DUAL UNITY

For this album, Sun Ra collected an arsenal of exotic string instruments and handed them out to his Arkestra on the precept that "strings could touch people in a special way." That the Arkestrans didn't know how to play or tune these instruments was not beside the point-it was the point. Ra framed it "a study in ignorance." The result was primitive, yet sophisticated; brutal, yet highly sensitive. In his essay for this expanded edition of the 1967 Saturn LP, musician-curator David Toop calls Strange Strings "saturated in mystery." Fans of Sun Ra's Space Bop and genre-bending jazz were in for a shock with Strange Strings. Even in the eclectic and sometimes baffling Sun Ra catalog, Strange Strings is an outlier. It's primitive, it's sophisticated, but it's not a gradient of either. It's brutal, yet highly sensitive. Is it music, or just noise? Or noise as music? John Cage could not be reached for comment. Ra had accumulated an arsenal of exotic string instruments from curio shops and music stores. At his makeshift rehearsal/recording space (Sun Studio = Ra's apartment at 48 East 3rd Street), these artifacts were handed out to members of the Arkestra on the precept that "strings could touch people in a special way." That the Arkestrans didn't know how to play these instruments was not beside the point-it was the point. Ra termed it "a study in ignorance." To this unconventional "string section" he added a few sonic oddities, including a large piece of tempered sheet metal on which was chiseled the letter "X." The band's "space vocalist" Art Jenkins rounded out the ensemble. The original 1967 Saturn LP version of Strange Strings was monophonic, contained three tracks, and suffered distortion in the mastering (perhaps due to the high-decibel studio performance and excessive reverb). Yet some sessions were captured in stereo. A dozen strange-string works have been located, five of which are included on this remastered edition. (The others have been released on other labels; see discography inside gatefold.) No track titles appeared on the original Saturn LP verso, but the three works issued were later identified as "World's Approaching," the LP title track, and an inversion of the title, "Strings Strange." A belatedly discovered tape box listed the third recording as "Strange Strange," a title which has been used in this edition.

LP version. "God Is More Than Love Can Ever Be is something of a rarity in the Sun Ra catalog - a cohesive album with none of the stylistic eclecticism and musical chair shifting many of the artist's self-released LPs were known for. Recorded at Variety Studios one day in 1979, the album's five tracks comprise a solid jazz trio set. God Is More Than Love... is the only complete piano-bass-drums studio session in the massive Sun Ra catalog. The album offers an intense set of cosmic vagabond moods, reflecting the telepathy that is the essence of small combo jazz. Other than an overdubbed second piano on 'Days Of Happiness' the five works were spontaneously generated and forever fixed: none of the titles recur in the encyclopedic Ra discography. Originally released on Saturn in several small press runs under the alternate title 'Days Of Happiness' between 1979 and 1981, fully realized artwork was never established and the album never got much circulation, thus it has remained a largely overlooked session in the Ra omniverse. Nearly 40 years later, the record is long overdue for acclaim on it's second time around. Newly remastered edition on CD and LP (with tip-on style jackets/ RTI vinyl)"

Enshrined in the Penguin Jazz Guide's "Core Collection", this quintessential platter of Sun Ra's late 1950s Chicago ensemble showcases the brilliant tenor sax stylings of John Gilmore, and introduces Arkestra mainstays Marshall Allen, Pat Patrick, and Ronnie Boykins. Recorded and issued in 1959, it marks a coda for the bandleader's bebop/hard-bop stage, as his interstellar traveler persona began to transform the band (and the music). Many of the early works on these recordings would remain staples in Arkestra set lists for the rest of Sun Ra's life. Includes the complete, contemporaneous Sound Sun Pleasure LP, rare stereo mixes, and bonus tracks.

Vinyl LP pressing.

Like a well - wrought character in a Hollywood movie, Standards From Film, guitarist Mike Moreno's fourth Criss Cross album, exists atop a solid, cogent back story. Recorded in December 2021, when the world and New York City - Houston-born Moreno's home for more than two decades - were no longer on COVID lockdown, it documents the leader's exhaustive investigations into the provenance of ten iconic standards that, as he puts it, "are the summer jazz workshop tunes" - they say you have to learn these songs if you want to be a jazz musician. You learn them very young or in the beginning days of your journey into this music. The album was recorded December 22, 2021 at the Samurai Hotel Recording Studio in NY. Recording engineer Mike Marciano also did the editing, mixing and mastering at Systems Two in NY. Vinyl remastering has also been done by Mike Marciano at Systems Two In NY. The album originally has been released on CD October 22, 2022 (Criss Cross 1410 CD)

