With August here, the Zawinul Syndicate has concluded its summer European tour. My friend Finn Manford (see our Weather Update page) caught the July 20 Syndicate concert in Denmark and reports, “I can tell you that it’s the best Syndicate band I have heard in many years. Their new bass player, Etienne M’Bappe, is incredible. I have never heard anything like him. And Amit Chatterjee did some exellent singing and played some very delicate guitar solos. Zawinul himself was like a 25 year old. He was in peak form, smiling his famous smile all the time, conducting his players, and talking to the audience without a mike. The first set was totally new material, and that sounds promising for the new CD.”

We are told that Zawinul will be recording a new album this fall. No United States concert dates are planned, and it is doubtful the Syndicate will play in the U.S. this year.