Back in the ’90s, I launched a record label under the Verve Group with guitar impresario Lee Ritenour and jazz label executive Mark Wexler. I originally called it IndigoMusic—a name I thought was perfect—until PolyGram, Verve’s parent company at the time, politely informed me I’d have to change it. Apparently, Polygram, Sony and the Indigo Girls were in the middle of a legal tug-of-war, and my little label was caught in the crossfire. So much for great minds thinking alike. But I’m getting ahead of myself.
Ritenour envisioned and produced our first release, a pop/jazz Brazilian project featuring some of the greatest jazz musicians interpreting the music of Antonio Carlos Jobim. The album, A Twist of Jobim, became our best-seller and inspired a series of similar tribute-style projects on our label, including A Twist of Marley and A Twist of Motown.
Then one day, I received a nearly finished album (on cassette tape) from guitarist Tim Weston—an artist I knew from his work with Steely Dan and his cool little group Dr. Strut. He had been putting his finishing touches on a Beach Boys tribute album, and as soon as I heard it, I thought it was a perfect fit for our Twist series. Not only did it honor the genius of Brian Wilson, but Weston had assembled a phenomenal lineup: Steve Khan, Larry Carlton, Dori Caymmi, Eliane Elias, Mark Egan, Danny Gottlieb, Don Grusin, Vince Mendoza, John Abercrombie, Peter Erskine, Mitchel Forman, Luis Conte, vocalists Shelby Flint, Gabriela Anders, Jeffrey Osborne and the Yellowjackets.
Unfortunately, my partners disagreed, and let’s say I wasn’t exactly doing cartwheels. The silver lining was that my friend Bruce Lundvall, then head of Blue Note Records, loved it too and released it on his prestigious label.
With the recent passing of the legendary Brian Wilson, I encourage jazz fans to revisit—or discover—Tim Weston’s Wouldn’t It Be Nice: A Portrait of Brian Wilson. It’s a powerful reminder of Wilson’s genius.
I still wish that album would have been mine.
Stream the album here (links are affiliated):
