At The Earl Of Old Town
Terry Callier
At The Earl of Old Town is a previously unissued live recording from Chicago singer, songwriter, and guitarist Terry Callier, captured in October 1967 at the Earl of Old Town — a storied hub of Chicago's 1960s folk scene — when Callier was just 22 years old. Released by Time Traveler Recordings on April 18, 2026 as an exclusive Record Store Day 180-gram double LP (with CD and digital versions following on April 24, which would have been Joe Segal's 100th birthday), the album was produced and brought to light by archivist Zev Feldman — the so-called "Jazz Detective" — after Segal's son Wayne opened the legendary Chicago promoter's private archive in 2025. Segal, founder of the beloved Jazz Showcase, had recorded the set himself, and the tapes were transferred and restored by Joe Lizzi and mastered by Matthew Lutthans at The Mastering Lab. UK Vibe called it "an astonishing document: fiery, engaging, thoughtful, deeply involving and totally captivating from beginning to end" — capturing Callier at the moment his voice, style, and worldview were crystallizing, a year before his debut album The New Folk Sound of Terry Callier would appear.
The ten-track set draws from a remarkably eclectic range of sources — traditional folk, blues, jazz, and even a pop cover — united by Callier's extraordinary guitar work and luminous voice. Jazz Views noted that the opening track, Nat Adderley's "Work Song" (with Oscar Brown Jr. lyrics), sets the tone with "grit and purpose," while The Vinyl District observed that Callier "infused the repertoire and format of folk music with the energy and spirit of jazz improvisation." Standout moments include a screaming, fiercely committed reading of "Gallows Pole," Willie Dixon's "The Seventh Son," the traditional "Deep Elem Blues," and a soulful closing take on "My Girl Sloopy." Callier — who was childhood friends with Curtis Mayfield, Jerry Butler, and Ramsey Lewis, and would go on to become a cult icon across soul, jazz, and folk — is heard here in raw, unvarnished form, already operating in a singular world entirely his own.
At The Earl Of Old Town
Terry Callier
At The Earl of Old Town is a previously unissued live recording from Chicago singer, songwriter, and guitarist Terry Callier, captured in October 1967 at the Earl of Old Town — a storied hub of Chicago's 1960s folk scene — when Callier was just 22 years old. Released by Time Traveler Recordings on April 18, 2026 as an exclusive Record Store Day 180-gram double LP (with CD and digital versions following on April 24, which would have been Joe Segal's 100th birthday), the album was produced and brought to light by archivist Zev Feldman — the so-called "Jazz Detective" — after Segal's son Wayne opened the legendary Chicago promoter's private archive in 2025. Segal, founder of the beloved Jazz Showcase, had recorded the set himself, and the tapes were transferred and restored by Joe Lizzi and mastered by Matthew Lutthans at The Mastering Lab. UK Vibe called it "an astonishing document: fiery, engaging, thoughtful, deeply involving and totally captivating from beginning to end" — capturing Callier at the moment his voice, style, and worldview were crystallizing, a year before his debut album The New Folk Sound of Terry Callier would appear.
The ten-track set draws from a remarkably eclectic range of sources — traditional folk, blues, jazz, and even a pop cover — united by Callier's extraordinary guitar work and luminous voice. Jazz Views noted that the opening track, Nat Adderley's "Work Song" (with Oscar Brown Jr. lyrics), sets the tone with "grit and purpose," while The Vinyl District observed that Callier "infused the repertoire and format of folk music with the energy and spirit of jazz improvisation." Standout moments include a screaming, fiercely committed reading of "Gallows Pole," Willie Dixon's "The Seventh Son," the traditional "Deep Elem Blues," and a soulful closing take on "My Girl Sloopy." Callier — who was childhood friends with Curtis Mayfield, Jerry Butler, and Ramsey Lewis, and would go on to become a cult icon across soul, jazz, and folk — is heard here in raw, unvarnished form, already operating in a singular world entirely his own.