MONK

CHERRY JAM

Tribute is now available on LP in a limited edition of 1,000 with numbered jackets. Newly recorded blues celebration of Delmark's 65th Anniversary Tribute features Delmark's current roster of artists paying tribute to founder Bob Koester and artists that recorded for the label in the 1960s and 70s. Jimmy Johnson & Dave Specter pay tribute to Magic Sam. Omar Coleman pays tribute to Junior Wells. Lil' Ed pays tribute to J.B. Hutto. Corey Dennison pays tribute to Sleepy John Estes, Lurrie Bell & The Bell Dynasty pay tribute to their dad Carey Bell. Linsey Alexander and Billy Flynn pay tribute to Jimmy Dawkins. And more!

Dave Specter'S 30 YEAR MUSICAL JOURNEY ON DELMARK showcases the guitarist, songwriter and vocalist surrounded by a stellar lineup of special guests including: OTIS CLAY, JIMMY JOHNSON, RONNIE EARL, LURRIE BELL, BILLY BRANCH, WILLIE KENT, JORMA KAUKONEN, JACK McDUFF, LYNWOOD SLIM, SHARON LEWIS, JESSE FORTUNE, BARKIN' BILL SMITH, STEVE FREUND, FLOYD McDANIEL, TAD ROBINSON, LENNY LYNN and more! Specter's career has been intertwined with the deepest roots of Chicago blues and Delmark's rich musical history. This double CD release constitutes a definitive testimony to one of today's most tasteful and versatile blues artists featuring Specter in a wide variety of styles, all played with six string soul., ALL TRACKS REMASTERED AT DELMARK'S RIVERSIDE STUDIO BY JULIA A. MILLER. INCLUDES GATEFOLD JACKET WITH EXTENSIVE DISCOGRAPHY, LINER NOTES BY HISTORIAN DICK SHURMAN, DIGITAL DOWNLOAD CARD OF THE COMPLETE DOUBLE CD EDITION FEATURING 11 MORE TRACKS.

Paul Giallorenzo's new jazz trio album has been released October 14th, 2023 on Chicago's Delmark Records label, featuring Joshua Abrams on double bass and Mikel Patrick Avery on drums.

Shaping their musical heritage together for 15 years, saxophonist Keefe Jackson and vibist Jason Adasiewicz have been vital in defining and refining "The Chicago Sound". Their relationship with Delmark has spanned over a decade; combined they have 20 albums on the label. On Rows And Rows, six of the nine original compositions were composed specifically for the session, while the remaining three are older tunes re-imagined for duo. The atmosphere of a jazz duet can paint one of the most personal and intimate musical conversations. This one brings the listener into their world, creating a social environment that you may want to tap your foot to, or even go a little further.

2017 repress forthcoming; originally released in 1966. Featured artists: Albert Ayler (tenor sax), Ed Blackwell (trumpet), Don Cherry (trumpet, cornet), Sunny Murray (drums), Gary Peacock (bass), Roswell Rudd (trombone), John Tchicai (saxophone, alto sax). Michael Snow is a Canadian national treasure, a true Renaissance man. He assembled a stellar group to improvise a sound track for his art film, titled Walking Woman, featuring a silhouette that is rumored to have been inspired by Carla Bley. Digitally remastered. Manufactured in the USA by the original label. New digipak format. "This is a very interesting set, music that was freely improvised and used as the soundtrack for the 34-minute short film New York Eye and Ear Control. Tenor saxophonist Albert Ayler leads the all-star sextet (which also includes trumpeter Don Cherry, altoist John Tchicai, trombonist Roswell Rudd, bassist Gary Peacock and drummer Sunny Murray) on two lengthy jams. The music is fiery but with enough colorful moments to hold one's interest throughout." -Scott Yanow, AllMusic

Vinyl LP pressing. Live album from the iconic blues guitarist and vocalist.

There's nothing like the sound of a world-class bluesman getting back to business. Last October, when Bernard Allison returned to his old haunt of Bessie Blue Studios, Tennessee, to be greeted by fabled producer and career-long collaborator Jim Gaines, it felt like coming home. And when Allison fired up the amps, counted in the band and embarked upon his latest studio album,�Highs And Lows, everything felt right with the world. "Just to be able to create music again after the pandemic," he says of that long-awaited rebirth, "was incredible." For 56 years, music has been Bernard Allison's essence. As the youngest son of the much-missed Chicago bandleader Luther Allison, he was a bluesman from birth, naturally drawn to this ancient music that seemed to heal deep wounds, and held spellbound by early encounters with heavyweights like Muddy Waters, Albert King and Hound Dog Taylor.