Patrick Wolff and quartet explore forgotten jazz gems

By Andrew Gilbert, Correspondent
POSTED:   05/21/2014 12:00:00 PM PDT
Ignore the starchy name, with its intimations of formality and overthought programming. The San Francisco Repertory Jazz Quartet is a tough, gutsy and consistently inspired band dedicated to exploring a treasure trove of overlooked tunes.

Led by tenor saxophonist Patrick Wolff, the group plays compositions by mostly forgotten masters of the 1950s and '60 like pianist Elmo Hope and saxophonists Lucky Thompson and Clifford Jordan. While the music all falls within the modern jazz mainstream of the era, each tune is rife with idiosyncratic details that make it a welcome revelation.

"From about 1955 to 1968 was a golden age of jazz composition," says Wolff, who brings the SFRJQ to Cafe Stritch on May 31. "There was too much music for people to really take it in at the time, and some of these tunes were only recorded once. We're trying to take the time to actually explore them."

Wolff launched the band in 2012 on one of his ongoing Wednesday night gigs at San Francisco's Club Deluxe, a jazz spot in the Haight that features a regular rotation of top Bay Area musicians. Determined to use the opportunity to develop an interesting body of music, he decided against rounding up the usual standards.

Featuring Santa Cruz-raised drummer Smith Dobson V, pianist Adam Shulman and bassist Eric Markowitz, the band released its debut album last year, "Go Down Swinging." The most fascinating material is by Clifford Jordan, an undeservedly overlooked Chicago tenor saxophonist who died in 1993. While deeply influenced by John Coltrane's music of the early 1960s, Jordan distilled his sound to essentials.

"Most of the musicians were playing more and more notes and chords," Wolff says. "Clifford moved away from a bebop approach and pared down his lines in his compositions and his playing."
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