I was saddened to read that Delmark records founder Bob Koester had died last month. I believe that this label is one of the oldest jazz record labels that survives and that has not been consumed by the international companies like Universal. Delmark is based in Chicago and has captured much of the music that defines the city with the label being one of the most significant ones for Blues and avant garde jazz. There have been more mainstream musicians on the roster but when the label had diverged, it is usually in to the realms of more vintage styles of jazz which reflected Koester's personal taste.
I would imagine that most people picking up Delmark records are going to be fans of the blues, whether this is classic recordings from the 1960s or their modern counterparts who seems to have a smaller yet dedicated following. Koester sold the label a few years back and many of the best jazz artists on their roster have moved away from Chicago. I would have to say that the albums the label issued in the 2010s helped to put the Chicago scene back on the map and consequently reinvigorate the New York scene which had started to lose it's edge. Recent artists included the likes of Nicole Mitchell, Jason Roebke, Josh Berman, Keefe Jackson, Jason Adasiewicz, Rob Mazurek, Paul Giaillorenzo and Frank Rosaly featured heavily in Delmark's catalogue and made Delmark the "go to" record label for a while. There are also blues artists like Linsey Alexander who have taken over the mantle from the likes of B B King.
There was an article on All about Jazz several years ago which said that Delmark's output was as immediately recognisable as ECM but I still think Delmark is a label that has been under-appreciated by most jazz fans.
I would imagine that most people picking up Delmark records are going to be fans of the blues, whether this is classic recordings from the 1960s or their modern counterparts who seems to have a smaller yet dedicated following. Koester sold the label a few years back and many of the best jazz artists on their roster have moved away from Chicago. I would have to say that the albums the label issued in the 2010s helped to put the Chicago scene back on the map and consequently reinvigorate the New York scene which had started to lose it's edge. Recent artists included the likes of Nicole Mitchell, Jason Roebke, Josh Berman, Keefe Jackson, Jason Adasiewicz, Rob Mazurek, Paul Giaillorenzo and Frank Rosaly featured heavily in Delmark's catalogue and made Delmark the "go to" record label for a while. There are also blues artists like Linsey Alexander who have taken over the mantle from the likes of B B King.
There was an article on All about Jazz several years ago which said that Delmark's output was as immediately recognisable as ECM but I still think Delmark is a label that has been under-appreciated by most jazz fans.
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