Bob Koester

As the founder of Chicago's independent Delmark Records label, Bob Koester has been responsible for recording and releasing some of the finest jazz and blues of the last half of the 20th century. Always as much of a music fan as he was a businessman, Koester was noted for giving his artists complete freedom in the studio; since Delmark was often financed by profits from the Jazz Record Mart, Koester's retail store, it was never driven by commercial considerations. Of course, that arrangement led to periods of relative inactivity during leaner times, but it also helped Delmark survive intact. The label celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2003, having amassed a large and often seminal back catalog that covered traditional blues, Chicago blues, Dixieland revivalism, hard bop, and avant-garde jazz (especially Chicago's own AACM movement).

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