Aqua Tarta Music

Aqua Tarta Music was an independent Canadian music imprint associated with guitarist, songwriter, composer and producer Gaye Delorme. Rather than functioning as a large commercial record company with a broad roster, the label primarily served as Delorme's vehicle for releasing his own recordings. Its catalogue reflects the unusual range of his musical practice, encompassing flamenco, classical guitar, jazz, country, blues, rock, Latin fusion and comedy-oriented material. Delorme was born in Thunder Bay, Ontario, grew up in Edmonton and became a professional musician in western Canada by the late 1960s. He was largely self-taught and developed a reputation as a highly versatile guitarist, capable of moving between several traditions and of imitating the timbres of instruments such as the sitar and koto. His career included work as a touring and studio musician, producer, composer and bandleader. He performed with or collaborated with artists and groups including Jann Arden, the Powder Blues Band, Lenny Breau, David Foster, Airto Moreira, Billy Cobham and Stanley Clarke. The label's documented catalogue includes Beautiful Guitar, The Best of Gaye Delorme, Blue Wave Sessions, Borderline, Delorme, Rodeo Songs and American Jumbo – Beautiful Guitar Vol. 2. These releases represent different parts of Delorme's career: instrumental guitar work, retrospective programming, original compositions and his humorous western material. His own version of The Rodeo Song appeared on Rodeo Songs; the composition had previously become widely known through the 1980 recording by Garry Lee and the Showdown. Delorme's music also drew on his years in Los Angeles, where he worked with Cheech and Chong, wrote the recognizable guitar figure for Earache My Eye and contributed music to their films. Aqua Tarta Music was also connected to Delorme's later period of independent production. From approximately 2000 to 2009, while living in Vancouver, he concentrated on writing, recording and concerts, often performing solo. The label provided a means of documenting that work without the need for a major-label release structure. Earlier in his career, Delorme had also produced recordings for other artists, including the first album by k.d. lang and early demos by the Calgary band Fosterchild, although those productions are not identified as Aqua Tarta Music releases. The label's current operating status is not clearly documented. Delorme died in Calgary on June 24, 2011, and no successor owner, continuing catalogue operator or active corporate structure is identified in the supplied reference material. Aqua Tarta Music is therefore best understood as a historically associated artist imprint whose known significance lies in preserving and distributing Delorme's eclectic recorded output.

Aqua Tarta Music is documented as the self-operated label through which Canadian musician Gaye Delorme released his recordings. The imprint is inseparable from Delorme's career as a guitarist, composer, songwriter, producer and performer rather than being presented as a conventional label with a large independent artist roster. Delorme began learning guitar as a teenager and had established himself professionally in Edmonton by 1967. His early and middle career moved through Edmonton, Toronto, Calgary, Vancouver and Los Angeles. He led rock-oriented trios, worked in country bands, developed a Latin fusion ensemble and performed as a studio musician. His style was unusually broad: he worked in flamenco, classical, jazz, blues, country, rock and heavy metal contexts. In Los Angeles he collaborated with Cheech and Chong, contributed to their films and wrote the signature guitar riff associated with Earache My Eye. He also maintained Canadian production and performance connections, including work linked to Fosterchild and k.d. lang. The known Aqua Tarta Music catalogue was issued during the later part of Delorme's recording career. The listed releases include Blue Wave Sessions from 1990; Beautiful Guitar from 1998; The Best of Gaye Delorme, dated 1999; and a group of 2002 titles, Borderline, Delorme and Rodeo Songs. American Jumbo – Beautiful Guitar Vol. 2 followed in 2008. The catalogue suggests that the label served both archival and active-release purposes, bringing together instrumental guitar material, retrospective selections and original songs. The imprint was particularly relevant during Delorme's Vancouver period, approximately 2000 to 2009, when he focused on writing, recording and concerts and frequently appeared as a solo performer. His repertoire during this period continued to combine technically demanding guitar work with humor, western themes and genre-crossing compositions. Delorme's own recording of The Rodeo Song was included on Rodeo Songs. The song had become a cult success in a version recorded by Garry Lee and the Showdown, and its later association with compilations and film helped preserve the composition's profile beyond its original release. Delorme returned to Edmonton in 2009. He continued performing despite serious health problems, including diabetes-related legal blindness. He died of a heart attack in Calgary on June 24, 2011, aged 64. The supplied sources do not establish whether Aqua Tarta Music continued after his death, who controls its catalogue or whether it remains an active label. Its documented historical role is therefore that of a personal Canadian music imprint preserving the work of a versatile western Canadian musician.

• 2011

  Death of principal artist Gaye Delorme

  [1]Gaye Delormeen.wikipedia.org

  Gaye Delorme died in Calgary on June 24, 2011. The available material does not document the label's status after his death.

• 2008

  American Jumbo – Beautiful Guitar Vol. 2 released

  [1]Gaye Delormeen.wikipedia.org

  American Jumbo – Beautiful Guitar Vol. 2 is listed as a later Aqua Tarta Music release.

• 2002

  Three catalogue titles released

  [1]Gaye Delormeen.wikipedia.org

  Borderline, Delorme and Rodeo Songs are listed as Aqua Tarta Music releases from 2002.

• 1999

  The Best of Gaye Delorme released

  [1]Gaye Delormeen.wikipedia.org

  Aqua Tarta Music released a retrospective collection titled The Best of Gaye Delorme.

• 1998

  Beautiful Guitar released

  [1]Gaye Delormeen.wikipedia.org

  The instrumental-oriented Beautiful Guitar was issued under the Aqua Tarta Music name.

• 1990

  Blue Wave Sessions released

  [1]Gaye Delormeen.wikipedia.org

  Blue Wave Sessions is listed as an Aqua Tarta Music release associated with Gaye Delorme.

An artist-led independent imprint focused on releasing the eclectic guitar, songwriting and recording work of Gaye Delorme.

• Album · 1990

  Blue Wave Sessions

  A 1990 Aqua Tarta Music release attributed to Gaye Delorme. The available reference identifies the title and label but does not provide a track listing, recording personnel or detailed musical description.

• Instrumental album · 1998

  Beautiful Guitar

  A 1998 release presenting Delorme's guitar-centered work. It belongs to the instrumental side of a catalogue shaped by his fluency in flamenco, classical, jazz, blues and other guitar traditions.

• Compilation album · 1999

  The Best of Gaye Delorme

  A 1999 retrospective collection issued by Aqua Tarta Music. It gathered selected material from Delorme's career, although the supplied reference does not specify the precise selection or sequencing.

• Album · 2002

  Borderline

  One of three Aqua Tarta Music titles listed for 2002. The available source confirms the release title and date but does not provide enough information to characterize its musical content in detail.

• Album · 2002

  Delorme

  A self-titled 2002 release associated with Aqua Tarta Music and Gaye Delorme. Its title reflects the imprint's role as a direct outlet for the artist's own recorded work.

• Song album · 2002

  Rodeo Songs

  A 2002 Aqua Tarta Music album containing Delorme's own version of The Rodeo Song. The composition had become widely known through Garry Lee and the Showdown and became one of the most recognizable humorous western songs associated with Delorme.

• Instrumental album · 2008

  American Jumbo – Beautiful Guitar Vol. 2

  A 2008 continuation of the Beautiful Guitar series, listed among the label's later releases. The supplied material does not identify its full track list or production details.

1. 1Gaye Delormeen.wikipedia.org