Enter the mind of drummer, composer, and SFJAZZ Collective member Kendrick Scott. He explores the idea of the drummer as “navigator” — how he charts a path for himself and the ensemble. He offers his philosophy on playing without preconceptions, giving his best effort in the face of challenges, and how he approaches putting “mistakes” in their proper perspective.

Named "Rising Star - Drums" by DownBeat magazine and a "Drummer Whose Time is Now" by The New York Times, Kendrick Scott is one of the premier drummer/bandleader of his generation. The Houston-born Scott has toured worldwide and recorded with artists including Herbie Hancock, Terence Blanchard, Marcus Miller, Charles Lloyd, Wayne Shorter, The Crusaders, Joshua Redman, Robert Glasper, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Dianne Reeves, Kurt Elling, Gretchen Parlato, and the Blue Note All-Stars.

Kendrick’s compositions have been recorded on GRAMMY-winning records, and he won a 2017 Chamber Music of America New Works Grant funded by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. He has released five albums as a bandleader with his band Oracle, The Source (2007), Reverence (2011), Conviction (2013), We Are the Drum (2015), and A Wall Becomes a Bridge on Blue Note records. Scott is on the faculty of the Manhattan School of Music.