Four long tracks that really show reedman Ernest Dawkins at his best – helping the AACM legacy to shine with a bright light in the new century – and really opening the door towards years of spiritual expression from younger generations to come! Dawkins is almost a secret hero in these days – continuing a legacy of spiritual currents that were sometimes overlooked in favor of more European-styled free jazz, but which were always there in the scene, ready to burst forth – which they do strongly here with Dawkins on alto and tenor, Ameen Muhammad on trumpet, Steve Barry on trombone, Darius Savage on bass, and Avreeayl Ra on drums. Kahari B delivers a spoken word passage on "Jazz To Hip Hop" – and other cuts include "Toucoleur", "Third Line & The Cape Town Shuffle", and "Dolphy & The Monk Dance". CD

One of the greatest albums we've heard from Ernest Dawkins in years – and one of the straightest, too! The set's got a hardbop fury we've not always heard from Dawkins – a tight, soulful energy that's spun out beautifully by the local group in the set – a lineup that includes Ernest on alto and tenor, Corey Wilkes on trumpet, Willerm Delisfort on piano, Junius Paul on bass, and Isaiah Spender on drums. Other tracks add in bits of percussion, and Hammond on one tune – and while the music still has all the sharp edges you'd know from Dawkins' time in the AACM, the overall execution feels more like a killer Blue Note or Prestige date from the 60s – particularly in the interplay between trumpet and sax. Titles include "Afro Straight", "United", "Central Park West", "Footprints", "Old Man Blues", and "Juju". CD

Features Jimmy Dawkins on guitar and vocals – with Jimmy Johnson on guitar, Sylvester Boines on bass, and Tyrone Centuray on drums! Sonny Thompson plays a bit of guest piano too. CD

They don't call Jimmy Dawkins "fast fingers" for nothing – and the first few minutes of the record are definitely testament to his mighty power on the guitar! The instrument is electric, and recorded with this sense of powerful echo that easily has Dawkins blowing away some of the UK blues rockers who were starting to get into the game at the time – as do his vocals, which we'd put head to head with some of the giants who took this mode and ran with it through the arena rock scene of the 70s! Yet throughout, it's the guitar that's especially amazing – completely confident and masterful, even though this was Jimmy's first album – with nice lean support from Eddie Shaw on tenor, Lafayette Leake on piano and organ, and Mighty Joe Young on second guitar. Titles include "Little Angel Child", "Night Rock", "Triple Trebles", "It Serves Me Right To Suffer", "Breaking Down", "I Don't Know What Love Is", and "I Wonder Why". CD features two bonus tracks – "Sad & Blues" and "Back Home Blues". CD

Drummer Barrett Deems cut this set in the late 70s – late in a strong career that also included work with Louis Armstrong, Jack Teagarden, and even Benny Goodman – working here in a small combo that's got a very unique approach! The great writer Don DeMichael is in the group on vibes – next to Chuck Hedges on clarinet, Bob Roberts on lead guitar, John Defau on rhythm guitar, Steve Behr on piano, and Wilson McKindra on bass – a group who work in this unusual blend of trad styles and later modes – swinging things with a mix of tradition and more 70s styles of invention. CD

A gritty homegrown set from a legendary blues club on the west side of Chicago! The group features Arthur Duncan on vocal and harmonica – with Illinois Slim and Rick Kreher on guitars – and guest vocals from Little Al Thomas on one track! CD

Really fantastic work from those key early 60s revival years of the great Sleepy John Estes – not one of those too-familiar Newport Festival performances, but instead a never-issued session from 1964 – recorded with the same up-close studio brilliance as the other Delmark 60s material by Estes! The album's a great lost chapter in his career – and Sleepy is on vocal sand guitar, next to the harmonica of Hammie Nixon, and mandolin and second guitar of Yank Rachell – each of whom vocalize slightly, but really let Estes have his time in the spotlight – shining with that special mix of vocal inflections and raw acoustic work on the strings that make this material so great. CD features 17 tracks in all – including "Up & Down", "BK Blues", "80 Highway", "Wadie Green Blues", "NYC Breakdown", "Poor Mother's Child", "New Doorbell Blues", and "Government Money". CD

Sleepy John Estes was rediscovered in 1962, and made a key journey to Europe a few years later – captured here with a lean sound that's maybe even more haunting than some of his famous early records! The set just features Estes on guitar and vocals, with Hammie Nixon on harmonica and jug – and the sound of Nixon's harmonica is completely fantastic – very eerie and spooky, as if the wind is howling through the backdrop behind Estes while he performs – furthering the edge of the whole thing with a really wonderful sound! A tremendous example of 60s rural blues revival work at its best – on titles that include "Airplane Blues", "Who's Been Tellin You", "Denmark Blues", "I'm A Tearing Little Daddy", "Drop Down Mama", "Easin Back To Tennessee", and "Needmore Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

