INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Blues CD Reviews • Blues ... - Delmark Records

DOWN BEAT’S 75th ANNIVERSARY
Even if you don’t regularly read Down Beat magazine, you must pick
up the October issue. As part of a celebration of its three-quarter
century mark, they’ll reprint interviews from throughout its history.
Down Beat was first published in 1934 by Albert Lipshultz as a way to
get in touch with musicians to sell them insurance. James C. Petrillo
is said to have told him to either critique music or sell insurance — but
not both. So it moved to other hands and is now owned by Frank
Alkyer who, in a recent Chicago Tribune story, said “the magazine is
really a labor of love.” (Tell me about it - that goes for Delmark and a
lot of jazz/blues labels and mags.)
Back in Wichita when I was first getting interested in jazz, Down Beat
was a golden connection to the music world. Over the years, usually
in buying record collections, we have amassed back issues going
back to 1936, which with most other jazz and blues publications are
housed at the Delmark office and available to anyone wanting to
peruse. (We’d like such folk to spend a little time comparing and filing
some more recent acquisitions which we don’t have time to do. In fact,
we could reward such work with some of the dupes for your own
library.)
Over the years a lot of great writers have graced its pages: George
Hoefer (did a Hot Box column on early jazz), Nat Hentoff, Charles
Edward Smith, John Hammond, Helen Oakley, Leonard Feather,
Stanley Dance, Dave Dexter, George Frazier, Dan Morganstern, John
Litweiller, Pete Welding (started the Testament label) and Gary
Giddins, just to name a few.
Musicians wrote sometimes-unexpectedly-interesting articles: Dizzy
Gillespie (about Bird), Marian McPartland (about Paul Desmond),
Cannonball Adderley (about Ornette Coleman) and Art Hodes’ had a
regular column.
Down Beat reviewed contemporary blues 78s for awhile in the late
30’s and early 40’s. And, especially during Welding’s stay, it helped
with the surge of interest in blues by a white audience in the 60’s.
I must admit that several Down Beat writers (Don DeMichael, Pete
Welding, Terry Martin, John Litweiller) helped Delmark make up my
mind to record the AACM artists from Roscoe Mitchell on. (I figured
their knowledge and taste in traditional jazz was right on so they must
know better than I just what was happening in the Avant Garde.
As I write this I learn that the most recent editor, Jason Koransky has
left, replaced by Ed Enright.
So buy it. Better yet, subscribe to it. (www.downbeat.com)
- Bob Koester
AROUND THE SHOP
NEW LOWER PRICES on second-hand LP’s of
VOCALISTS, BIG BANDS and PRE-WW2 JAZZ
Who doesn’t have a favorite jazz vocalist? Who doesn’t like a big
band or two? (or ten?) And some of our customers specialize in early
jazz and are aware that not everything is available on CD. But since
the bulk of our sales are in the modern jazz and avant garde area (we
integrate bop to avant garde), we are facing the fact that the other
three categories are in greater supply. Thus we have lowered almost
all our prices for...
VOCALISTS (but don’t expect Billie, Ella, Sarah, Dinah or others wellknown
by their first names to be $1.99)
BIG BANDS - Yes, even Basie and Ellington!
PRE WW2 JAZZ - This, of course, includes King Oliver, Jelly Roll
Morton, Fats Waller, etc. and guys who prefer to play the early style
(Salty Dogs, Lu Watters, etc.); but also anyone who recorded under
their own name prior to WW2: Art Tatum, Johnny Hodges, Coleman
Hawkins, etc.
So you can maintain your broad jazz listening experience at lower
cost.
Sorry, no mail orders on second-hand goods. But if you visit from
outside the state, you can lighten your load (and sales tax) by
having your goods shipped to you.
- Bob Koester
-- LIVE JAZZ IN ILLINOIS --
ILLIANA CLUB OF TRADITIONAL JAZZ UP-COMING CONCERTS
The Glendora House, 102nd and Harlem, Chicago Ridge, IL
$15 in advance or $17 at the door. (www.illianajazz.com)
SUNDAY - JUNE 14
Royal Garden Jazz Band: Remembering Adrian Rollini
Tom Bartlett, Kim Cusack, Ralph Norton Jim Barrett, Andy Schumm,
Paul Asaro
SUNDAY, JULY 19
Cats n’ Jammers: Remembering Lil Armstrong & Louis Armstrong
Bobby Lewis, Russ Phillips, Pat Mallinger, Jim Ryan, Stewart Miller,
Charles Braugham
SUNDAY, AUGUST 16
Hot Strings
John Otto and others TBA
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 20
Chi-Town Wise Guys
Lance Schulz, Bill Hanck, Art Davis, Dan Shapero, Don Stille, Jerry
Coleman
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31
Vince Giordano 10 Piece Band
Vince Giordano, John Otto, Kim Cusack, Andy Schumm, Mike Bezin,
Leah Bezin, Josh Duffy and others
31st ANNUAL CHICAGO JAZZ FESTIVAL
Free in Grant Park
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2009
Jazz on Jackson
12:00 - Ernie Adams Trio with special guest Richie Cole
1:10 - Fareed Haque and the Flat Earth Ensemble
2:20 - Jason Adasiewicz’s Rolldown
3:30 - Esperanza Spalding
Jazz & Heritage Stage
12:30 - Dudley Owens Quintet
2:00 - Diane Delin Quintet
3:30 - Bob Seeley and Bob Baldori
Petrillo Music Shell
5:00 - Jeff Parker Quartet
6:00 - Muhal Richard Abrams, George Lewis, Roscoe Mitchell
7:10 - Madeleine Peyroux
8:30 - Gonzalo Rubalcaba Quintet
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2009
Jazz on Jackson
12:00 - Greg Ward’s Fitted Shards
1:10 - Dan Cray Trio with special guest Geof Bradfield
2:20 - Nicole Mitchell Black Earth Strings
3:30 - Chicago Afro-Latin Jazz Ensemble
Jazz & Heritage Stage
12:30 - Red Rose Ragtime Jazz Band
2:00 - “Art of the Solo” with William Parker
3:30 - A Tribute to Benny Goodman featuring Eric Schneider
Petrillo Music Shell
5:00 - 80th-Birthday Jam with Fred Anderson
6:00 - Amina Figarova Sextet
7:10 - William Parker:“The Inside Songs of Curtis Mayfield”
8:30 - Dave Holland Big Band
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2009
Jazz on Jackson
12:00 - Mike Allemana’s Come Sunday
1:10 - Solo Piano featuring Ben Paterson and Yoko Noge
2:20 - James Falzone’s KLANG: The Goodman Project
3:30 - “New Apartment Jam” with Von Freeman
Jazz & Heritage Stage
12:30 - Kevin Nabors Quintet
2:00 - “Percussion Discussion” with Art Burton
3:30 - Kelly Brand Quintet
Petrillo Music Shell
5:00 - Archie Shepp Quartet w/ Willie Pickens, Avery Sharpe
6:00 - Tribute to Art Tatum: Buddy DeFranco and Johnny O’Neal
7:10 - Dee Alexander
8:30 - Arthur Hoyle Orchestra conducted by Muhal Richard Abrams
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