Delmark issuing Dewey Jackson sides on CD

Delmark Records, the Chicago-based label founded by former St. Louisan Bob Koester, is apparently revealing a previously unheard bit of the Gateway City's musical history to the world with the release of Dewey Jackson Live at the Barrel 1952. The CD features Jackson on trumpet, along with Don Ewell (piano), Frank Chace (clarinet), Sid Dawson ( trombone) and Booker T. Washington (drums). From the Delmark Web site:

"The release of this CD should transform St. Louis' legendary trumpet player, Dewey Jackson, from a footnote to his rightful place in jazz history. Jackson was born in St. Louis, June 21, 1900 (before Louis Armstrong). He played a year with ragtimer George Reynold's Keystone Band before joining Charlie Creath and alternated between Creath, Fate Marable and his own groups before briefly joining the first Cotton Club band in New York. He returned to the St. Louis scene because he found it more exciting. Jackson recorded for Vocallion in 1926, with Creath for Okeh in '27 and with bassist Singleton Palmer. He occasionally gigged through the '50s and '60s and passed away in March of 1966. This album triples his discography!"

The Barrell was a club at 5614 Delmar, part of an area known in the early 1950s as the DeBaliviere Strip. The club also served also served as the site of another live recording from the same year featuring Miles Davis on trumpet and tenor saxophonist Jimmy Forrest. Both of these fun facts were gleaned from City of Gabriels, the new history of St. Louis jazz written by Dennis Owsley, which also makes reference to some unreleased sessions recorded by Jackson and Ewell in the early 1950s. Presumably, this CD represents some portion of those recordings. Although the Delmark Web site would lead one to believe that the CD was released in April, the latest newsletter from Koester's associated retail store, Jazz Record Mart, suggests that it's just now becoming available for sale. Either way, it should be for sale at finer local music stores as well as directly from JRM.