The evergreens here go way back – tunes from the earliest years of jazz, served up by a Seattle combo with a real dedication to their work! The group's an octet, led by bassist Tom Jacobus, who also plays tuba at times – and other players include Jake Powel on soprano and alto, Craig Flory on clarinet and alto, David Holo on cornet, and David Loomis on trombone and a bit of kazoo! Titles include "Stomp Off Let's Go", "On The Bay Of Old Bombay", "Apex Blues", "Got Everything", "Blues In The Air", "Minor Drag", "Swipesy Cake Walk", "Play Me A Frigid Air", "Stock Yards Strutt", "Nappy Lee", "She's Funny That Way", "Every Evening", "Kangaroo Hop", "Wa Wa Wa", "Put 'Em Down Blues", "Ring Dem Bells", and "Ding Dong Blues". CD

The most amazing record to date from Rob Mazurek's Exploding Star Orchestra – just the kind of cosmic, spiritual session you'd expect from the group's name – perfectly placed in a Chicago lineage that includes Sun Ra's Arkestra and the best years of the AACM! The group's got all the collaborative spirit of the latter reference – a largeish ensemble made up of some of the city's most important avant musicians in recent years – including Nicole Mitchell on flute, Jeb Bishop on trombone, Jason Adasiewicz on vibes, Josh Abrams on acoustic bass, Matt Bauder on clarinet and tenor, Jason Stein on bass clarinet, and Mike Reed and John Herndon on drums – all players who know each others strengths through countless gigs together – coming together under the visionary leadership of Rob Mazurek on cornet. There's some slight electro-acoustic elements, which further complicate the sound of the record – but all without ever taking it off base – and the whole thing's got a righteous sort of energy that makes us mighty proud that sounds this great came from our hometown. Titles include "ChromoRocker", "Impression #1", "Ascenscion Ghost Impression #2", and "Three Blocks Of Light". CD

One of the coolest combos working in Chicago these days – a trad jazz group with a really wonderful sound, and a freshness that you'd never find with other trad combos – an electrifying revival of modes we never thought we'd like this much from contemporary players! Tracks include "Uptown", "Edna", "Ruff Scufflin'", "Out Of A Clear Blue Sky", and "Harmony Blues". CD

Very angular improvisations from a trio that features Scott Fields on guitar, Michael Formanek on bass, and Michael Zerang on drums – three players who here really echo the boldness of the Chicago free jazz scene at the time! There's a very strong influence from European improvisation going on – especially in the way that Fields and Formanek play – but there's also some more cohesive moments from time to time, and Zerang, as always, does a great job of picking up the vibe and fitting right in. Titles include "Edmond", "The Woods", "Oleanna", "American Buffalo", and "Prairie Du Chien" – all references to David Mamet, as you might guess from the title. CD

Great material from the sessions for Jimmy Forrest's album All The Gin Is Gone – recorded by Delmark back in their early days, and done with an underground groove that Jimmy didn't always get on record! The core group on the album features players Jimmy was working with under the leadership of Harry Edison – drummer Elvin Jones, pianist Harold Mabern, and bassist Gene Ramey – and a very young Grant Green sits in on guitar on a few of the album's best numbers. Titles include alternates of tracks from All The Gin, plus other numbers new to the set – and tracks include "Dog It", "Black Forrest", "Sunkefoal", "These Foolish Things", "You Go To My Head", "All The Gin Is Gone", and "What's New". CD also features a previously unissued take of "These Foolish Things". CD

Twin tenors on this album – a quintet session with Von Freeman on the right channel and Frank Catalano on the left, backed up by Larry Novak on piano, Larry Kohut on bass, and Joel Spencer on drums. CD

Pianist Paul Giallorenzo has a fantastic flow here – a deeply personal sound that certainly warrants the title – and which is set up beautifully in a trio with Josh Abrams on bass and Mikel Patrick Avery on drums! It's great to hear Abrams working as a sideman in a setting that's a bit more standard than some of his own projects – as his basswork is sublime, and really matches the pacing and energy of Giallorenzo's work on the keys – in a mode that's modern, but never too avant – with almost the freshness of some of the most inventive pianists of the 60s! Paul wrote all the tunes on the album, and they're extremely fresh – not overplayed standards, or easygoing melodies – but instead material that finds its own space and pace, but without ever calling undue attention to itself. Titles include "Flipd Scrip", "Over/Under", "Rolling", "Interstice", "Fractures", "A Way We Go", and "Lightness". CD

An indie jazz classic from the Chicago scene of the 80s – the first album from trumpeter Brad Goode, a very fresh-voiced player with a range that goes far beyond his young years! Goode's got a great group here for the album – a combo that includes tenor player Lin Halliday, who's aging, human lines really give the record an edge – especially in contrast to Brad's put-together trumpet tone – and the group also features pianist Jodie Christian, whose soulful undercurrents really tie the two horn players together nicely. Other players include Dennis Carroll on bass and Jeff Stitely on drums – and titles include "The Hermit", "Winter's Song", "Clock Radio", "The New Blues", and "Tribute To Clifford & Sonny". CD

