COMPLETE DELMARK CATALOG INSIDE - Delmark Records

Delmark: 55 Years of Jazz
(excerpted liner notes for the CD & DVD set, Delmark #914)
After wearing out Delmark’s 2003 set celebrating 50 years of great
jazz--trad, modern big, small, now, then--you probably thought you were
going to have to wait at least until 2013 for another such anniversary
collection. That’s how these things go, don’t they? Your Uncle Al and Aunt
Etta may make a big deal of marking their 55th, but record labels don’t
usually go for in-between years.
When you’ve got a rich catalog like Delmark’s, though, and a label
head like Bob Koester who is committed to keep expanding that catalog,
why not seize every opportunity to throw a party for your enterprise--and all
the great artists behind the candles on the cake? The beauty of marking a
mid-milestone like 55 is you can depart convention in other ways. You don’t
have to worry about including all the usual suspects. Instead, you can serve
history with a looser, less predictable and more up-to-the-minute overview--
with an equal emphasis on view...
...First to the wide-ranging CD included here, and the treasures it contains:
Yves Francois, “Lester Leaps In.” In the early ’80s, determined to better expose underrecorded
Chicago saxophone greats Franz Jackson and Eddie Johnson, young trumpeter
Yves Francois instigated studio dates with them. For the 2005 re-release of these rare
recordings, he re-did some of his own solos on them. Was that kosher? Well, he sounds
great. And the chance to hear Jackson, mainly a clarinetist in recent years, swagger on tenor
through “Lester Leaps In” further renders all nits and pics null and void.
Deep Blue Organ Trio, “Goin’ to Town.” There may be no better organ trio currently at
work than that of guitarist Bobby Broom, organist Chris Foreman and drummer Greg
Rockingham. The aural equivalent of comfort food, their soulful jazz can always be
counted on to soothe and satisfy with its simmering warmth and flavorful accents. But as
classic as their sound is, it can shake up your expectations with its power and reach, as
revealed on this title track from their 2007 CD, recorded at their longtime weekly spot,
Chicago’s Green Mill.
King Curtis, “Dynamite at Midnight.” At 22, Curtis Ousley was years away from his
Memphis soul triumphs, and still not yet honking with the Coasters. But as demonstrated
by this 1956 track from Volume Two of “Honkers & Bar Walkers,” he was already a fullblown
blower, never letting up for the duration of “Dynamite.” If you like your R&B
steeped with rock ‘n’ roll, this has your name on it.
Ted Sirota’s Rebel Souls, “Saro-Wiwa.” On their 2004 album, “Breeding Resistance,”
drummer Sirota and band let their politics hang out on subjects ranging from the death
penalty factory of Huntsville, Tex., to Nigerian human rights, which inspired this folk-based
tune. But with its lilting melodies, resounding choruses and Afro-funk-studded grooves, the
music is as infectious as it is angry. And with a cutting-edge cast including Tortoise guitarist
Jeff Parker, the Souls argue for a brighter musical as well as political future.
Curtis Fuller, “Equinox” Forty-six years after gracing John Coltrane’s “Blue Train,”
revered trombonist Curtis Fuller teamed with distinctive trumpeter Brad Goode on a spellcasting
treatment of Trane’s “Equinox.” With an easy shared intensity, the horn men recast
the song as a loping vehicle, Fuller applying his deepest tones and Goode ringing out a
vibrant message of hope. From the 2004 CD “Up Jumped Spring.”
Francine Griffin, “It’s Crazy.” After hearing this exquisite treat from 1999's “The Song
Bird, which shows off Griffin’s Carmen-like directness and Sarah-like flair, you might say
it’s crazy this was the veteran singer’s first album--and the first vocal jazz album ever
released by Delmark. A native of Cincinnati who sang with a Who’s Who of bop stars, she
here elevates an exceptional band including Ed Petersen and Art Hoyle on the front line and
Brad Williams and Wilbur Campbell in the rhythm section.
George Lewis, “DoctorJazz.” Back to 1953 we go for this lesson in New Orleans jazz--
past, present and future--by Prof. Lewis and a sextet including trumpeter Kid Howard on
and trombonist Jim Robinson. Featured on the album, “Hello Central...Give Me Doctor
Jazz,” the performance seamlessly blends styles, chasing nostalgiacs from the room with its
modern thrust.
Malachi Thompson & Africa Brass, “Black Metropolis.” Jazz lost one of its most
determined souls when trumpeter Malachi Thompson passed in 2004, having repeatedly
overcome illness and other setbacks to score with his longstanding Freebop Band and more
expansive Africa Brass. Part of a suite from his 2003 album "Blue Jazz", the limber “Black
Metropolis” breathes hope through the righteous testifying of Thompson and two special
guests, saxophonists Gary Bartz and Billy Harper.
Kalaparush, “In My Morning Song.” An early AACM stalwart who recorded for
Delmark in the ’60s, Kalaparush Maurice McIntyre reunited with the label for 2004’s
“Morning Song” after years of performing on the streets of New York. Most of the album
features him with two young cohorts in an unusual tenor-tuba-drums setting. On “In My
Morning Song,” it’s just the leader showing off the purer, quieter side of his talent: no
multiphonics or raising of volume, just the deepest spiritual expression and shimmering
tonality.
