Midnight Melodies

Come midnight on New Year’s Eve, revelry will be in the air. And while most of us will be toasting and cheering, hugging and smiling, saxophonist Chuck Manning will be on the bandstand at Rocco, joining a group of colleagues and friends in an instrumental bash to welcome the next millennium.

“I want to have as many people as possible playing as the clock turns midnight, make it a memorable celebration,” Manning said recently.

Playing solid, straight ahead jazz on this particular New Year’s means a lot to Manning, one of Los Angeles’ top tenor saxophonists. He’ll play the Beverly Glen room with his quartet.

“It’s important to start the millennium by getting into the essence of what jazz is all about,” said the Pasadena resident. “We’ll do some originals, some standards, trying to play as exciting as we can possibly play.”

A member of the Los Angeles Jazz Quartet, Manning will be joined at Rocco by pianist Jim Szilyagi, bassist Tony Dumas and drummer Kendall Kay, a formidable threesome.

“I feel very fortunate to have such modern and supportive players, who are also great friends,” said the saxophonist, adding that he plans to bring up some special guests.

Other Valley spots for New Year’s Eve:

* Pianist Don Randi and Quest play everything from jazz to pop at Baked Potato, 3787 Cahuenga Blvd., North Hollywood, starting at 9 p.m. (818) 980-1615.

* Dead Ringer, with guitarist Ron Reynolds and vocalist Kathleen Frasca, lays out swing-styled jazz at Jax, 339 N. Brand Blvd., Glendale. 7 p.m. seating. (818) 500-1604.

* Singer Gayiel Von and the Ron Snyder trio deliver standards and pop tunes at 9 p.m. at Monteleone’s West, 19337 Ventura Blvd., Tarzana. (818) 996-0662.

* For a Latin-funk-jazz New Year’s, hear bassist Marco Mendoza’s band with Joey Heredia and Steve Weingart at La Ve Lee, 12514 Ventura Blvd., Studio City. (818) 980-8158.

BE THERE

Chuck Manning’s quartet plays Dec. 31 from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m., at Rocco, 2930 Beverly Glen Circle, Bel-Air. Four-course dinner with vintage champagne, $150 a person. Call (310) 475-9807.

Zan Stewart writes about jazz for the Valley Edition. He can be reached at Zansky@AOL.com.