The Berkeley Item - #85

SONNY ROLLINS completed two four-hour sessions at a New York studio last week, and plans to mix the material at Fantasy's Berkeley studios in August, making a year-end release likely. (His most recent Milestone CD, “Global Warming," was released in May 1998.) http://www.fantasyjazz.com/html/rollinss9280.html

The new sessions feature two members of Rollins's working band--pianist STEPHEN SCOTT and bassist BOB CRANSHAW--plus drummer JACK DeJOHNETTE.

With the stress of recording behind him, Sonny is preparing to leave next week for Japan, where he will perform ten concerts, returning to New York 6/17.

Other highlights of his upcoming itinerary: the Montreal Jazz Festival (7/5); Juan Les Pins, France (7/22); and Damrosch Park, NYC (8/5).

CHICO O'FARRILL, whose Milestone disc “Heart of a Legend" was just voted Best Latin Album in the Jazziz Magazine Readers Poll, will appear with his Afro-Cuban Jazz Big Band at New York's Summerstage 6/18 in a “Latin Father's Day" concert; Cachao and his Latin All-Stars with special guest Patato Valdes are co-billed. http://www.fantasyjazz.com/html/ofarrillc9299.html

Later in the summer (9/2), O'Farrill travels with his orchestra to Los Angeles to perform at the 4th annual L.A. Latin Jazz Festival, held at the Greek Theater, where he will be presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award. Previous recipients of this award are Mongo Santamaria, Cachao, Chucho Valdes, and Eddie Palmieri. (For more info, contact Guido Herrera, 323/876-5416.)

In conjunction with the award, a bust of Chico--an original ROBERT GRAHAM sculpture commissioned by the Festival--will be unveiled during the event. Graham, incidentally, also created the Ellington sculpture at Fifth Avenue and 110th Street in New York (which is pictured on the cover of bassist GEORGE MRAZ's “Duke's Place" CD). http://www.fantasyjazz.com/html/mraz9292.html

GEORGE MRAZ will be recording a new Milestone album in New York 6/11-12, featuring all-Czech music and Czech musicians (except for his frequent colleague, drummer BILLY HART). TODD BARKAN will produce. http://www.fantasyjazz.com/catalog/mraz_g_cat.html

A three-CD box of THELONIOUS MONK's “Complete Prestige Recordings" (1952-54) is planned for July release. The set will also contain four 1944 COLEMAN HAWKINS tracks originally released on the Joe Davis label with Monk as sideman, his first recording session. It was this Hawkins material that introduced Prestige's BOB WEINSTOCK to Monk. “I always loved Hawk," Weinstock told annotator PETER KEEPNEWS, “and that's where I first heard Monk. And he did impress me as being very different then, on those records."

http://www.fantasyjazz.com/catalog/monk_t_cat.html