The Berkeley Item - #90 (Fantasy Jazz)

This week, our new web-site feature “PICKS" showcases the favorite Fantasy catalog titles of an artist who's recorded for Milestone since the '80s; a producer with dozens of Fantasy projects to his credit; and a director who's worked at the Saul Zaentz Film Center here at Tenth and Parker on his last several pictures.
http://www.fantasyjazz.com/html/picks_main.html

Organist JIMMY McGRIFF had no qualms about listing two of his own dates as all-time favorites, along with the first session he did, back in 1986, with alto saxophonist HANK CRAWFORD ("Soul Survivors"). McGriff also singled out albums by the Count Basie Big Band, James Moody, Etta Jones, and Blue Mitchell ("Blue's Moods": “I love what he did with the blues").
http://www.fantasyjazz.com/html/picks_mcgriff.html

TODD BARKAN's list contained 15 titles rather than the requested ten: there was no way he could leave off something by Booker Ervin ("The Space Book") or Art Pepper ("The Complete Village Vanguard Sessions"), or by Monk, Blakey, Miles, and Rollins. Todd also chose four discs he produced himself, by Jerry Gonzalez & the Fort Apache Band, Steve Berrios, Eric Alexander ("The First Milestone"), and Jimmy Scott ("Mood Indigo").
http://www.fantasyjazz.com/html/picks_barkan.html

Though he included a Coltrane disc ("Lush Life"), JOHN WATERS showed a unmistakable preference for singers, among them Little Richard, Sylvester, Wynona Carr, King Pleasure, and Chris Connor. There's no shortage of superior singing to be heard on Waters's two final selections: the 5-CD “Specialty Story" box, and the 9-disc “Complete Stax/Volt Soul Singles, vol. 2: 1968-1971."
http://www.fantasyjazz.com/html/picks_waters.html

“The Axelrod Chronicles," a survey of early-'70s work by the Los Angeles producer, arranger, and composer DAVID AXELROD, is due for mid-July release on Fantasy.
http://www.fantasyjazz.com/catalog/axelrod_d_cat.html

In addition to the long-unavailable 1974 album “Heavy Axe," originally released under Axelrod's name, the new CD contains tracks from his productions of that era for artists such as Gene Ammons, Nat Adderley, and Hampton Hawes. Also included are two songs from the musical “Big Man," featuring Cannonball Adderley and vocalists Randy Crawford and Joe Williams.

SONNY ROLLINS appears next Wednesday (7/5) at the Montreal Jazz Festival. Following a West Coast swing in mid-August, he plans to mix his forthcoming album at Fantasy's Berkeley studios.