ALLEGHENY JAZZ QUARTER

Guts. That's what this record is all about: Otis Rush's days in hell, and the tentative joys of returning above ground. Everything about Otis Rush says guts: his squeezing, piercing guitar, his raw-boned, blood-tinged vocals, his lyrics, full of a profound sense of the trips men and women lay on each other - and most of all, his courage to open up from the inside and let all this out in his music. Original 1975 recording with Abb Locke, Big Moose, Mighty Joe Young and others."This 1975 release cooks all the way through with Rush's vocalsbursting with blues emotion and his guitar cranking out pain. MightyJoe Young is the second guitarist on board. Very hot." - Music Revue.

The Edward Petersen Quintet has been appearing weekly at Chicago's well known jazz club, The Green Mill, for about three years. The music on this album is a sampling of that which the group performs in a "live" situation. These recordings were done directly to a two track digital recorder and no elaborate production techniques (i.e. fixing mistakes) was possible. These are simply recordings of the band playing the way we play.

Chris Woods made his first records in the early '50s but his most prolific period was around the time of this session. He had recorded three European albums as leader, and as sideman with Dizzy Gillespie, Ernie Wilkins, Clark Terry, Ted Curson and others. But a new album with American sidemen had to be done. A date was found amid Chris' busy bookings with Clark Terry, Ted Curson and Buddy Rich. Modus Operandi is a great example of the versatility of multi-instrumentalist Chris Woods.

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.

The collaborative trio of Ben Goldberg (clarinet, contra alto clarinet), Geof Bradfield (soprano and tenor saxophones, bass clarinet) and Dana Hall (percussion) explores new directions on General Semantics. Their Delmark Records debut features original music by the trio as well as unique interpretations of Duke Ellington, Cecil Taylor, and Hermeto Pascoal. The unusual instrumentationespecially the lack of a bassist- enables the musicians to transcend traditional instrument roles of accompaniment, improvisation, and interaction and create music that embraces form and harmony alongside freedom and spontaneous improvisation.

DELMARK'S 70th ANNIVERSARY BLUES ANTHOLOGY Featuring 10 of the finest tracks from the Delmark blues music vaults. Seventy years on, Delmark is the oldest independent jazz and blues record label in the world, boasting a catalog bulging with over twelve thousand recordings by a virtual who's who of jazz and blues.� Although Bob Koester retired in 2018, under the leadership of President/CEO, Julia A. Miller and Artistic Director�Elbio Barilari, Delmark has released over 30 thirty albums in five years, has made digitally available over twelve thousand songs and continues it's mission.

My thing has always been live music. Going to shows, booking shows, playing shows. Playing with the best musicians I could. More than anything, I loved the feeling of getting in the van and going. Even better, once I got there, I love the feeling of knockin' em dead. It's been nearly 20 years since my last live recording. That one, More Real Folk Blues Live, was Chicago in every way, back when living in Chicago was like Christmas for me every day. It was the result of seeing and playing with great blues artists all the time - artists like Eddie C. Campbell, Tail Dragger, Sam Lay, Eddie Taylor Jr., Jimmy Dawkins, Eddie Shaw, Little Arthur Duncan, Jimmy Burns, Big Smokey Smothers, L.V. Banks, Eddy Clearwater - and many others. It was a recording borne of a long, self-imposed apprenticeship - the kind musicians like me came to Chicago from all over the world to get. Although that apprenticeship ended some time ago, I have begun another journey that's taken me from coast to coast in the US and all around the world, across Europe, to Russia, Japan and beyond. Live recordings often just repeat well-worn songs played by well-oiled machines. This live session is the exact opposite. It offers twelve brand-new originals done by artists who don't play together regularly, performed for a packed house of enthusiastic fans of course! We had just one night to nail it - which made this recording a crazy, but thrilling, high wire act! The many miles and musical clairvoyance I've enjoyed with my road band of bassist Chris Matheos and drummer Steve Dougherty gave me the confidence for this do-or-die session. I drew from the great Bay Area blues talent pool that lured me to the West Coast back in 2016. I count all my special guests as friends and knew their contributions would carry me through. Blues legend Charlie Musselwhite's driving boogie-woogie harp on 'California Blues' is an absolute highlight. The end result is a raw, fresh, and original all-star set of blues, shot through with live energy. Chicago Blues sax legend Eddie Shaw once said, 'It takes 20 years to make a bluesman.' Here I am, ready to play my blues for you.

Featuring Monster Mike Welch, Kid Anderson, and Corey Dennison the latest project by Breezy Rodio, If It Ain't Broke Don't Fix It, presents vibrant, new, quality original material. Rodio has produced a veritable smorgasbord of tasty songs. With the use of A-list musicians, dynamic horn arrangements and inventive original lyrics, Breezy has managed to produce a recording full of musical delights. I met Breezy shortly after he appeared on the Chicago Blues Scene. I watched him grow from a shy, young aspiring guitar player into the confident guitarist and vocalist that he has become. Believe me; I know a thing or two about navigating the Chicago Blues landscape. It may sound cliche, but you absolutely must pay your dues to get accepted here on the scene. Though long gone are most of the classic great musicians, Chicago is still the world Mecca of the Blues. I have seen many musicians with great potential fall by the wayside, succumbing to the many pitfalls that plague the path to success. Breezy has not only survived but has emerged as a dynamic artist. It is worth mentioning that Breezy's nine-year tenure as a guitarist in the band of Chicago's illustrious Linsey Alexander definitely gave him the experience and confidence to develop his own musical identity. I became acutely aware of his musical growth and development when I collaborated with him on his previous Delmark release, Sometimes The Blues Got Me (Delmark DE 853). I am confident that Breezy's musical growth will continue. I am happy to know him as a friend, and a serious musician, who shares the same respect for those who paved the way before us. Stay tuned, the best is yet to come.

CLOSER

Sun Rooms consists of Jason Adasiewicz on vibraphone, Mike Reed on drums and Ingebrigt Haker Flaten on bass. Arise as a trio that focused on free improvisation, they mostly use documents of Adasiewicz off. These recordings were made in Amsterdam at the end of a tour. Under the slogan "We are all Drummers and we all want to swing ", the trio also pushes this CD bounders on the musical sound of world famous Chicago.

No other contemporary blues artist brings as much of the rousing sanctified spirit of the church to his overall musical approach as Professor Eddie Lusk. One of the Windy City's busiest blues session players for the last decade, the Professor mastered the keyboards while still in his teens at his father's South Side church, and that enduring spiritual base remains at the heart of the Professor's blues. In addition to the Professor's hearty vocals, the band also showcases the gutsy pipes of Karen Carroll, a second generation blues woman whose mother, Jeanne Carroll, has graced the scene herself for many years.

NIGHT AFTER NIGHT

MESSAGE IN BLUE

SLAMMIN & JAMMIN