Great old school Hammond jazz – featuring a trio with tenorist Sax Gordon in the lead, and Alberto Marsico playing some mighty nice lines on organ! The group's got Alessandro Minetto on drums as its third member – which creates an open, exploratory vibe that's not unlike some of the best Don Patterson albums on Prestige in the 60s – although maybe a bit more laidback here, as Gordon's focusing strongly on ballads. Most tracks have plenty of room for both tenor and Hammond solos – and titles include "The Glory Of Love", "Whatever Lola Wants", "Bubbles", "Easy Living", "Big Top Blues", and "In The Wee Small Hours". CD

Some of the few recordings ever made by this tremendous talent from the St Louis scene of the 50s – tenorist Bob Graf, a player with a raspy, modern tone! The work here is nicely stretched out – longer tracks recorded live at Westminster College – partly with a jamming, bop-influenced style, but also with echoes of 50s modernism too – scattered into the solos surprisingly, in the manner of Sonny Rollins at his best – not just by Graf on tenor, but also by bandmate Ron Ruff, who plays flute and additional tenor. Other members of the group include Jimmy Williams on piano, Bob Maisel on bass, and Al St James on drums – on titles that include "Bernie's Tune", "Funky Ride", "Four", "Street Of Dreams", and "Dear Old Stockholm". CD

A well-recorded trad set from the early 60s – a set featuring a group of younger players, but working together at Preservation Hall with a sharp sound that's much more gritty than more mainstream 60s recordings in this style! There's a great sense of space to the record – which captures the kind of combo improvisation still taking place in corners of the New Orleans scene today – a reminder that in the right hands, the music can still have plenty of power and vibrancy! The quartet features Bob Greene on piano, Ernie Carson on cornet, Shorty Johnson on tuba, and Steve Larner on banjo – the last two of whom really recreate the way the instruments were used as an early rhythm section in jazz. CD features five unreleased tracks added to the original album! CD

Features Chicago legend Lin Halliday on tenor – with Ira Sullivan on trumpet and flute, and Jodie Christian on piano! CD

Quite an unusual album from guitarist Fareed Haque – very different than some of his more jazz-based work over the years, as the set features Haque working with a string quartet, on a host of more compositional pieces! The style's maybe in the best Spanish guitar mode – with Haque playing acoustic throughout – stepping out in front of the two violins, viola, and cello at a level that reminds us of compositions by Villa-Lobos or De Falla – although with a bit more improvisation from Fareed. The set includes performances of "El Alevin" by Eduardo Angulo, "Five Tango Sensations" by Astor Piazzolla, and "Quintet For Guitar & Strings" by Leo Brouwer. CD

Great solo piano from Earl Hines – recorded with a bit more care than some of the usual Hines sessions of the time – thanks to good Delmark production! LP, Vinyl record album

With Nappy Trottier on trumpet, George Brunis on trombone, Barney Bigard and Volly De Faut on clarinet, Rail Wilson and Truck Parham on bass, and Barrett Deems on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

Great small group work from this trad piano legend – with a lineup that includes Nappy Trottier on trumpet, Greorge Brunis on trombone, Raymonde Burke on clarinet, Truck Parham on bass, and Barrett Deems on drums. CD

One of the most beautiful Delmark albums recorded by pianist Art Hodes – a set that begins with two duets with bassist Truck Parham, then opens up the door to bring in Barrett Deems on drums and Volly DeFaut on clarinet – the last of whom is a really under-discovered Chicago player, getting a rare chance to record here! Hodes is still tremendous – working with that old-schooled energy that makes his work on the keys seem so effortless – and on two tracks, the group is expanded with the trombone of George Brunis and trumpet of Nappy Trottier – and on two additional tracks, Volly and Barret step aside again – which makes for four duet tracks out of the thirteen on the album. CD

Mindblowing sounds from two of the most creative musicians on the contemporary Chicago scene – coming together in a setting that really brings out the best of both of them! Keefe Jackson's a reedman who can blow with a strong sense of freedom, but never lose his way – and, like session partner Jason Adasiewicz, he often operates in a post-free mode that knows all the farther reaches of the sonic territory, but often sticks closest to the most meaningful, tonally expressive areas! That approach – heard here on tenor and bass clarinet – makes a wonderful combination with Jason's vibes, which we've raved about countless times – and which have never sounded better, here. Adasiewicz is easily one of the most important musicians on his instrument in decades – and a record like this just continues that reign in an amazing way. Titles include "Rows & Rows", "Cannon From The Nothing Suite", "Thunder Cooker", "Caballo Ballo", "Where's Mine", and "A Rose Heading". CD

