Searching For Jazz Treasures

WDCB’s Gary Zidek catches up with Zev Feldman, the producer extraordinaire who’s found a niche searching for archived and sometimes forgotten jazz recordings.

Like a music archaeologist, producer Zev Feldman is always on the look-out for live jazz recordings that may have been forgotten. When he finds something special, he works to restore the recording and potentially release it as a new album. Feldman is the co-president of Resonance Records and sometimes referred to as the “Jazz Dectective”. His latest project? Combing through the late Joe Segal’s archive of recorded material that stretches back decades and includes some big names.

“There is nothing like it, that I’m aware of, anywhere in the world of previously unissued recordings. This is like the Fort Knox of jazz, and it’s right there in Chicago.” - Zev Feldman talking about the Segal archive.

Five never before released recordings from the Segal archive are set to come out this month. Jazz Showcase performances from Joe Henderson, Ahmad Jamal and Yusef Lateef are among albums being released on vinyl on Record Store Day April 18. A week later on what would have been Segal’s 100th birthday, those albums will come out on CD.

This first batch of releases might just be the tip of the iceberg of future albums to come from the Segal archive. You can find more information about the upcoming releases at resonancerecords.org