The Berkeley Item - #93 - News from Fantasy Inc.

http://www.fantasyjazz.com/html/mcgriff9300.html

“I'm really happy about getting to Number One on the jazz stations across the country," says the 64-year-old organist, who received flowers from the Hammond Organ Company over the weekend on the occasion of his chart success. “I had a good feeling about this one when we were in the studio. [Producer] Bob Porter gave it the right name, 'House Party,' because we sure were having fun putting it together. A lot of my good friends were at Rudy [Van Gelder]'s studio with me--[organist] Dr. Lonnie Smith, of course, [trumpeter] Kenny Rampton and [Bernard] Purdie and the rest" [guitarist Rodney Jones, saxophonists Eric Alexander and Bill Easley].

McGriff's first big record was his instrumental arrangement of “I've Got a Woman" for the New York-based Sue label back in 1962; it went to #5 on Billboard's r&b chart and #20 pop. “McGriff's House Party" is his eighth recording for Milestone (not counting five co-leader dates he's made here with HANK CRAWFORD).

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

Jimmy McGriff and Dr. Lonnie Smith will be appearing together this fall at the Cork (Ireland) Jazz Festival (10/28-29), Ronnie Scott's in London (10/30-11/4), and the Belfast Jazz Festival (11/6). With Hank Crawford, they'll bring in the New Year at Italy's Orvieto Festival (12/30-1/5).

“The Complete Prestige Recordings of THELONIOUS MONK," a new 3-CD boxed set, ships tomorrow (8/1); promotional copies will be available next week.

http://www.fantasyjazz.com/html/monk4428.html

The compilation was produced by ERIC MILLER and annotated by PETER KEEPNEWS.

Another major new box--"The Last Waltz" by BILL EVANS--is planned for mid-October release.

This 8-disc package contains the final recordings of the late pianist, who died 20 years ago (September 15, 1980) at the age of 51. “Many of us have seen how a light bulb can suddenly start burning a lot brighter just before it goes out," observes TODD BARKAN, who produced the package and at whose San Francisco club, Keystone Korner, the music was made, “and these final performances of Bill Evans glow with that same kind of end-of-life intensity."

Advance copies of the discs will be available 9/5, just after Labor Day. If you would like to receive a set, REPLY TO THIS E-MAIL (and include your mailing address, please).

N.B.: This material is *not* the same as the best-selling box “Consecration," released by Alfa in Japan only in 1990. ("Consecration" was also recorded at Keystone during that final Evans engagement.) Fantasy has, however, acquired world rights (outside of Japan) for “Consecration," and will issue it sometime in 2001.