By Rick Zeigler—MUNCIE, IN –The critically acclaimed soul-jazz Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio will be performing a FREE outdoor concert as part of the 2023 Muncie Three Trails Music Series. This concert is sponsored by Defur Voran and will take place at 7:00 PM on Saturday, September 9th at Canan Commons (500 S. Walnut Walnut St.) in the heart of downtown Muncie, IN. The Ball State University Jazz Ensemble will open the show.The Delvin Lamarr Organ Trio (DL03) started in May, 2015, and since then has issued three #1 Billboard-charting albums, as well as a 45. The Seattle-based trio’s music is best described as “feel good music.” DLO3 conjures the smoky 1960s jazz and soul stylings of Jimmy Smith, Booker T. & The M.G.’s, The Meters, Dr. Lonnie Smith, and Charles Earland. Within DLO3’s distinct jazz stew there are also dashes of Motown, Stax Records, blues, and cosmic Jimi Hendrix-style guitar. The band features Delvon Lamarr on the legendary Hammond B3 organ, with dynamo Jimmy James on guitar and and Julian McDonoough on drums.
Live, the band is telepathically musical, easing through improvisational ideas, grooves, and extended jams with silken swagger. The exhilarating live experience also showcases the band’s deep personal connection, with witty between-song repartee, vignette song stories, and unpredictably dynamic flights of in-the-moment musicality. The three-piece has quickly made a name for themselves, including a feature on Seattle’s KEXP’s “Local Artist Spotlight”; a live performance at Uvestream Music Festival broadcast by KEXP that garnered over 7 million views; and numerous national and international tours and performances. The band’s live connection also carries over into the studio and into the band’s compositional approach, as much of the band’s recorded repertoire is written on the spot, during soundchecks, on the bandstand, and in the studio. The Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio never would have happened without years and years of crummy gigs and Delvon’s staunchly supportive wife, Amy Novo. The story goes that Hammond B3 organist Delvon would regularly lug his 400-pound instrument from venue to venue barely breaking even, all the while lamenting that he would be one of those local legends who never went anywhere. Amy just got tired of hearing this and, fiercely believing in Delvon’s talents, made an offer he couldn’t refuse: If Delvon picked the musicians, she would take care of all the business surrounding it. Today, through her tireless work ethic, and his bottomless talent, the power couple have taken the Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio beyond their wildest dreams. “I used to listen to the old jazz greats and think about their European travels. For years, I thought it would never happen for me, and then Miss Novo made it happen. Without her we would still be in the basement,” Delvon marvels. The Muncie Three Trails Music Series is a non-profit partnership between Muncie Downtown Development Partnership, the City of Muncie, and Rick Zeigler, series founder and organizer. The mission of the series is to bring critically acclaimed, national recording artists to perform at Canan Commons, Muncie’s premier outdoor performance venue, located in the heart of Downtown Muncie. A second mission is to promote the many recreational, artistic, and cultural attractions located along, or in close proximity to, Canan Commons and Muncie’s popular “Three Trails” — The White River Greenway, Cardinal Greenway, and Muncie Arts and Culture Trail. We hope attendees will heed our slogan, “Explore the Trails, Enjoy the Music.”
Complete information about the Three Trails series can be found at www.munciethreetrails.com.