Keefe Jackson's an artist who seems to change the name of his group with each new recording – and for good reason too, given that every album has a very unique, personal feel! This date's a live recording done at the Jazzwerkstatt Festival – and it features Keefe working with a few key saxophonists from the Chicago scene, in an expanded lineup that also makes way for a rich array of European horns too – a brilliant array of reeds that carves out some marvelous tones and colors throughout! The approach is like a doubling (or tripling) of the sax quartet approach – really taking the concept to a whole new level – using the horns for rhythm, melody, and more – but also allowing plenty of solo space from this amazing lineup. Horns include tenor, alto, soprano, sopranino, and baritone saxes – plus bass clarinet, e flat clarinet, and alto clarinet as well – played by Keefe Jackson, Mars Williams, Waclaw Zimpel, Dave Rempis, Marc Stucki, Peter Schmid, and Thomas Mejer. Titles include "Overture", "Hierarch Follies", "Round Goal", "Roses", "Neither Spin Nor Weave", and "My Time Is My Own" – plus "Bridge Solo" tracks by Jackson and Rempis. CD

A mighty bold statement from the great Keefe Jackson – a Delmark set recorded at a key moment when the Chicago avant jazz scene was exploding with new ideas, and giving birth to a whole new generation! The lineup here bridges two eras, working fantastically under the leadership of Jackson on tenor and clarinet – with work from Jaimie Branch on trumpet, Josh Berman on cornet, Jeb Bishop on trombone, James Falzone on clarinet, Guillermo Gregorio on alto and clarinet, Dave Rempis on alto and baritone, Jason Stein on bass clarinet, Anton Hatwich on bass, and Frank Rosaly on drums – all players who move effortlessly between group and individual expression, on a set of mostly original tunes by Jackson! CD

Some of the earliest work as a leader from the great Willis Jackson – a tenorist known to most for his work on Prestige Records in the 60s, but who first began as a key crossover figure between postwar jazz and R&B! The music here definitely captures Jackson in that mode – great small combo sets recorded for the Apollo label up in Harlem – presented here with cuts that were originally issued as 78rpm singles, plus other unissued titles too – all making for a great overview of these early years! Most numbers were recorded under Jackson's own name – in a combo with Andrew Ford on trumpet, Bill Doggett on piano, and Booty Wood on trombone – but there's also a few done with vocalist Eddie Mack. The set features 16 tracks in all – and titles include "Blow Jackson Blow", "More Blues At Midnight", "Later For The Gator", "Chuck's Chuckles", "On My Own", "Dance Of The Lady Bug", and "Call Of The Gators". CD

Old school boogie woogie, blues and other 1920s piano from Clarence "Jelly Johnson – restored and sounding almost unbelievably clean and lively on this set collected on Delmark! Beautiful south State Street piano sounds of a bygone era of Chicago. Includes "Moanin' The Blues", "Dyin With The Blues", "The Bye Bye Blues", "Gluf Coast Blues", "Graveyard Bound", "Houston Blues", "You Shall Reap What You Sow" and many more. 20 tracks in all. CD

A great later album from Chicago tenorist Eddie Johnson – like Von Freeman, a player who mostly stuck to his local scene for decades, and initially only got the chance to cut a few records over the years! This Delmark date is an overdue follow up to Eddie's excellent 80s set for Nessa – and like that one, it's got a very faithful sound that really captures the kind of soulful expression that Johnson had been bringing to Chicago clubs for years! There's an easygoing swing that has echoes of the way Eddie Harris handled his horn on the scene – and the quartet features John Young on piano, Eddie DeHaas on bass, and George Hughes on drums. Titles include "Whirley Bird", "Gravy Waltz", "Eyes Of Love", "Wanderlust", "You Dirty Dog", and "Trombonio Bustoso Issimo". CD

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A really tremendous album from reedman Andrew Lamb – a set recorded for Delmark Records in the 90s, but one that's every bit as amazing as his music recorded for more avant, underground, or overseas labels! The record's got a bold statement right from the start, one that resonates with earlier spiritual avant sessions from the label's early years – as it's clear that Lamb is a hell of a leader, and a hell of a visionary – blowing tenor in a wonderful combo with Warren Smith on vibes, Wilber Morris on bass, and Andrei Strobert on drums! The music swings at times, but also has these other modes of expression at others – a balance not unlike that on albums by Kalaparusha – and tracks are all originals by Lamb, with titles that include "Portrait In The Mist", "Bohemian Love Affair", "Air & Ear Painters", "Morning Of The Black Swan", and "Light Of The Whirling Dervish". CD

An early Delmark Recording from 1953 – with Lewis on clarinet, Jim Robinson on trombone, and Kid Howard on trumpet! LP, Vinyl record album

