This week Smalls jazz club is launching a record label featuring live performances from the New York City hotspot. The first batch of releases from Smalls Live includes sessions led by Seamus Blake, Peter Bernstein, Ethan Iverson, Jim Rotundi, Ian Hendrickson-Smith, Steve Davis, Dave Kikoski, Neal Smith, Ryan Kisor and Planet Jazz. With a few exceptions, the music is modern hard-driving post-bop – blowing sessions of the first order. The albums, all with the same title of Live at Smalls feature a consistent graphic look with the names of the sidemen prominently displayed on the cover.
Club owner and label founder Spike Wilner says that what you see is what you get. “The unique thing about Smalls Live is that it’s a live performance label,” he explains. “We don’t do any studio recordings whatsoever. Everything is done at the club.”
