First U.S. release from Kahil El Zabar (Ethnic Heritage Ensemble)-drums, thumb pno & vocal, with Malachi Favors-bass, & Ari Brown-s.

The Dixieland Rhythm Kings were formed in central Ohio in the late '40s and have recorded for many labels including Riverside, Red Onion, GHB, Audiophile and Jazzology. Gene Mayl, founder of the group, has played with Bob Scobey, Muggsy Spanier, Wild Bill Davison, George Brunies and many others. This album comes from a 1965 live concert originally issued on the Blackbird label as "Trip to Waukesha." the personnel is Dick Baars, cornet; Bill Coburn, trombone; Pat Patterson, clarinet; Clarence Hall, piano; Vic Tooker, banjo; Gene Mayl, tuba and Glenn Kimmel, drums. Contains previously unissued material.

Hard bop is where trumpeter Thompson hangs his stylistic hat - he & the Freebop Band embrace everything from cool modes to atonal flights, jazz-funk to the traditional New Orleans sound, feat. bassist Fred Hopkins, Gary Burtz, Kirk Brown & others.

Clarinetist "updates" Benny Goodman & Artie Shaw.

W. Ira Sullivan, Jodie Christian +.

Former tenor saxist for Shannon Jackson's Decoding Society debut disc.

Chicago's master jazz pianist's debut, 1991.

Extraordinarily gifted pianist & composer displaying his own inventive ragtime compositions.

Blues guitarist has been on the Chicago blues scene since 1990 & has gathered together a tight & burnin' band, getting lowdown & funky on originals & blues classics, feat. guest vocalists Taildragger, Sam Lay & Robert Plunkett.

Jesse Thomas was an amazing blues treasure who recorded for Victor Records in 1929. He also recorded for Modern, Elko, Hollywood, Freedom, Miltone & Swing Time. Thomas returned to Shreveport, LA in 1957 & played there for the remaining 38 years of his life. His almost expressionless face was a contrast to his sensitive & quirky self-penned songs. The veteran country blues guitarist played a series of festivals in the early 1990's, including Chicago in 1992 when he recorded this intimate & informal session with guitarist John Primer & pianist Jodie Christian.

Brought in the new sound of blues in the 80's, w Johnson-guitar & voc, Carl Snyder-piano.

Bassist Josh Abrams' quartet embodies a devastating geographic cross section of today's free music. Abrams started in Philly's the Roots and went on to Chicago's Town And Country and the David Boykin Expanse. Quartet member Jeff Parker is well known for his work with Tortoise, Chicago Underground and his first album as leader, "Like-Coping" (DMK #543). Guillermo Gregorio's work spans a lifetime of improvised playing with Fred Lonberg-Holm, Jim O'Rourke and Anthony Braxton to name just a few. Axel Dorner's output as both free improvisor and composer cover multiple continents with John Butcher, Alexander von Schlippenbach and Mats Gustafsson.

W. The Hawks feat. Lee Jackson 1972.

Charles Wilson is an exciting and captivating performer capable of launching an audience into a frenzy. Born in Chicago, he's connected to the roots of the blues tree. From the age of four, Wilson, the nephew of blues legend Little Milton (featured as a special guest on this CD), would go with his father to see Uncle Milton's performances. Wilson released a string of albums starting in the late 80's for Ichiban and Ecko Records. "If Heartaches Were Nickels" is Wilson's first Delmark album, and in addition to Milton, Carl Weathersby provides lots of excellent guitar playing. Like all great soul singers, Wilson expresses pleading vulnerability, and like the great blues singers, he delivers the grit.

Dink Johnson was born in New Orleans around 1880, and was the younger brother of Bill Johnson, King Oliver's great bass player. Dink played a swinging, stomping, Jelly-like piano style. He had a repertoire of tunes as unique as his style, containing many tunes of his own and other tunes long forgotten. Dink had a rollicking, contagious sense of humor which comes through on these recordings. The weirdest thing he ever did by far is, "The Pidgeon Walk." at best, the tune was just another dance tune that never got off the ground but at the hands of Dink it becomes a masterpiece of something or another! It is indeed pathetic that Dink could die and leave so little in reserve for those who belatedly came to appreciate his work.