A tremendous little record and maybe THE album from trombonist George Lewis – a groundbreaking solo set that's maybe his equivalent of Anthony Braxton's For Alto – and which does similar things both for his instrument and the further growth of the AACM in jazz! The record features Lewis completely solo – but also features one brilliant long track that features overdubs – "Piece For 3 Trombones Simultaneously" – in which Lewis clones himself, and creates this incredible trio trombone sound that's completely wonderful. But even the straight solo tracks are mindblowing – filled with sounds and ideas on the instrument that couldn't have been imagined a decade before – on the titles "Lush Life", "Phenomenology", and "Untitled Dream Sequence". CD

A great 60s performance of New Orleans jazz – one that's recorded n a very lean, faithful style – and at a level that makes the set a key later date for reedman George Lewis! Lewis plays clarinet throughout, in a group that also has superb trombone from Jim Robinson – plus piano from Don Ewell and drums from Cie Frazier. Titles include "Ida", "Wabash Blues", "Ole Miss", "Someday Sweetheart", and "Yes Yes In Your Eyes" – many cuts that are longer than a standard 78rpm single performance. CD features five bonus tracks too! CD

A tight set of trad piano work from Paul Lingle – a west coast pianist who was part of the Yerba Buena Jazz Band – and who, like that group, really plays in a style that echoes the jazz roots of New Orleans! Lingle passed early, but was a great player on his scene from the 30s onwards – and as you'll hear on the set, he definitely knows his way around a keyboard, and works in a quality that matches the original recording's appearance as part of the great Euphonic series. CD

A set that's a real surprise from UK trumpet legend Humphrey Lyttleton – in part because it was recorded in Canada, late in his career – but also in part because it features players not always associated with the trad jazz that Humph usually played – which changes things up nicely! The great Ed Bickert is in the group on guitar, playing with that wonderful sense of color we love on his own records – and Jim Galloway provides reed solos on soprano, baritone, and clarinet – next to Neil Swainson on bass and Terry Clarke on drums. Lyttleton also blows a bit of clarinet at times – and titles include "Lady Jekyll & Mistress Hyde", "Caribana Queen", "Squiggles", "It's A Thing", and "Sprauncy". CD

Really great middle period work from Rob Mazurek – material that has him stretching out in an open solo space, and really prefacing some of the sounds that he'd create on his own more than a decade later! The set is Rob at his most improvisationally creative – working on a mix of instrumentation that adds in plenty of electronics to his familiar cornet, balancing electric and acoustic elements in a really great way – with qualities that are augmented by the work of engineer Casey Rice, who almost acts like a partner on the recording! Tracks all have really long, poetic titles, and vary nicely in length – and together, they provide a glimpse of Rob Mazurek at a real turning point in his career. CD

A beautiful later Delmark album from Kalaparush Maurice McIntyre – one that has all the vivid creative energy of his classic sessions for the label from the 60s! The setting continues McIntyre's work with The Light – a duo of tuba and drums, which makes for some mighty unusual sounds – an odd variant on the bass and drums you might normally hear in an avant trio like this – with lots of complex interplay at the core, and these soaring, searing solos from Kalaparush on tenor sax! His tone is wonderful – as deeply heartfelt all these many years later as it was right back at the start – a rare sound we'd rank right up there with Pharoah Sanders' voice on tenor. Titles include "Noon", "Let Us All Relax", "Here Comes The Light", "Mobo", "Against All Odds", "Evening", and "I Don't Have An Answer Unless It's God". CD

A great document of the talents of pianist Frank Melrose – a musician who did a lot of work on the Chicago scene of the 30s – heard here in a set of recordings before his mysterious early death the following year! Melrose is billed as "Kansas City" on the front cover – and while there are certainly echoes of that city's style, the music here is very much in the best combo modes of the post-New Orleans years of jazz – with work throughout by the great Pete Dailey on cornet – in a lineup that also features Jack Dailey on guitar and banjo, Bill Helgart on trombone, and LeRoy Smith on clarinet. June Davis sings on three tracks – and the album features eighteen rare numbers in all! CD

Harmonica player Al Miller's no newcomer to the scene – as he's got roots in the Chicago blues world of the 60s – and works here on a tight set of tracks that show that his talents have only improved over the years! Al sings a bit, and even plays a bit of guitar – but his harmonica work is the main attraction, set up here with other players who include John Priner, Dave Specter, and Billy Flynn on guitars – plus Ken Saydak on piano and organ, Harlan Terson on bass, and Kenny Smith on drums. CD

Damn great work from Chicago flautist Nicole Mitchell – and another new chapter of her mighty talents! The album's a quartet session that beautifully swings between straight jazz modes and some more creative sounds – never as far out as some of Mitchell's more avant work, but always pushing the boundaries in really great ways. The set's quite different than some of the fuller, more ambitious projects Mitchell has undertaken in recent years – and it's also a change from some of the more intimate solo and duet modes she's used too – and the group features heavy contributions from guitarist Jeff Parker, plus bass from Harrison Bankhead, and drums from Avreeayl Ra. Titles include "Curly Top", "Center Of The Earth", "Snowflakes", "Awakening", "There", and "FOC". CD

