Join us for one of our favorite times of the year- the annual DELMARK ROCKWELL STROLL! This year is a special Chicago Jazz Fest with the Blueshift Big Band paying tribute to the legendary Barrett Deems‘ Big Band! Special Lauren Deutsch jazz photography exhibit, and an illuminating Jazz Journalists Association discussion panel. Special guest performances!
CHICAGO JAZZ FEST NEIGBORHOOD FREE EVENT!
Where- Delmark Records – 4121 N. Rockwell, Chicago – (just west of Western, just north of Irving Park, east of the River!)
When – Sunday, August 24th, 3 – 7pm
FREE! Free parking- Bring your chairs – food, beverages, etc
ABOUT THE BLUESHIFT BIG BAND
THE BLUESHIFT BIG BAND
An All Original • Jazz • Blues • Video Game • Big Band
Founded in 2017 by drummer Joel Baer and guitarist Chris Parsons, the Blueshift Big Band builds upon the rich legacy of Big Band music found in Chicago. Having missed the thrill and energy that could only come from playing in an ensemble of this size, Baer and Parsons put together a book of their favorite charts and called upon friends and fellow musicians who enjoyed the style just as much as they did.
Initially, the bands repertoire included selections from the likes of Count Basie, Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra, Buddy Rich, and the Clayton-Hamilton Big Band – all the greats that Baer and Parsons hold in high reverence. These groups are famously hard-swinging and ubiquitous for unique compositional voices and originality. Performing material from this canon helped lay a solid foundation for the band, providing a clearer vision for where the leaders would want to go next.
The focus of the band quickly changed from a serious reading band to one that concentrated on original music and arrangements. Armed with a number of great writers and arrangers in the band (and an emphasis on commissioning material from Chicago-area writers) the book grew quickly. With a wealth of originals in the book, it didn’t take long for the band to begin to develop their own unique voice and sound. While inspiration for these arrangements may come from Jazz Standards, Blues, and the Great American Songbook, the band has also tapped into a wealth of material a whole generation has been raised on – Video Games.
Popular music has always found a way into the greater Jazz lexicon. From the music of Tin-Pan alley influencing early Jazz, the songs of Broadway being used as compositional vehicles for the Be-Bop Era, or Rock music affecting the sound of Fusion groups of the 70’s, the music found in Video Games have been impressed on many of us who are products of a certain age. Baer and Parsons felt that in the past, there have been “tongue-in-cheek” approaches to how these songs have been presented. With Blueshift’s unique arrangements and approach, the band hopes to present this music in a serious, but still fun way, that acknowledges the largely unsung composers of this genre.
The Blueshift Big Band is just that – A band. Something greater that just a collection of musicians reading notes off of a page, but a group of friends tasked with one goal; making the best music possible. The greatest lesson learned from the best Big Bands in the world is to treat the band like family. If everyone in the band enjoys being with each other and shares a common dedication to the craft, making great music is inevitable. Joel and Chris, along with the rest of the band, hopes that feeling of camaraderie comes through to you, the listener.
Big Band Blues | Blueshift Big Band
Blueshift Big Band – Cold Cold Feeling (feat. Andrew Duncanson and Jimmy Johnson)
The Blueshift Big Band – YouTube
We pay tribute to the late great drummer Barrett Deems with drummer Joel Baer leading his Blueshift Big Band in presenting Barrett’s big band album “How D’You Like It So Far”.
Barret Deems performed & toured with Louis Armstrong All Stars in the 1950’s while also being billed as “World’s Fastest Drummer”. Barrett was a regular performer at Andy’s Jazz Club presenting his craft and sass in various group sizes throughout the 70’s, 80’s & 90’s proving to be an integral building block for the venue’s success.
Barrett Deems Big Band – How D’You Like It So Far? – DELMARK RECORDS
Barrett Deems – Deemus – DELMARK RECORDS
Lauren Deutsch Photography
Tangible Sound
© 2021 Lauren Deutsch. All rights reserved.
joel baer
Joel Baer is an active performing and recording drummer in the Chicago area. Joel gained an interest in drums at an early age after watching his father Jeff play at church on a weekly basis. At the age of 11, he began formal instruction from drum educator Jack Brand in his hometown of Rockford, Illinois. Under Brand’s guidance, Joel developed his love for Jazz. This led to a B.M. in Jazz Studies from Elmhurst College and M.M. from DePaul University where he studied with Bob Rummage and Dana Hall.
