Zev Feldman Digs into Bill Evans and Art Pepper and Continues the Quest for Hidden Jazz Treasures

The Sharp Notes with Evan Toth

The introduction most often associated with producer—and champion of unfairly unheard music—Zev Feldman, compares him to an archaeologist: the “Indiana Jones of jazz,” as The New Yorker wrote in 2023. Fittingly, Feldman’s occasional SiriusXM radio show is cleverly titled Jazz Detective. In a reissue landscape often focused on bringing listeners albums they may already own in triplicate, Zev shines his producer’s flashlight into unexplored corners of the archive: frequently unearthing recordings that may not have seen the light of day since they were first made.

We’re on an adventure in audiophile archeology, so let’s meet the hero of this serial. A devoted record fanatic from a young age, Zev made his way into the music industry through retail, eventually landing in distribution. It was there he met Resonance Records’ George Klabin, who encouraged him to lean into his passion for music, collecting, and archiving, and to try his hand in the producer’s seat. Since then, Feldman has produced albums not only for Resonance, but also for Blue Note, Prestige, Riverside Records, and many others.

While our conversation was originally focused on two recent Elemental Music releases—Bill Evans Further Ahead: Live in Finland (1964–1969) and Art Pepper: An Afternoon in Norway – The Kongsberg Concert—it quickly evolved into something more. We found ourselves excavating the heart of Zev’s work, asking the essential question: how does the digger do the digging?

Dig in to find out.