A great 90s set from reedman Roscoe Mitchell – a record dedicated to singer Thomas Buckner, who'd performed with Roscoe previously – and one that has Mitchell really pushing his sense of sound structures a lot since the decade before! There's a quality here that at times is almost painterly – yet Mitchell also brings in a few straighter moments too, linking Delmark avant and hardbop traditions – in a group that features Reggie Workman on bass, Albert "Tootie" Heath on drums, and Jodie Christian on piano. Roscoe blows soprano, alto, tenor, and a variety of flutes and other reed instruments – and titles include "In Walked Buckner", "Squeaky", "The Le Dreher Suite", "Opposite Sides", "Fly Over", "Three Sides Of A Story", and "Off Shore". CD

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One of the nicest records we've heard from Jeff Parker in years – a trio date with some wonderfully rich sounds, and a great showcase for some of the more lyrical sides of his music! Parker plays in these great chromatic modes throughout – using some slight effects with his hollow-body electric, in the company of bassist Chris Lopes and drummer Chad Taylor – the latter of whom really helps make the album great, thanks to a fluid, open sense of rhythm – yet one that still always knows how to swing! There's more of a groove here than you might usually expect from Jeff, and a sensitivity too – and the album almost feels like the beginning of a rich new chapter in his career. Titles include "Mainz", "Swept Out To Sea", "Freakadelic", "Istvan", "Occidental Tourist", and "The Morning Of The 5th". CD

A smoker of a set – with Cecil on baritone and flute – alongside Eric Alexander on tenor, Jim Rotondi on trumpert, and Harold Mabern on piano! CD

A great later date from baritone sax giant Cecil Payne – a player who cut some key sides in the 50s, then rarely got a chance to record as a leader after that – but who always brought something special to the table when he did! That's definitely the case here, as the album's got a sharp hardbop crackle that takes us back to Payne's roots – as he works here on the Chicago scene with help from a great lineup that includes Marcus Belgrave on trumpet, Eric Alexander and Lin Halliday on tenor, Harold Mabern on piano, John Ore on bass, and Joe Farnsworth on drums! The record came at a key time when younger players like Alexander and Farnsworth were helping to bring old school hard bop energy back to the game – and the presence of Payne really gives the record a lot of focus, especially since most of the tracks are originals by Cecil too. Tracks are nice and long, and titles include "Scotch & Milk", "Et Vous Too Cecil", "Lady Nia", "Cit Sac", and "I'm Goin In". CD

One of the Delmark classics from tenorist Ed Peterson – a great player on the Chicago scene at the time of this set, and a musician who can easily shift between bop creativity, modern moments, and some more laidback ballads! The group here features trumpet by either Odies Williams or Billy Brimfield, depending on the track – and bold rhythms from Willie Pickens on piano, Brian Sandstrom on bass, and Robert Shy on drums – working under Peterson's leadership on some nicely swinging numbers of the sort they would have played in Windy City clubs! Titles include "The Haint", "Larry Smith", "Walking In The Sky", "Jitterbug Waltz", "Bebop", and "Green Chimneys". CD

The cover's a bit cheesy, but the record is rock-solid – the Delmark debut of tenorist Ed Peterson, recorded after years of making Chicago swing with his weekly gigs at the legendary Green Mill! Ed's got a really classic sound here – very different than you might expect from the date, and with an edge at times that's a nice surprise too – working in a combo that features excellent guitar work from Fareed Haque, often more down to earth than his own records – plus Brad Williams on piano, Rob Amster on bass, and Jeff Stitely on drums. Titles include "Elliott Ness", "Objects In The Mirror Are Closer Than They Appear", "Onus B", "For Dan", "Dan's Idea", and "Poem For Tortured Spirits". CD

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Sun Ra's first album as a leader – originally issued on the Transition label, but presented here in its better-known incarnation by Delmark Records! Even at this early point, Ra had a sound unlike any of his contemporaries – large group and modern, but not in a way that showed any similarities to work going on in New York or LA – a voice that was all his own, and already quite boldly stated, even in these early years! The format might be somewhat familiar – an ensemble with horns and rhythm – but the overall execution really starts to open up as the album moves on – with odd phrasings, timings, and unusual moments that live up to all the promise you might expect from Ra. Even Mingus and some of his better-known contemporaries weren't heading in these directions in the mid 50s – and the record is a proud showcase of the freedoms that players were often accorded in the less-trafficked Chicago scene of the time. Horns include Art Hoyle & Dave Young on trumpets, John Gilmore on tenor sax, Pat Patrick on baritone, Julian Priester on trombone, and James Scales on alto sax – and rhythm includes Jim Herndon on tympani, Robert Barry on drums, Wilbur Green on electric bass, and a young Richard Evans on acoustic bass! Titles include "Brainville", "Call For All Demons", "Transition", "Lullaby For Realville", "Street Named Hell", "New Horizons", "Fall Off The Long", "Possession", and "Future". LP, Vinyl record album

