A soulful collective honors Hancock’s signature sound

Any group can tackle today’s pop music, but when it comes to Herbie Hancock ? that takes a collective.

The Bay Area’s latest experiment in contemporary jazz is coming to Orange County this weekend, and it will honor one of the genre’s most celebrated living artists. In four concerts, Orange County Performing Art Center’s Founders Hall will be transformed into Harlem-esque nightclub to welcome the San Francisco Jazz Collective, an experiment in progressive composition led by tenor-sax legend Joshua Redman.

It’s the only show on the collective’s tour at a smaller venue, said Executive Director Randall Kline. The group’s 2006 concert series, which comes just days before release of its third CD, is set to make stops at some of the world’s most prestigious concert halls, including the Barbican in London and New York’s Carnegie Hall.

“What we’re doing in Orange County ? playing at a smallish venue ? is very unusual,” Kline said. “If everyone had their choice, they would play the most intimate clubs they could. It’s overwhelming in a great way to see this music in a small venue.”

The collective was born three years ago by Redman, vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson and arranger Gil Goldstein. Its latest incarnation includes trumpeter Nicholas Payton, alto sax and flute player Miguel Zenon, trombonist Andre Hayward, pianist Renee Rosnes, bass player Matt Penman and drummer Eric Harland.

Dividing its repertoire between original compositions and tributes to contemporary jazz artists, the super group burst onto the music scene and worked to present jazz as a continually evolving and living art form.

After tours highlighting the works of Ornette Coleman and John Coltrane, this year’s series focuses on the works of Hancock, a musical legend who played with Miles Davis and achieved wide crossover success with singles in the 1980s and ‘90s.

A pioneer of acid jazz and fusion, Hancock created a wide array of music that can be a challenge for musicians to play, Kline said.

To tackle Hancock’s work, the Jazz Collective engages in a rare practice: an extended rehearsal period.

For three weeks each season, the collective comes together and engages in an exhaustive rehearsal process, arranging, rearranging and practicing each piece.

“The typical jazz group doesn’t have a rehearsal period,” Kline said. “Most just get to rehearse for one day, if at all.”

Members of the octet use the period to master the 16 pieces before them and work on several education programs with youth and adults.

“These guys are all very busy musicians, but this is a chance for them to participate in something a little different,” Kline said. “The idea is to augment the other things they are doing in their musical lives with this collective effort.”