Delmark Records: A New Era

Delmark Records is the oldest continuously operating jazz and blues independent record label in the United States. It was founded by Robert G. Koester in St. Louis, Missouri in 1953, originally under the name “Delmar.” In 1958, Koester and the label relocated to Chicago with the label’s current name: Delmark.

In May 2018 Delmark Records LLC purchased Delmark from Robert G. Koester. Guitarist/composer/sound engineer Julia A. Miller became the CEO & President of the label and multi-instrumentalist/composer/producer Elbio Barilari its artistic Director.

Immediately after, during the 2018 Chicago Blues Festival, the new management of Delmark Records renewed from the main stage the label’s commitment to the blues & jazz communities, both by keeping alive its huge catalogue of historical recordings as well as continuing to record and release the living treasures of Chicago and US music.

Under the new management:

Delmark Records has released over 20 multi-awarded highly praised CDs and LPs (see complete list of recent releases further down)

Delmark’s massive catalogue of over 12 thousand songs has been made available on ALL existing streaming platforms, such us Apple Music, Spotify, Deezer, Qobuz, YouTube, etc.

Delmark launched a state of the art website where music lovers can order Delmark CDs, LPs, DVD’s, reel-to reel-tapes & titles from our subsidiary labels Sackville, Jump, Triangle Jazz and Boxholder directly from us or download them from your favorite providers. Also, music lovers can order t-shirts and other merchandise.

Delmark’s new website also allows for direct download of a selection of those 12 thousand-plus songs, dating from the 1920’s to the present.

Delmark multiplied manifold its US and international digital distribution.

Delmark made available most of its huge catalogue also through its brand new Delmark Records YouTube Channel.

Delmark brought back on LP and CD multiple historical albums that were out of stock.

Delmark launched the new Delmark Classics series. The first album in the series featured Fareed Haque with the Kaia String Quartet, the second presented guitar virtuoso Eduardo Fernández, one of the top three classical guitar players in the world. The third title, to be released in the Spring of 2021, is “Heyday of the Harpsichord” by world-renowned keyboardist and scholar David Schrader. Later this year Delmark Classics will release a tribute album to Astor Piazzolla featuring the internationally acclaimed “Axiom Brass” ensemble.

Delmark started a product line of reel-to-reel master copies of some the work of some iconic artists such as Junior Wells & Jimmy Forrest, Sun Ra and Magic Sam. To the delight of the audiophile audiences this catalogue of tapes will be expanded.

Delmark has a huge footprint in the social media through the Delmark Records Facebook page, the very successful Delmark Blues Community Facebook Group, a group for musicians, radio hosts, journalists and blues lovers around the world, on Instagram and Twitter.

Delmark, while bringing its famous recording studio, into the 21st century, has also refurbished the historical analogue recording equipment treasured at Delmark’s Riverside Studio, including several multichannel reel-to-reel machines, its 1970’s soundboard, several analogue sound racks and the most valuable jewel: the 1956 Hammond B3 that was a part of so many historical recordings sessions at Chess Records and Delmark Records throughout the years.

Delmark’s stellar blues catalogue includes, among others: Junior Wells, Little Walter, T-bone Walker, Big Joe Williams, J. B. Hutto, Robert Nighthawk, Luther Allison, Magic Sam, Jimmy Dawkins, Jimmy Johnson, Sleepy John Estes, Arthur Crudup, Otis Rush, Roosevelt Sykes, Carey & Lurrie Bell, Eddie C. Campbell, Big Time Sarah, Eddie Clearwater, Dave Specter, Steve Freund, Linsey Alexander, Tail Dragger, Studebaker John, Billy Flynn and Jimmy Burns.

Throughout its history, Delmark has also released records by historical jazz artists such as Sun Ra, Sonny Stitt, Jimmy Forrest, Bud Powell, Earl Hines, Coleman Hawkins, Ben Webster, Wynton Kelly, Curtis Fuller, Roscoe Mitchell, Anthony Braxton, the Art Ensemble of Chicago, Fred Anderson, Von & George Freeman, Ernest Dawkins, Ari Brown, Ken Vandermark, Jason Stein, Nicole Mitchell, Rob Mazurek, Jason Adasiewicz and so many more.

The label also has released albums by musicians from Chicago’s Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians. The first record was Roscoe Mitchell’s Sound (1966) which received a five-star review in Downbeat. This was followed by a string of releases on Delmark that highlighted the new music being played in Chicago by artists associated with the AACM including Muhal Richard Abrams, Kalaparusha Maurice McIntyre, and Anthony Braxton. Additionally, Delmark released two of the earliest Sun Ra albums, Sun Song and Sound of Joy, in 1967 and 1968 respectively.

Today Delmark is thriving. The label is a world force on the blues & jazz music scene with recent releases of blues, jazz & classical albums.
Blues Artists released since May 2018:
Lurrie Bell & the Bell Dynasty, Rockwell Avenue Blues Band, Willie Buck, Breezy Rodio, Dave Specter (w/Jorma Kaukonen & Billy Branch), Jimmy Johnson, Linsey Alexander, Johnny Burgin (w/Charlie Musselwhite)
Joseph "Mojo" Morganfield, Johnny Iguana (w/Billy Boy Arnold, John Primer, Bob Margolin), Delmark 65th Anniversary Tribute (multiple artists)

Jazz artists released since May 2018:
Roscoe Mitchell’s historical “Sound” album, going back to the original mixes by Stu Black, Geof Bradfield,
Paquito D’Rivera with Volcano Radar, Soul Message Band
Fareed Haque & Goran Ivanovic, Javier Red & Imagery Converter, The Fat Babies, Dee Alexander & The Metropolitan Jazz Octet

Classical artists released since May 2018:
Fareed Haque & Kaia String Quartet, Eduardo Fernández

As poet Ezra Pound famously said “The tradition is a beauty which we preserve and not a set of fetters to bind us.” In tune with this concept, Delmark Records is committed to preserve and to bring into the 21st century the beauty of the tradition by using all the available resources of this digital global era. Delmark is committed also to help finding and building on such strong foundations meaningful music for the present and a future free from all fetters, racism, bigotry, discrimination, intolerance, prejudice and injustice.

For more facts, comments and exciting news radio hosts are welcome to reach out to our Delmark team:
President & CEO Julia A. Miller julia@delmark.com
Artistic Director Elbio Barilari elbio@delmark.com
Promotion Manager Kevin Johnson promo@delmark.com


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