In this day and age of bottom lines and demographics controlling the music industry, it's hard to believe there are still people in the business because they love the music they record and sell. But when Bob Koester started selling jazz and blues records out of his St. Louis University dormitory room it was simply because he liked the music. Now fifty-five years, three or four store locations, and a move to Chicago later, Bob's Delmark label continues to issue four or five CDs and a couple of DVDs every month of the music he still loves.

For about the past year or so I've been reviewing the discs that Bob's label puts out. That means I've been listening to everything from traditional jazz, the Avant Garde, Barrelhouse Piano, be-bop, Chicago blues, and everything else that could fall into the jazz and blues categories. Listening to the music from Delmark Records is like being taken on a guided tour of jazz and blues music from the early parts of the twentieth century up to what's being played in the local club scene in Chicago today.

In one month I've received a CD of music that featured re-mastered and digitally transferred player piano roles, a DVD of a concert given by an improvisational jazz group, a traditional jazz CD, and a DVD of a blues gig from one of the many clubs that are still thriving in Chicago today.

One of the clubs that Delmark records gigs at is The Green Mile, which first opened it's doors in 1907. You can imagine during prohibition people drinking whisky out of tea cups and guys like Al Capone commandeering a table in the corner for himself and his cronies in a place like that.

There aren't not many contemporary record labels that allow you to feel that sense of history, or even care about it. At Delmark they don't live in the past, but they don't forget about it either. Folk singer Utah Philps once said "The past didn't go anywhere ... it's a stream that runs by my door". Bob Koester and Delmark records have been panning that stream for fifty-five years now and pulling out chunks of musical gold for whoever wants to listen.

On Friday January 25th/2008 I spent a couple of hours on the phone with Bob, talking about the history of Delmark Records, and his personal love affair with the music. After talking with Bob, I'm convinced if I ever want to write a book about jazz and blues music of the twentieth century, he'd be the first person I'd go to for information. He's a walking compendium of twentieth century jazz and blues. The interview you're going to read probably represents only about a third of what we talked about - stuff that pertains directly to Delmark records and Bob. But I think you'll be able to get a good idea of the depth of his knowledge, and love, for the music.