Eric Alexander, “Mode for Mabes.” Tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander’s salute to his
mentor and bandmate, pianist Harold Mabern, resounds with good feeling. Alexander is
known for his big, old-school tenor sound, but as he shows on this title track from his 1998
release, he’s among the smartest of contemporary stylists. His sextet, including trumpeter
Jim Rotondi and trombonist Steve Davis, suggests a much larger unit with its dynamic
harmonies. Flipping through McCoy Tyner’s modal playbook with his jaunty, swirling
phrases, Mabern...is mabelous.
Coleman Hawkins, “Bu Dee Daht.” Ever open to new sounds, the mighty Hawk
enlisted young bebop inventors Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach for this jaunty riff
tune from 1944, performed by an amazing orchestra featuring Don Byas, Budd
Johnson and Oscar Pettiford. Nodding to bop here, Ellington’s “Perdido” there,
Hawkins unified styles with his surpassing authority on this unearthed Apollo
recording, his trilling tenor beyond category. (From the CD “Rainbow Mist.)
Sun Ra, “Brainville.” One of the giddiest, and giddy-uppiest, Sun Ra performances,
“Brainville” was dedicated by him to “scientists, space pilots, those of the medical
profession and all others who are of daring mind.” While deciding how many of those
job descriptions apply to this great visionary, you can get off on John Gilmore’s tenor
solo, the toy horn effects and so much more. Originally released in 1957 on “Jazz By
Sun Ra” and reissued by Delmark on “Sun Song.”
Art Hodes, “Panama Rag.” On which piano legend and trad jazz champion Hodes
ushers clarinetist Volly DeFaut, an unjustly forgotten luminary of early Chicago jazz,
back into the spotlight. At the time of this 1972 recording (included on the album
“Friar's Inn Revisited”), the clarinet was seriously out of fashion. But listening to the
sharp, animated, blues-dappled take on “Panama Rag,” featuring Chicago legends
Truck Parham and Barrett Deems, you may well think you’re hearing tradition
reborn.
And now, to the DVD offerings, which put you smack dab in the
front row, the better to enjoy artists representing the city’s stellar jazz
scene--and, in one notable case, German jazz.
Nicole Mitchell’s Black Earth Ensemble, “The Creator Has Other Plans for
Me.” Mitchell is more than a rising star among jazz flutists--her star has risen, as she
demonstrates on this vibrant excerpt from the “Black Unstoppable” DVD (2007),
recorded at the new Velvet Lounge. Where some flute players settle for airiness, she
signs her improvisations with a gutty rhythmic approach and spiritual intensity. “I
was just going to do things the way I felt natural about doing them,” says Nicole.
“Now, it seems to be OK.” Amen to that. The bright, freewheeling David Young is
featured on flugelhorn.
Ari Brown, “Richard’s Song.” More than 40 years into his career as one of
Chicago’s finest inside/outside players, tenorist Brown here dusts off the first song he
wrote (he went by Richard then). Listen to this tuneful, smartly unfolding postbop
vehicle, on which Brown and trumpeter Pharez Whitted match each other in lyrical
intensity. From the 2007 DVD “Live at the Green Mill.
Jazz O’Maniacs, “My Baby.” Trad jazz doesn’t get more reverential than this: a
veteran eight-man band from Hamburg, Germany, performing in the Meyers Ace
Hardware store on Chicago’s South Side--not because Gunther Andernach needed a
new washboard, but because that’s where their hero Louis Armstrong played in the
1930s during the store’s previous incarnation as the Sunset Cafe. Taken from the
DVD, “Sunset Cafe Stomp,” which also documents the Maniacs’ visit to the annual
Bix fest in Racine, WI, “My Baby” is early jazz at its wooliest.
Fred Anderson, “Flashback.” For those who never made it to Anderson’s original
Velvet Lounge, this clip from the “Timeless” DVD is essential viewing. Shot in 2005,
not long before the club was forced to close, it finds the tenor legend (and barkeep)
in his element in every way: uncovering melodic shades and shadows of the blues and
beyond, in the company of his phenomenal longtime percussionist, Hamid Drake, and
ace bassist Harrison Bankhead.
Kahil El’Zabar’s Ritual Trio, “Big M.” Legendary bassist Malachi Favors, an
original member of the Ritual Trio as well as the bottomless anchor of the Art
Ensemble Chicago, is remembered on this energized epic from Delmark’s inaugural
DVD, “Live at the River East Art Center.” Leading a revamped 2004 edition of the
group, El’Zabar plays spiritual instigator, interrogator and inventor on kalimba, traps
and hand drums while tenor Ari Brown digs to the center of the earth on tenor and the
Rituals’ frequent plus-one, Billy Bang, soars skyward on violin.
Chicago Underground Trio, “Power.” Rob Mazurek’s infatuation with cinema long
has been reflected in his work with various Chicago Underground units. How cool
and appropriate it is then, to have the Underground Trio’s experimental, post-space
age music inspire visuals by gifted filmmaker Raymond Salvatore Harmon. This
excerpt from “Power,” the epic centerpiece of the 2007 DVD, “Chronicle,” offers an
onslaught of arresting images, as fed by Mazurek’s cornet, computer and Moog, Chad
Taylor’s drums and Jason Ajemian’s bass.
Will there be a 60th anniversary Delmark set? That could depend
on whether compact discs will still exist in the year 2013. Rest assured
that however jazz fans acquire recorded music in the future, the glories
of Delmark’s jazz and blues will continue to be celebrated. But right
now, there’s such a wealth of fabulous music to immerse yourself in
here, you won’t be wondering about Uncle Bob Koester’s next
anniversary set for many listenings to come.
- Lloyd Sachs
(This item, as well as the companion blues set, can be found on page 2)
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