If you haven’t picked up any of the releases from Resonance Records the past few years, you are sadly out of the loop and are missing some of the best vintage jazz around. The team of George Klabin and Zev Feldman have done a Phillip Marlowe-job of finding lost treasures of artists including Stan Getz, Wes Montgomery, Larry Young and Bill Evans. This 14 song sampler contains some cherry pickings from the past, teasers of the future, and previously unreleased gems all for the salivating.
Of the future pleasures, Motown guitarist Dennis Coffey is caught in ‘68 burning up a show with a B3 combo including Lyman Woodard/org and Melvin Davis/dr on a . Also, soul-jazz pianist Gene Harris struts out with his mid 60s trio from The Penthouse in Seattle on “Blue Genes.” New to the ears is a selection from Wes Montgomery, a drool-producing read of “The End of A Love Affair”, somehow not making it onto the handful of Montgomery sets put out by the label.
The rest of the songs show the depth, width and breath of this important label, as Hubbard glows at the Keystone Korner during his halcyon days on “Happiness is Now,” Stan Getz is intimate with Joao Gilberto on ”Aguas de Marco” and buoyant on “Peace,” while Bill Evans is deep with his trio on “How About You?” and his ex bassist Sot LaFaro is flexibly bopping on “Woody’n You.” Charles Lloyd stretches out on “How Can I Tell You?”, Tommy Flanagan & Jaki Byard duet with joy on “Our Delight,” The Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Orchestra bops the blues on “Low Down” and Larry Young pulls the B3 plug on “Luny Tune.”
Start with any of these albums. It doesn’t matter, as sooner or later you’re going to have them all. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but someday. Here’s looking at you, kid.