On Tuesday night, viewers of San Francisco Conservatory of Music’s live Tiny Dorm concert were the first to hear that saxophonist Joshua Redman will join SFCM as Artistic Director of Roots, Jazz, and American Music. The RJAM program is a collaboration between SFCM and the jazz-presenting organization SFJAZZ, located two blocks from the Conservatory’s Oak Street campus.

“When we launched RJAM three years ago, we set out to create an innovative program that would prepare the next generation of jazz musicians for multifaceted, entrepreneurial careers,” said SFCM President David Stull. “Building the program with our faculty and watching our first RJAM students flourish has been tremendously rewarding. Now with Joshua Redman at the helm, our students have direct access to some of the greatest minds —and players—in jazz.”

“I recently heard some RJAM students perform and I was just blown away,” said Redman. “They sounded well-studied, highly proficient, fluent, energetic, virtuosic—everything you would expect from serious young jazz players today—yet strikingly also with their own emergent identities and approaches. I am delighted to be joining them on their musical journeys.”

In his role as Artistic Director, Joshua Redman will work alongside RJAM Director Jason Hainsworth to cultivate a joint vision for the program. Redman will share his expertise with students in one-on-one sessions, studio classes, ensembles, and lectures.

“Joshua Redman is a bona fide modern jazz icon, and our students are going to benefit immediately from his rich real-life experiences as a world-class performer, Grammy-nominated recording artist, and active touring musician,” said Hainsworth. “I’m a huge fan of Josh’s work myself, and I can’t wait to see the impact he’ll have on the RJAM program.”

A Bay Area native born and raised in Berkeley, CA, Redman served as Artistic Director for SFJAZZ’s spring season from 2000 to 2007, and in partnership with the organization’s executive director Randall Kline, Redman co-founded the SFJAZZ Collective.

“Joshua Redman is one of the greatest jazz artists of our time,” said RJAM junior Amelie Hinman ’21. “He’s worked with numerous legends across genres and is constantly working to carry on the legacy of jazz and keep it in the hearts and minds of future generations. His eclectic musical background and vision will fuel and inspire all of us in the RJAM program, and I am excited to see the Bay Area’s very own tenor titan join our star-studded faculty at SFCM.”

Joshua Redman reunited with the original members of his Quartet—Brad Mehldau (piano), Christian McBride (bass), and Brian Blade (drums)—to record RoundAgain, the group’s first recording since 1994’s MoodSwing, due July 10. It is available to pre-order now with an instant download of the track "Right Back Round Again." The group is due to tour international and in the United States this summer and fall.