Pianist Javier Red's got a nicely bold way of using his instrument – often in these chunky waves of sound, which are then augmented by actions from the other members of the quartet – Jake Wark on tenor, Ben Dillinger on bass, and Gustavo Cortinas on drums – all players who can romp rhythmically together, but in a nicely offbeat way! Wark often draws these lines that are on angles to the rest – with a sometimes-snakey way of handling his solos too – and titles include "Minimal Expansion", "Suspension", "Cycles", "Saturation", and "Balancing Fragments". CD

Maybe the greatest work we've heard so far from Chicago bassist Jason Roebke – a key player on so many sessions for other jazzmen in recent years, but a hell of a visionary leader on his own! Roebke composed all new material for the record – and the set's performed by an octet that's overloaded with heavyweights – including Josh Berman on cornet, Jason Stein on bass clarinet, Keefe Jackson on tenor, Jeb Bishop on trombone, Jason Adasiewicz on vibes, and Mike Reed on drums – all players very familiar with Roebke's sound and style, and a great choice to carry out his mission in the music. There's definitely a compositional structure to the record, but many sounds are quite free, too – individual voices soaring out strongly in this flurry of notes and tones. Titles include "High Red Center", "Slow", "Dirt Cheap", "No Passengers", "Ten Nights", "Shadow", and "Ballin". CD

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Overlooked early genius from the great Zoot Sims – material recorded between his time at Prestige and Dawn Records, but done for the mostly-trad Jump Records label! The material here was originally issued under the name of trumpeter Hall Daniels, who led the group – and in addition to Sims on tenor, the set features a decidedly modern lineup , with Bob Gordon on baritone sax, Dick Nash on trombone, and Tony Rizzi on guitar! Tunes are all more than a few minutes long, and give Sims some great room to solo – as well as some of the other players too – and the CD brings together tracks from the original 10" release, plus additional tracks from a 1977 Zim Records release, and three more unreleased tracks too. There's a few alternate versions on the set – and titles include "Compatability", "The Way You Look Tonight", "You Don't Know What Love Is", "Nash-Ville", and even a bit of studio patter too! CD

A strong set of avant jazz resistance from the Chicago scene – and a classic from drummer Ted Sirota, who does a great job of bridging the city's avant jazz and post-rock undergrounds! Sirota's a sometimes-overlooked figure in Chicago jazz – but a record like this stands as a great example of the contributions he made – bringing together a lineup that includes Jeff Parker on guitar and keyboards, Jeb Bishop on trombone, Geoff Bradfield on tenor and soprano, and Clark Sommers on bass – on tracks that are often rhythmic, but have some looser, freer moments too – with currents that run through local label legacies that include Delmark, International Anthem, and Thrill Jockey! All material is penned by the group – and titles include "Knife", "This Is A Takeover", "Saro Wiwa", "Chairman Fred", "For Martyrs", "Breeding Resistance", and "Huntsville TX". CD

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The great Roosevelt Sykes has a legacy of blues recordings that goes way back to the early days of the 78rpm single – but he really seems to shine even more in later years, when labels like Delmark helped really give him a chance to get back on top, and show the world what they'd been missing over the past few decades! This well-done recording has Sykes in similar overseas territory as Memphis Slim – playing piano with all sorts of jazzy currents and rich colors, while also singing in this crackling, raspy voice that seems to have only gotten better with age – very much in a style that more mainstream artists were beginning to copy at the time – but which is best heard here in the hands of the master! Titles include "Big Ben", "Boot That Thing", "True Thing", "Henry Ford Blues", "44 Blues", and "Sugar Cup". CD

Features work from Ari Brown, Edwin Williams, and Lester Bowie! CD

One of those key 90s albums that has trumpeter Malachi Thompson giving an older spiritual jazz star a showcase that's maybe better than they've had in years – in this case, the great Gary Bartz, who blows alto and soprano throughout – helping Thompson hit some of the same soaring modes that he reached when working with Billy Harper! The album's really out of time – much more of a 70s spiritual session overall, and one that unfortunately was initially only ever issued on CD – with a great core group that also features Kirk Brown on piano, Harrison Bankhead on bass, and Nasar Abadey – plus occasional added work from Steve Berry on trombone, Tony Carpenter on percussion, and the great Dee Alexander on vocals. Alexander sings on "Surrender Your Love" – and other titles include "Mansa", "Nefertiti", "Song For Morgan", "Circles In The Air", and "Busy Little Fingers". CD

Later work from this postwar swing legend – a small combo live set that features Sir Charles Thompson on piano – with Eric Schneider on saxophone and clarinet, Ed de Haas on bass, and Charles Braugham on drums. CD

