribute to Wayne Shorter’s Native Dancer

Venue: Miner Auditorium (SFJAZZ Center, San Francisco)

Dates/Times:

• Saturday, Nov. 1 – 7:30 p.m.

• Sunday, Nov. 2 – 3:00 p.m.

• Sunday, Nov. 2 – 7:00 p.m.

Tickets: https://www.sfjazz.org/tickets/productions/25-26/sfjazz-collective/

More info: SFJAZZ.org