Jazz enthusiasts frequently refer to
Bob Koester
's
Delmark Records
as a "Chicago jazz label," but it is better to describe
Delmark
as a "jazz/blues label" because the blues have also been a big chunk of
's business. Indeed, the impressive list of blues greats who have recorded for
over the years includes, among many others,
Sleepy John Estes
,
Magic Sam
Jimmy Dawkins
Big Joe Williams
J.B. Hutto
Junior Wells
, and
Roosevelt Sykes
. Most of those artists had long since passed away when, on March 7, 2008,
celebrated its contributions to the blues with an event/concert at
Buddy Guy's Legends
(one of Chicago's top blues clubs). But as
It Ain't Over: Delmark Celebrates 55 Years of Blues
demonstrates, the company continued to have a healthy blues roster in the late 2000s. That event/concert of March 7, 2008 (which Chicago Mayor
Richard M. Daley
officially declared "Delmark Records Day in Chicago") is documented on
It Ain't Over
, which
released in both CD and DVD versions; the DVD contains some performances that aren't on the 63-minute CD. Much of
's late-2000s roster was present at the
Legends
event, and a mood of enthusiasm and excitement prevails on performances by
Lurrie Bell
(
"Don't You Lie to Me"
),
Zora Young
"Til the Fat Lady Sings"
Jimmy Johnson
"Cold, Cold Feeling,"
"You Don't Know What Love Is"
Shirley Johnson
"As the Years Go Passing By"
), and others. It isn't hard to understand why there was so much enthusiasm on
' stage that night;
has a fine reputation in Chicago's blues community, and the fact that
Koester
's company had lasted 55 years was indeed cause for celebration.
is a rewarding document of
's 55th anniversary event. ~ Alex Henderson