Bakery Prepares a Tribute to Mandel

“The Shadow of Your Smile,” “A Time for Love,” “Emily,” “Where Do You Start?” “You Are There”--these superb melodies are just a sampling of the creations of one brilliant artist: Johnny Mandel.

Those songs and many others will ring out Sunday at the Jazz Bakery in Culver City during “To Johnny Mandel With Love,” a tribute to the Oscar-winning composer that will raise funds for the nonprofit Bakery. The event honoring Mandel, a five-time Grammy winner, features singers Mark Murphy, Sue Raney, Bill Henderson, Ruth Price, Heather Gold and Morgan Ames as well as pianists Alan Broadbent, Tom Garvin and Mike Melvoin.

“I think Johnny is the significant songwriter of our period,” said Price, the Bakery’s artistic director. “The wonderful thing about Johnny’s songs is that they are great as instrumentals and, with beautiful lyrics, they become wonderful vehicles for singers.”

Mandel, who jokingly said he’ll show up Sunday and “get stroked,” picked the singers. “Mark does everything right and should be far more recognized,” he said. “Sue has always been kind to me, they don’t come better than Ruth, and Bill’s simply wonderful.”

Price said that intermittent fund-raisers like this one are essential to the Bakery’s financial well-being. “If we give our audience something extra special like this Mandel celebration, they respond and it will help keep us afloat,” she said.

The Mandel tribute, which starts at 8 p.m., costs $50. ($35 is tax-deductible.) Information: (310) 271-9039.

*

Another “Great Day”: Inspired by Jean Bach’s remarkable documentary “A Great Day in Harlem,” Life magazine is publishing a phenomenal section of jazz photographs in its February issue.

“Great Day,” which was nominated for an Oscar in 1995 for best documentary and is out on video, focused on another extraordinary jazz photograph, this one taken for Esquire magazine by Art Kane in Harlem in 1958. That picture included many jazz greats, among them Count Basie, Lester Young, Horace Silver and Sonny Rollins.

Life’s special section includes a photograph by Gordon Parks of the same place in a much different time with the surviving participants of Kane’s famous shot.

The highlight of the section, however, is a photo of 156 musicians who make up a who’s who of jazz today. The four-panel, fold-out shot taken by Joe McNally includes some artists from Kane’s photo: Silver, pianist Marian McPartland, trumpeter Art Farmer and saxophonist Johnny Griffin.

McNally’s photo captures the group in a jovial mood after saxman Illinois Jacquet played his famous “Flying Home” just before McNally snapped the shutter.

The magazine is due on newsstands Monday.

*

Solid Fortune: Sonny Fortune, the spirited, invigorating saxophonist and flutist who appears through Wednesday at the Jazz Bakery, is not one who likes to limit himself. “I call myself a contemporary player, and to me that means I explore, that I’m musically available for some things which might not be called jazz, that are a little out of the [jazz] tradition,” the 56-year-old Philadelphia native said.

On Fortune’s recent “A Better Understanding” Blue Note release, the groove or feelings of the tunes do vary. But one aspect remains constant: These numbers swing, whether with a quiet lope or an insistent drive. “Music has to swing or else it really doesn’t mean anything,” said Fortune, who’s played with Miles Davis and McCoy Tyner. “And to me, swinging is synonymous with playing from the heart.”

Fortune will perform with William Henderson (piano), John Heard (bass) and Sherman Ferguson (drums) at the Bakery. Information: (310) 271-9039.

*

Original Voices: Ralph Moore’s round sound and extremely fluid line delivery has made him one of the finest modern mainstream players in jazz, though when you see him as a member of the “Tonight Show” band, it’s hard to tell. The saxophonist appears Saturday at Bjlauzezs in Sherman Oaks. Phone: (818) 789-4583. . . .

The veteran pianist McCoy Tyner’s style can also be readily distinguished. Tyner’s powerful attack, heard on his latest Impulse! Records album, “Infinity,” allows the strings of the piano to fully resonate and makes for one of the most robust, thick tones in music. The pianist, along with his long-standing sidemen--Avery Sharpe (bass) and Aaron Scott (drums)--appears Tuesday through Thursday at Catalina Bar & Grill in Hollywood. Call (213) 466-2210. . . . The starting time for jazz pianist Eliane Elias’ appearance tonight at Borders Books, 1360 Westwood Blvd., Westwood, has been changed. Elias will perform at 6:30 p.m. Information: (310) 475-4444.