Joel co-leads the Blueshift Big Band in Chicago with guitarist Chris Parsons. With that ensemble, they’ve explored music in the tradition of Count Basie and Duke Ellington, as well as diverse influences like Chicago Blues and music from video games. Their first album of original arrangements was released on Nov. 6th, 2020. Their second full length album was released on iam8bit records in November 2022 and features big band arrangements of classic video game music.
Joel also leads a variety of small groups in Chicago and has released two albums: Structures, released in 2017 features originals and arrangements by Joel. Transit in 2019 featured Joel, as well as pianist Ben Bergmark and bassist Aaron Whittier in a classic piano trio format exploring original compositions by the group.
Joel is an in-demand sideman in the Chicago Blues scene. With the Corey Dennison Band, Joel performed and was interviewed for WYCC’s concert series on PBS in 2014 and released a self-titled album on legendary Chicago Blues label Delmark Records in 2016. That album led to nominations for a 2016 Blues Music Award for Best Emerging Artist, two Blues Blast award nominations, a Chicago Music Awards nomination (Best Blues Artist) and the winner of the French Academie Du Jazz’s prestigious “Prix De Blues” award, which has been given since the 1960’s to luminaries like B.B. King, Lightning Hopkins and John Lee Hooker. In 2017, the Corey Dennison Band recorded Night After Night, which has also received a Blues Music award nomination for “2017 Contemporary Album of the Year”.
Joel has been fortunate to perform with blues legends like Buddy Guy, Lurrie Bell, Carl Weathersby, Jimmy Johnson, Demetria Taylor, Eddie Shaw and Sam Lay and a host of current Chicago Blues and Jazz artists including Bob Margolin, Henry Grey, Mike Welch, Mike Ledbetter, Guy King, Fiona Boyes, Andy Poxon, Kilborn Alley Blues Band, Sugar Blue, Eddy Clearwater, Toronzo Cannon, Gerry Hundt, Matt Hendricks, Omar Coleman, Mike Wheeler, Andrew Diehl, Rodney Brown, The Special 20’s, Dave Potter, Ronnie Hicks, Mark Colby, Randy Brecker, Wayne Bergeron, Richie Cole, Erin McDougald, Joe Hurt, and has also performed with the Beloit-Janesville Symphony Orchestra.
Discography:
The Blueshift Big Band – Joystick Jazz: The Blueshift Big Band Plays Iconic Video Game Hits (iam8bit, 2022) – drums / co-leader
The Blueshift Big Band – Big Band Blues (featuring Guy King, Jimmy Johnson, Andrew Duncanson (JeruJazz Records, 2021) – drums / co-leader / producer
Clark Colborn – Obscurotica (2021) – drums
Joel Baer and Chris Parsons Present: The Blueshift Big Band (Jerujazz Records, 2020) – drums / co-leader
William Purvis and the Seventh Sons – Blue Memories I Recall (2020) – drums
William Purvis and the Seventh Sons – That Woman’s Something (2020) – drums
Baer / Bergmark / Whittier – Transit (2019) – drums and compositions
Cat Rolphes – Highway 55 (2018) – drums
Joel Baer Quartet – Structures (2017) – drums and compositions
The Corey Dennison Band – Night After Night (2017, Delmark) – drums, percussion, background vocals
Pistol Pete – Killer Bash (2017) – drums on “Crystal Blue” and “Last Hand”
The Kilborn Alley Blues Band – Tolono Tapes (2017) – drums on “Misty”, percussion on “Nightcreeper”
Jimmy Nick & Don’t Tell Mama – Live and Nasty (2017) – drums and background vocals
The Corey Dennison Band – S/T – (2016 -Delmark) – drums, background vocals
Susan Aquila – Nowhere (2016, T.V.R. Records) – drums
The Corey Dennison Band – Live in Chicago (2015) – drums
Jimmy Nick & Don’t Tell Mama- Rare Breed (2014) – drums
Clark Colborn – Frank Made Me Do it (2014) – drums on “Elephant Whosegow”
Blood Red Boots – Love + Destruction (2013) – drums
Jimmy Nick & Don’t Tell Mama – Who Ya Kiddin’ – (2013) – drums
Clark Colborn – Superstition (2012 – Single) – drums
Clark Colborn – Again (2012) – drums
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