Delmark 50th Anniversary

For our Chicagoland friends:

The inaugural celebration of Delmark Records’ 50th Anniversary will take place Thursday, January 23, 2003, at the Chicago Cultural Center.

Scheduled to perform are blues guitarists/vocalists Jimmy Burns and Johnny B. Moore in a solo acoustic setting; Chicago jazz stalwarts pianist Jodie Christian and tenor saxophonist Fred Anderson; and bandleader, arranger, composer and educator Ernest Dawkins’ New Horizons Ensemble featuring guitarist Jeff Parker. Details of the event is as follows:

Thursday, January 23, 2003 – 7:30 PM
CHICAGO CULTURAL CENTER – Preston Bradley Hall
78 E. Washington, Chicago
(312)744-6630
FREE ADMISSION

Chocolate-smooth vocalist and guitarist Jimmy Burns was bestowed “Blues Record of the Year” by the Association For Independent Music (A.F.I.M.) in 1996 for his Leaving Here Walking album. Burns has just completed his third Delmark CD, Back to the Delta, due out in 2003. Leading representative of the west-side guitar style, guitarist Johnny B. Moore received a Grammy Award for his compelling arrangements and vigorous guitar playing on Koko Taylor’s 1975 album, Earthshaker. 73-year-old, tenor-sax powerhouse Fred Anderson, club owner of Chicago’s avant-garde musical hub, the Velvet Lounge, and co-founder of AACM (Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians) will explore and channel extraterrestrial sonics beside long-time ally, pianist Jodie Christian. Christian has been a mainstay of Chicago’s jazz scene for decades, warranting five critically acclaimed Delmark albums. Ernest Dawkins’ internationally renowned New Horizons Ensemble blends bebop, salsa, and swing with African culture, style and flair. NHE has just completed a new Delmark CD due out in February titled, “Cape Town Shuffle: Live at HotHouse.” NHE’s featured guitarist, Jeff Parker, is best known for his progressive guitar work in Tortoise and the Chicago Underground Duo /Trio /Orchestra projects. His new Delmark album, “Like-Coping,” Parker’s debut as a leader, is due out in February.

Delmark Records, one of the oldest independent labels still owned and operated by its founder, began when Bob Koester recorded a local traditional jazz band, the Windy City Six, on September 19, 1953 while a student at St. Louis University in Missouri. “They deserved to be recorded,” says Koester. Fifty years later, Koester still operates under the same philosophy of giving deserving artists a chance to record their music.

I love the Delmark label and this sounds like one smoking hot celebration. We have relatives in the area – sounds like a good time for a visit.

A very fine history of Delmark is available here.