Testing the musical knowledge of world class artists with a series of classic recordings, getting their in-the-moment impressions and insights into their tastes and influences.

The saxophonist, composer, MC, and former SFJAZZ Resident Artistic Director kicks off our series, listening to and commenting on a range of recordings from spiritual jazz and classic hard bop to gems from the UK scene. The London-born Kinch is seamlessly aligned with jazz and hip-hop. A progenitor and leading figure of the burgeoning British jazz scene, Kinch has “a commanding way of looking at jazz, at hip-hop, and at the whole performance situation.” (The New York Times) The son of a playwright father and a stage-actor mother, he is an inquisitive soul — wide-open, finding inspiration in the spoken word, theater, and dance. Since the release of his 2003 Mercury Prize-nominated debut Conversations with the Unseen, his projects have invariably found the sweet spot between art, history, and contemporary life. As an SFJAZZ Resident Artistic Director, Kinch brought the extended multimedia works Black Peril, White Juju, and Digital Timbuktu.

Track listings:
Gary Bartz: “Celestial Blues” from Harlem Bush Music: Uhuru (1971)
John Coltrane: “Alabama” from Live at Birdland (1964)
Cleveland Watkiss: “Green Chimneys” from Green Chimneys (1989)
Pharoah Sanders: “You’ve Got to Have Freedom” from Journey to the One (1979)
Jackie McLean: “Appointment in Ghana” from Jackie’s Bag (1961)
Digable Planets: “Where I’m From” (Ohridgnal 12”) from Where I’m From (1993)
Janet Kay: “Silly Games” from Silly Games (1979)