The Zawinul Syndicate official web site lists two concerts for 2001. The first is a Syndicate performance at the African Harvest North Sea Jazz Festival—Cape Town on March 31 in Cape Town, South Africa. According to EMMECI, the line-up for this year’s Syndicate will consist of Zawinul; Maria Joao, vocals; Amit Chatterjee, guitar and vocals; Etienne M’Bappe, electric bass; Manolo Badrena, percussion and vocals; and Nathaniel Townsley, drums.

The second concert is a Zawinul performance with Germany’s MDR Orchestra. If I’m interpretting MDR’s web site correctly, Zawinul and the orchestra will perform Leonard Bernstein’s 1944 ballet suite ‘Fancy Free’, as well as Zawinul’s own seven-part ‘Stories of the Danube’. Guest musicians will include Manolo Badrena, Burhan Öçal, and Paco Sery.

Meanwhile, Victor Bailey, the Syndicate’s most recent bass player, will tour with his own group this summer. According to EMMECI the group will consist of Bailey, Bennie Maupin on sax, Jim Beard on keyboards, Dean Brown on guitar, and a drummer yet to be named.