FreshSound New Talent label lives up to its name. (Jazz).

Anybody searching for a parable on how the new can grow from the old in jazz need look no further than Barcelona-based label FreshSound New Talent, arguably one of the most dynamic independent labels in contemporary improvised music.

Originally conceived as a reissue label in 1983 by music enthusiast Jordi Pujol, Fresh Sound's first releases were a batch of 50 classic West Coast recordings licensed from majors such as RCA, Pacific Jazz and Atlantic.

In the early Nineties, it gained the adjunct New Talent and began recording young debutant musicians. Spanish drummer Jordi Rossy and his bassist brother Marlo were among the first to go into the studio--joined by a then-unknown Californian pianist by the name of Brad Mehldau. After a few years, Pujol began recruiting principally from the vibrant scene revolving around the Small's club in New York, a down-at-heel bar that wore its name well and was popular with students and others who could not afford the more upscale venues in the city. Musicians such as Omer Avittal, Myron Walden and Jason Linder greatly impressed Pujol.

"The idea that I originally had to record young musicians from New York, came to the forefront," he said recently in a rare interview. "At that time, Jordi Rossy, a very sensitive drummer and a good friend too, came to the office one day, and it was then that I explained my plan. He was very excited too, telling me he knew some good musicians in New York who were anxious ...