Notes and tones: These jazz labels refresh once-unheard albums
It’s treasure trove time, thanks to Craft Recordings, Resonance Records and Elemental Records, along with Jazz Detective Records.
On the one hand, we have Sig Sigworth with Craft; on the other, there’s the near-ubiquitous Zev Feldman, who thrives on unearthing, collecting, producing and releasing heretofore unseen or unheard sessions.
Sigworth serves as Craft’s president. The imprint was founded in 2017, along with an online store by the same name, offering a curated selection of deluxe CD and vinyl box sets, standalone LPs, and legacy label and artist merchandise. The first release was a deluxe vinyl edition of Thelonious Monk and John Coltrane’s complete 1957 recordings. Not bad, right?
With Sigworth at the helm, Craft cherry-picks from Concord's back catalog, one that includes historic jazz vehicles such as Contemporary, Fantasy, HighTone, Milestone, Pablo, Prestige, Riverside, Specialty, Stax and Telarc. Anyone who has been collecting jazz recordings during the previous decades is likely to have several titles from several of these labels. I know I do.
“Being caretakers for the heritage of countless landmark recordings is a responsibility we don’t take lightly,” says the website’s descriptive About section. “We reissue legendary music with a meticulous devotion to quality and a commitment to preservation — ensuring that these remarkable recordings endure for new generations to discover.” Amen to that!
For those keeping score at home, here’s a half-dozen Craft titles that recently rolled into my possession: Cannonball Adderley with Bill Evans, “Know What I Mean?” (Riverside, 1962). Produced by the legendary Orrin Keepnews, the saxophonist and pianist are joined by half of the Modern Jazz Quartet, bassist Percy Heath and drummer Connie Kay.
“Caravan,” Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers (Riverside, 1962). At the time, the drummer Blakey’s Messengers lineup was trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, trombonist Curtis Fuller, saxophonist Wayne Shorter and bassist Reggie Workman. As you golfers say, “That’ll play.”
Moving right along, we have the self-titled “Kenny Burrell & John Coltrane” (New Jazz, 1958) with a star-studded rhythm section: pianist Tommy Flanagan, bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Jimmy Cobb. How do you top that? Well, actually, you don’t. But on its heels we have “The Cats” (New Jazz, 1959), a cooperative sextet where Coltrane, Burrell and Flanagan are joined by trumpeter Idrees Sulieman, bassist Doug Watkins and drummer Louis Hayes.
Also delivered: “Where,” by bassist Ron Carter (New Jazz, 1961), who is joined by the incomparable multi-instrumentalist Eric Dolphy, pianist Mal Waldron, bassist George Duvivier and drummer Charlie Persip.
The final Craft entry brings what I would characterize as an immaculate trio. The only dated morsel here just might be the actual title from the Red Garland Trio that features one of my favorite keyboardists at the helm, who is joined by bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Arthur (Art) Taylor. “Groovy” (Prestige, 1957) is a word that hasn’t really stood the test of time, but Mr. Garland and Co. most certainly have.
Within the last week, the influential Jazz Journalists Association handed out its annual awards. The categories center on musicians, but also include authors, journalists, photographers and industry categories, one being Producer of the Year. That award went to Feldman, who oversees a group of record companies including Resonance.
Resonance, it turns out is, according to its website, “a division of the Rising Jazz Stars Foundation, a California 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation created to discover the next jazz stars — passionate, brilliant musicians from around the world. We assist and support them through recording, performance opportunities and distribution of their art. Every Resonance CD and DVD is produced without compromise, to create and preserve our artists’ jazz legacy.”
Feldman, though, has an equally deep commitment to the discovery of “lost," more like unfound, titles. In 2016, he earned DownBeatMagazine’s International Critics Poll tag as Rising Star Producer for, as his bio states, “his work on a staggering 26 historical jazz recordings that year.”
Affectionately referred to as “the Indiana Jones of jazz” by Stereophile Magazine, Feldman’s name has now risen to, or near, the top when it comes to record producers who, at least to a great extent, specialize in releasing the previously unreleased.
I’m not sure how Feldman decides which label to employ to identify releases, but the one aspect to all his titles that remains constant — whether issued under Jazz Detective, in partnership with Elemental, a Barcelona-based entity, or arriving via the Resonance moniker — is each release is guaranteed to pique your interest.
A recent arrival, at least at this address, is a multi-disc set, also available as a triple-LP, titled “Art Tatum Trio: Jewels In The Treasure Box,” a collection featuring guitarist Everett Barksdale and bassist Slam Stewart, captured at Chicago’s Blue Note club in August 1953.
All of Feldman’s titles include in-depth booklets and commentary from not only journalists, but also seminal musicians who are knowledgeable about the musicians at hand. The Tatum title features notes from Ahmad Jamal, Sonny Rollins and Monty Alexander. Feldman’s work on each of these projects is about historical context.
Another recent Feldman gem, one from saxophonist Yusef Lateef, is “Atlantis Lullaby: The Concert From Avignon” (Elemental, 1972), that features pianist Kenny Barron.
There’s a two-CD Sun Ra Arkestra set, also captured in Chicago at the Jazz Showcase during the course of multiple appearances between 1976-77. This sees the Arkestra enjoying one of its peak periods, with Sun Ra at his creative best. “Sun Ra at The Showcase: Live in Chicago (1976-1977)” appears on the Jazz Detective/Elemental labels.
Finally, also on Jazz Detective, we have Chet Baker and Jack Sheldon, a pair of trumpeters who epitomized West Coast Jazz. “In Perfect Harmony: The Lost Album” pairs the two horn men instrumentally and vocally, surrounding them with guitarist Jack Marshall, pianist Dave Frishberg, bassist Joe Mondragon and drummer Nick Ceroli.
Craft, Resonance, Elemental and Jazz Detective producers delivered a serious amount of fantastic material that deserves all of our attention. My suggestion: hop to it!
Jon W. Poses is executive director of the “We Always Swing” Jazz Series. Reach him at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Notes and tones: These jazz labels refresh once-unheard albums