With special guest Edith Wilson. CD

Spiritual sounds from William Warfield – a very old-school styled singer, and one who moves effortlessly between gospel roots and trad jazz expressions! The material is half spiritual, and half secular – and Warfield sings here with the band of Bill Carter, which includes trumpet from Leon Oakley, trombone from Jim Klippert, and piano from Warfield himself! Titles include "Just A Closer Walk", "Down By The Riverside", "Every Time I Feel The Spirit", "Make Me A Pallet On The Floor", and "Something Within Me". CD

The incredible mid 60s album from blues singer and harp blower Junior Wells and his Chicago Blues Band with Buddy Guy! This is a most pivotal set in which Junior & his players don't sound as if they're trying to imbue blues tradition with urban grit and electricity – it simply seems to happen naturally, and you can really imagine when you hear this how it blue the minds of so many Brit and American rock & blues fellows who would come the recast the style with their own life and experiences, and pretty much take over popular music with it. Titles include "Snatch It Back & Hold It", "In The Wee Wee Hours", "Hey Lawdy Mama", "Hoodoo Man Blues", "Yonder Wall", and "Chitlin Con Carne". CD

A live performance done in celebration of the long-running Chicago blues radio show – with a few tracks by each artist! CD

22 songs from Eddie Chamblee, TJ Fowler, Sax Mallard & Roosevelt Sykes, Jim Conley & Memphis Slim, JT Brown, Wild Bill Moore, Floyd Taylor, and Swinging Sax Kari. CD

An amazing look at Jazz Ltd – an important outlet for trad jazz in Chicago during the postwar years – and a venue that offered up a crucial residence for a sound that was already beginning to fade in the Windy City! The music here is from the prime early days of the club, and shows the strength of talent they were able to showcase – recordings by players who were experiencing something of a revival in other outlets, but doing some might great work here in Chicago. Titles include "Maryland My Maryland" and "Egyptian Fantasy" by Sidney Bechet, "A Good Man Is Hard To Find" by Muggsy Spanier, "Maple Leaf Rag" by Don Ewell, "Wolverine Blues" by Doc Evans, "Tin Roof Blues" and "Bluin The Blues" by Miff Mole & Doc Evans, and even an interview with club owners Bill and Ruth Reinhardt. CD

R&B, gritty blues, and some killer tenor talents – a wicked collection of vintage masters from legendary indie United Records – a Chicago label that was almost as important as Chess during their few years in existence! Musically, the package is very much on a par with Ace/Kent collections of this type – the sort that might feature material from King or Modern/RPM Records from the same vintage – and our hat's off to Delmark for doing such a great job of bringing back these crucially overlooked sounds from Chicago! Titles include "Cool Leo" by Leo Parker", "Cut That Out (alt)" by Junior Wells, "Organ Grinder" by Jimmy Coe, "Walking Home" by JT Brown, "Let's Get High" by Morris Pejoe, "Crazy Walk" by Tab Smith, "In The Dark" by Grant Jones, "Nona" by Paul Bascomb, "Goodbye" by The Pastels, "Tiny's Boogie" by Tiny Grimes, "Sophisticated Lady (alt)" by Jimmy Forrest, and "Come In The Room" by Robert Anderson. CD

Amazing work from one of the greatest jazz musicians working today – vibist Jason Adasiewicz, a player with a sound that's unlike anyone else we can think of! It's been years since we've been this excited about anyone on the vibes – and Adasiewicz not only returns the instrument to the prominence in avant jazz that it had during Bobby Hutcherson's "new thing" years, but also pushes the instrument forward in this incredible flurry of tones, sounds, and timings! And while these qualities have always been showcased in all of his albums as a leader – and his great dates with other players too – they really come to the forefront in this sublime trio session – a date that only features Jason on vibes, Mike Reed on drums, and Ingebrigt Haker Flaten on bass. The trio are incredible throughout – and the record's a modern jazz treasure that you could easily stack next to your most forward-thinking classics on ESP, MPS, or even Blue Note in the mid 60s. Titles include "Two Comes One", "Mae Flowers", "Classic Route", "Leeza", "I Forgot The Words", and "Cubane". CD

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Vintage piano work from some boogie woogie giants – most of it cut before there was even a Delmark Records to issue the material! A good deal of these sides were cut in Chicago in 1939 – a point when older styles of piano were coalescing into the tightly vamping, highly rhythmic mode that was known as boogie woogie – a moniker that seems kind of cheesy from our perspective, and which hardly does the power of this music justice! Most tunes feature just solo piano, but that's more than enough – given that the frenetic action on the keys often more than fills up the space that would normally be taken by bass or drums. Titles include "Pinetop's Blues" by Albert Ammons, "Deep Morgan" and "Pickin Em Out Again" by Henry Brown, "G Flat Blues" by Pete Johnson, "Streamline Train" and "Mistaken Blues" by Cripple Clarence Lofton, "Closing Time" by Meade Lux Lewis, "Dirty Dozens" by Speckled Red, and "Boogie Woogie Prayer" by Ammons, Johnson, and Lewis. CD