Is Winterland about to die?
There seems to be a distinct possibility that Bill Graham will lose his lease at Winterland and that the big old barn will be lost forever to rock shows.
The problem seems to be the absentee ownership wants to get rid of the place and, if Graham doesn’t buy it, it’ll be all over. More details as they develop.
Definitely headed for the end of the trail is the Modern Jazz Quartet, which is expected to disband this summer, following a final tour of Australia. The group, which first performed together in 1951 and became a “permanent” unit in 1954, will be here at the Great American Music Hall on June 28 and 29. That will almost certainly be their last appearance in San Francisco. It is poetic that their last released album, “Blues on Bach,” is also one of their greatest. Of course, one may rest assured of a veritable flood of reissues, “Greatest Hits” and so on, following their retirement.
It’s also possible that the Great American Music Hall will be the site, in September, of a reunion of the old George Shearing band, with Shearing, Cal Tjader on vibes, Armando Peraza on congas, John Rae on drums and Al McKibbon on bass.
Oscar Peterson, the great jazz pianist, will play two weeks of solo piano at El Matador, starting June 18. … The Ruby Braff-George Barnes Quartet will come into the Matador for a week on July 30, following its appearance at the Concord Summer Festival. … Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass and Shirley MacLaine are due at the Circle Star in San Carlos in October, though not on the same bill. Taj Mahal flew to Austin, Texas, last week to do a benefit for Mance Lipscomb. The 79-year-old bluesman is recovering from double pneumonia and malnutrition, among other things.
For those of you hoping against hope that there is some way to get a reservation for Frank Sinatra at Harrah’s Tahoe next month: Basically, forget it. The capacity for the entire week, beginning July 31, is a paltry 13,000. For comparison, Harrah’s received some 52,000 telephone calls in one hour last year requesting reservations for Sonny and Cher. Or, another way to look at it is that Harrah’s claims some 500,000 credit-card holders. So the realistic fact of the matter is that, unless you’re a very good friend ($) of Harrah’s Club, it is pointless even to apply.
Looks like the Newport Jazz Festival-New York will be another winner this year. Among the shows set — a total of 35 concerts in six locations over 10 days — are:
“The Musical Life of Charlie Parker,” with Jay Mc Shann, Billy Eckstine, Earl Hines, Dizzy Gillespie, Sonny Stitt, Phil Woods and Charles McPherson …
“Café Society Revisited,” with Josephine Baker, Dorothy Donegan, the Dixie Hummingbirds, Teddy Wilson, Rose Murphy and Sammy Price …
“Solo Piano I,” with Eubie Blake, Bill Evans, Teddy Wilson, Eddie Heywood, Johnny Guarnieri, Jess Stacy and Dick Wellstood …
“Schlitz Salute to Jazz and the American Song,” with Johnny Mathis, Stan Getz, Gerry Mulligan, Bobby Short, Bobby Hackett, Vic Dickenson, Ruby Braff-George Barns and Jackie and Roy paying tribute to Ellington-Strayhorn, Irving Berlin, Alec Wilder, Kurt Weill and Fred Astaire.