By Celeste Sunderland

When drummer Bobby Previte's bass pedal broke, Palmetto Vice President and General Manager Pat Rustici bought some parts at a hardware store and made a new one. When the location for pianist Orrin Evans' photo session fell through, photographer Jimmy Katz set up at the label's hot, dirty, recently acquired, in-need-of-renovation office space in Tribeca.

In addition to overseeing the daily business of the record label, Rustici rents a van and drives the musicians down to recording sessions at Maggie's Farm, the label's 200-year-old barn turned studio in Pennsylvania.

"We're a full service label," he said. "A few weeks ago we were down at the farm recording a Javon Jackson session with Dr. Lonnie Smith, Mark Whitfield, Lenny White, and Fred Wesley. I cooked them dinner that night. The next morning Fred asked me to marry him."

Palmetto has personal as well as mutual relationships with its artists. "We feel we're partners with our artists and both sides have to work equally hard to be successful. If we're working hard, and they're working hard, something good is bound to happen," he said.

In addition to drive, Palmetto artists have unique vision. With nearly 100 releases to date, and a roster of 12 active artists, Palmetto flourishes with a keen eye for originality.

Glancing through a handful of recent releases, that originality is strikingly apparent. On his latest disc Peace Pipe, bassist Ben Allison introduces the kora, an African stringed instrument played by Mamadou Diabate. Orrin Evans' new album Meant To Shine, features an inspirational quote by Nelson Mandela. "Lester" on Matt Wilson's disc Arts and Crafts, is a deeply intimate tribute to the late trumpet player Lester Bowie. Personal touches like these keep Palmetto's pulse pumping.

Guitarist Matt Balitsaris started the company in 1990. His distributor went out of business and he needed a new way to sell his records. While lounging in a hammock in the Bahamas one afternoon, Balitsaris spotted a palmetto bush. So began Palmetto Records. Calls started coming in from fellow musician friends who needed help with their albums. "Before he knew it, a hobby had turned into a business," said Rustici. Soon Balitsaris, who was running the company with one other person, realized that he needed to bring someone in with real experience. That's when Rustici, who had worked with major labels and big management companies responded to an advertisement in Billboard Magazine and got the job. Older, well-established artists like Andrew Hill, Bobby Previte, and Reggie Workman, as well as a younger generation including Ravi Coltrane, Larry Goldings, Scott Colley and Ben Allison are all part of the Palmetto group. "When we started we had 'young bloods', mostly up-and-coming New York cats," Rustici said. "At one point Matt and I realized that there were more-established artists out there without deals who had the same visions as our younger artists."

Palmetto artists book their own gigs, and tour actively and extensively, while the label manufactures the CDs, from recording, to packaging, to promotion. Balitsaris produces and masters most recordings. It’s a tight team made up of dedicated workers. Vice President of Promotions Terry Coen gets the songs played on the radio. Mark Edwards, Director of Retail, gets the CDs on the record store shelves. Jana La Sorte is the publicist. Michael Lesser is the lawyer. Palmetto released 10 discs last year and they look set to keep up the track record in 2003. They'll kick off the year with a recording of the Fred Hersch Trio live at the Village Vanguard, a new Matt Wilson disc in February, and a new Bill Mays Trio album in March. The label recently signed Jazz at Lincoln Center tenorman Ted Nash, and is soon releasing their first vocalist-led session with the recent signing of Kate McGarry.

With 20 distributors worldwide, a solid catalog, a melange of artists, and fourth place status in Down Beat's 2002 Critic's Poll for best record label, Palmetto is poised to keep growing. "Our artists are becoming critically acclaimed," said Rustici. "Now we just need the consumer to find them."

Website: http://www.palmetto-records.com

This article first appeared in the November 2002 issue of All About Jazz: New York.