A Recording, Club Date for Betty Bennett

Singer Betty Bennett, whose early career included performances with the bands of Stan Kenton, Woody Herman and Charlie Barnet, makes her first recording in more than 30 years Tuesday and Wednesday at Jim Mooney’s Sage and Sound studio in Hollywood.

“I’ve been terribly sheltered,” the jazz singer quips.

The recording, for the Fresh Sounds label of Barcelona, Spain, will feature her husband, guitarist Mundell Lowe, saxophonist Bob Cooper, pianist George Cables, bassist Monty Budwig and drummer Roy McCurdy.

Though she hasn’t been recording, Bennett has been working, doing U.S. and European club dates with Lowe, to whom she’s been married for 15 years. Bennett, Lowe and their cohorts work the Vine Street Bar & Grill in Hollywood on Sunday.

A possible guest on the album is Bennett’s first husband, and father of her two daughters, Andre Previn. “Andre’s definitely writing the liner notes, and he may appear, since he’s in town (conducting the Los Angeles Philharmonic),” she says. Previn also played on Bennett’s records during the ‘50s.

In kind of a turnaround, Lowe just appeared on Previn’s new-and-unreleased album for Telarc. “Mundell subbed for Joe Pass, who was on Andre’s first (Telarc) album. I find that pretty amusing,” she laughs.

Bennett says she sometimes get criticized for picking “difficult and obscure tunes.” “But I like a challenge,” she says. “To tell you the truth, I really prefer to sing ballads.”

HANCOCK’S 50th: Keyboardist/composer Herbie Hancock celebrated his 50th birthday a day early Wednesday night at the China Club in Hollywood. The festivities--which included Quincy Jones presenting the honoree with a large birthday cake--took place during a screening party for Showtime’s “Coast to Coast” music series. The show, which launches its third season April 24 with an all-star edition featuring Bonnie Raitt, B. B. King, Lou Reed, Sting and others, has been hosted by Hancock since its inception.

EASTER FESTIVAL: Rendezvous, Bracha, the Quartet, the Antelope Valley Jazz Band and the CalArts African Ensemble are among those who will be playing an Easter Music Festival on Sunday at Val Verde Park in Val Verde. The festival, which begins at noon and costs $5, is a benefit for the Samuel Dixon Family Health Center in Val Verde. Information: (805) 257-2871.

BAINBRIDGE ACQUIRES QUARTET: Quartet Records, a Palo Alto-based jazz label that has recorded such artists as saxophonist John Handy, pianist Smith Dobson and vibist Bobby Hutcherson, has been purchased by Bainbridge Records of Los Angeles. Bainbridge, which offers a wide range of artists from jazz greats like Kenny Dorham to MOR folks like Peter Nero, will issue both existing and previously unreleased Quartet projects. “The quality of the Quartet recordings is in keeping with our standards for excellence in both content and recording techniques . . . and will greatly enhance our presence in the area of jazz recordings,” said Bainbridge’ Harlene Marshall in a press release.

BY MAIL ONLY: John Lurie, leader of the Lounge Lizards, is fed up with record companies, so he started his own. An unusual sort, Lurie--who has written music for such films as Jim Jarmusch’s “Down by Law” and has appeared as an actor in that film and Martin Scorcese’s “The Last Temptation of Christ”--calls the company 1-800 44CHUNK, and its first release is “The Voice of Chunk.”

“My records were badly distributed in the past, especially in America, where they’re never available,” Lurie says. “So since I want people to hear this music, it’s my responsibility to get it out there. This is kind of like opening a lemonade stand, exciting and also a pain . . . .”

The record, which mixes a variety of elements from Charles Mingus to punk jazz, is Lurie’s best, he feels. “It has a real sound,” he says. “It’s not so eclectic as my other records, and I feel I’ve found my own voice as a composer and player.”

To get your copy of “The Voice of Chunk,” call, you guessed it, 1-(800) 44CHUNK.