Bob Koester, lover of jazz and blues music and the owner of The Jazz Record Mart in Chicago, is one of the pivotal figures of not only the Chicago blues, but of blues and rock music in general. Koester launched Delmark Records in 1953, reissuing classic sides and sliding, bit-by-bit, into original recordings. With the 1965 release of Junior Wells' classic, influential Hoodoo Man Blues, Koester put Delmark on the cultural map and changed the face of blues music forever, introducing a white audience to the sound of (blue) Chicago.
Delmark Records celebrated its anniversary in 2008 with the release of the excellent two-CD set 55 Years of Blues, a look back at the label's storied past with music from both well-known blues artists like Junior Wells, Otis Rush, Magic Sam, and Sleepy John Estes as well as lesser-known, but incredible singers and instrumentalists like Bonnie Lee, Willie Kent, Jimmy Dawkins, and Floyd McDaniel.
In March 2008, Delmark sponsored a 55th anniversary blues bash at Buddy Guy's Legends club in Chicago that featured a wealth of talent from the label's local artist roster. The It Ain't Over DVD and its companion CD document the night's festivities for those of us unfortunate enough to have missed the party.
Delmark Records' It Ain't Over DVD
A big-voiced, old-school blues-belter in the Koko Taylor vein, Zora Young's "Til The Fat Lady Sings" uses a nifty lil' bit o' slang to create its socially-relevant lyrical blues. Chicago blues guitarist Lurrie Bell delivers a funky solo, full of soul and power, while Dave Specter checks in with his own stinging solo during the seven-minute-plus extended jam, fueled by Roosevelt Purifoy's bluesy keyboards.
Another bona-fide underrated Chicago blues legend, Jimmy Johnson brings his fluid guitar tone and soulful vocals to "Cold, Cold Feeling." Johnson's jazzy guitar licks remind of B.B. King, but his distinctive style has been forged by hundreds, if not thousands of nights spent performing in poorly-lit, smoke-filled blues clubs.
Johnson's "You Don't Know What Love Is" is an equally gorgeous blues heartbreaker. Dave Specter's solo near the end of the song starts out with subtle notes before blossoming into a thing of stunning beauty, emotion and tears flying from the fretboard.
Delmark Celebrates 55 Years Of Blues
The beloved Little Arthur Duncan performed at Delmark's 55th anniversary party not long before his death in August 2008. But what a performance the venerable bluesman kicked out here, full of life and vitality. "Pretty Girls Everywhere" has funky swagger and a slight bit of swamp-blues vibe. With his harmonica in hand, Little Arthur delivers a strutting, confident reading, tossing in icy-cold arctic blasts of harp in between the song's bawdy lyrics. Guitarist Nick Moss steps up to pound out a short-but-sweet solo before Duncan launches into a hailstorm of harmonica notes.
Little Arthur's "I Got To Go" is an up-tempo blues romp, Duncan sitting down to belt out the song's fast-paced lyrics with no little passion and power. Flanked on stage by guitarists Moss and Rick Kreher, Duncan leaps into a stormy harp solo that is balanced perfectly by the legendary Bob Stroger's nimble bass lines. Moss takes a longer solo this time 'round, a lively, trebly-sounding flurry of notes whose vibrating energy is belied by Moss' casual, skilled playing.
Lurrie Bell & Eddie Shaw
Lurrie Bell is, perhaps, one of the most underrated of contemporary bluesmen, a skilled guitarist and intelligent songwriter that has battled his personal demons to emerge from the fire a stronger, and wiser man. Tampa Red's classic "Don't You Lie To Me" displays Bell's talents right up front in the mix. Bell is not an inconsiderable singer, either, possessing a voice suitably tempered for the blues, capable of both joy and heartbreak. With the band delivering a shuffling rhythmic backdrop, and with his guitar held high across his body, Bell's solos are the elemental stuff that the blues is made of....
Eddie Shaw's wailing saxplay changes the mood a little, adding a different dimension to the (mostly) guitar-based blues of the evening. Make no mistake, though, 'cause Shaw's "For You My Love" is pure blues feeling - just substitute Shaw's energetic sax blasts for a blues harp with keyboardist Roosevelt Purifoy banging away at the 88s as a rhythmic counterpoint to Shaw's vocals and horn, and the song both rocks and rolls.
The One-And-Only Tail Dragger
Chicago's one-and-only Tail Dragger is the epitome of the city's blues sound. With a raucous, raspy voice and a performing dynamic that typically puts him right down in the audience, Tail Dragger gives the reading of each song everything he has, heart and soul.
"My Woman Is Gone" is a muscular down-n-dirty blues tune featuring Tail Dragger's best Howlin' Wolf growl as the band, including guitarist Bell and harp-blaster Billy Branch, delivers a greasy Delta groove. Branch's explosive harp solo is matched by Tail Dragger's moanin' at midnight vox. With sparks flying from his fingertips, Bell spits out a smoky solo that burns itself deep into the song's groove.
The Reverend's Bottom Line
The past, present, and future of Delmark Records are all represented by the strong performances featured on It Ain't Over. A visual documentation of both the label's 55th anniversary party and of the wonderful sound and fury of the Chicago blues, this is a DVD that you'll want to watch over and over again. (Delmark Records, released May 19, 2009)
