Bob Koester
's Chicago-based
Delmark Records
hasn't always reflected his personal tastes, but it has always reflected his philosophy. From the 1950s to the 2000s,
Koester
has generally believed in supporting indie
jazz
and indie
blues
-- in other words, the sort of
and
artists who major labels tend to neglect. Although
never really cared for
avant-garde jazz
-- his personal preferences are
and very straight-ahead
bop
,
swing
, and
Dixieland
-- he's been great about documenting Chicago's
AACM
artists because he sees them as part of the indie music culture.
The Delmark Sessions
isn't a typical
Delmark
release;
Frank Morey
isn't
, and he isn't a
artist per se (although he does provide the occasional
blues-rock
gem). Rather, the guitar-playing
singer/songwriter
favors a very bluesy, gritty approach to
folk-rock
roots rock
--
is the sort of CD that would be more typical of
Rounder
or
Flying Fish
than
. And yet, it is faithful to
's history in that it is great indie roots music.
Morey
has a throaty, hoarse, rough-edged vocal style that recalls early
Tom Waits
and also underscores his appreciation of
Chicago blues
icon
Howlin' Wolf
isn't dominated by the sort of 12-bar offerings that one finds on
Wolf
's CDs, but
is obviously well aware of
's vocal style. He also has a healthy appreciation of early
rock & roll
-- and of course,
is a term that one will seldom hear in connection with a
release. But again,
has such a rootsy, bluesy, rugged spirit that he does, in fact, belong on
. If
is a rare example of
's label putting out a
rock
-friendly disc, it is a highly rewarding example. ~ Alex Henderson