DJ Hairy Larry Presents Suzanne Michell And Fred Wilson Singing Old Rugged Cross
From The Archives Of Something Blue – 2024-07-28

Thanks Marty, today we’re going to hear a favorite hymn sung at a concert featuring mostly jazz and spirituals.

I first met Suzanne Michell when Vivian and I were working on Blues Fest 91. Vivian’s friend Linda, from college, was living in Little Rock and worked in a place where Suzanne was singing. Suzanne is blind so Linda drove her up to Jonesboro for Blues Fest and she amazed and astounded.

Later, Fred Wilson started driving her to gigs and they were playing as a duo and a trio. And then they got married so that was cool.

I’ve recorded Suzanne in Jonesboro and Little Rock. Besides helping us with Blues Fest year after year she played at Bebopalooza, Jazz Thursday, New Jazz In Jonesoboro, and she even sang at my senior recital.

My favorite recordings of Suzanne and Fred were made at the Brookland United Methodist Church when they would visit us every year or two for Wednesday night special music. They sing everything. When Suzanne Michell came to blues fest with an electric guitar one year I called her electric and eclectic. For our Wednesday night special music she had a flair for picking the right songs and speaking directly to the youth about life and music.

DJ Hairy Larry Presents Daniel Turner Playing Customized Bliss
From The Archives Of Something Blue July 21, 2024

Thanks Marty, Today we’re going to hear a solo guitarist play at the Brookland Methodist Church.

On September 30, 2015, I arranged for Daniel Turner to play at our Wednesday night Praise service. He does a solo act he calls The Infinite Calling and it’s improvisatory ambient music. We usually sang praise music on Wednesday nights, dancing along and doing the hand movements. So when we had special music I tried to bring in acts that were different to expose our kids to a variety of music. When Infinite Calling played that night I think I pretty much suceeded in doing that.

We had a lot of kids showing up for our Wednesday night services. So many that they outnumbered the adults in multiples of 4 or 5. Fifty kids and ten adults was a thing that happened sometimes. And when we were outnumbered like that we just had to blend in, singing, dancing, and doing the hand movements, just like the rest of the kids.

We’re Methodists so we were happy to host musicians who were Lutheran, Presbyterian, Jewish, and even Baptist. Sometimes we had bands singing at our church that couldn’t sing at their own church. But this was the first time we had a Buddhist.

When we had Wednesday night special music we didn’t have a service. The preacher would open with a prayer and then I’d introduce the band. After I introduced Daniel he gave a short Buddhist prayer. It fit right in.

I was worried his music would be a little much for the kids but they loved it. About ten minutes into his set some of the kids were lying on the floor in the aisle. Now we did tumbling in church but even for us that was kind of weird. And then the whispering started, the music sounds much better when you’re lying down. Next thing you know Gretchen and I were on the floor too, enjoying Daniel’s “Customized Bliss”.

That’s what he called his song, “Customized Bliss”, 36 minutes of guitar improvisation, a little bit too long for radio. So I have prepared an excerpt for us to enjoy on Arkansa Roots, about a sixth of his whole piece. I’ll post a link to the whole concert on the Something Blue website at sbblues.com.

So, here he is now, Daniel Turner, live at the Brookland United Methodist Church, recorded on September 30, 2015.

The plants bowed to the gardener, which was not the behavior he appreciated.

"Hsst, stop it! You, you're supposed to be a bunny, the rest of you, stand up straight!"

Leaves rustled and bark scraped as the plants obeyed, petals and roots undulated with anticipation.

Something Blue - Walk

Rhode Island Red and Hairy Larry Live at Bunkys Breakfast, Helena Arkansas on 2006-10-05
archive.org/details/hl2006-10-05.Live_At_Bunkys_Breakfast

Delta Legends Live at King Biscuit Blues Festival on 2019-10-11
archive.org/details/hl2019-10-11

Delta Legends Live at Cedell Davis Stage at the King Biscuit Blues Festival on 2018-10-05
archive.org/details/hl2018-10-05

Fool’s Ball 2009 – Hairy Larry and Uncle Dave videos
archive.org/details/fools_ball_2009

Struggle Buggy – Keep It Clean
strugglebuggy1.bandcamp.com/album/keep-it-clean

This is Hairy Larry inviting you to enjoy Something Blue every Saturday night at ten. This week we’re featuring NJHB and Club d’Elf. For more about the show visit the Something Blue website at sbblues.com.

Don’t miss Something Blue, Saturday night at 10:00 PM CST, at kasu.org.

Club d’Elf Live at Colony on 2024-06-20
archive.org/details/delf2024-06-20.ca14.flac16

NJHB – Blue Goose
archive.org/details/Njhb-BlueGoose

NJHB – Quantum Blues
archive.org/details/hl2018-07-28

Conjured from the Rubble
by Marissa Lingen in Issue Sixteen, July 2024

After the quake, the air smelled like dust and blood and the ozone of lightning spells. The students were all on a mountain retreat with the chancellor, so there was no one to do the heavy work of cleaning up the university but the faculty and staff.

The quad had been hit hard. Most of the statues of glorious wizards of yore had sustained damage, including Head Wizard Barra's, which had plummeted from its pedestal, separating head from body. I didn't even understand where all the stones and debris had come from, but a lot of it would have to be removed through pure backbreaking labor.

Most of my fellow faculty were what my aunt would have described as "never did a hard day's work in their lives." She was wrong, of course, very wrong—a day of magic could be absolutely grueling—but a lot of the others didn't think of themselves as laborers. That was what students were for.

Turns out we weren't the only ones missing the students.

DJ Hairy Larry Presents NJHB Playing Cold Fusion
From The Archives Of Something Blue 2024-06-30

Thanks Marty, today we’re going to hear NJHB play a tribute to nuclear physics.

NJHB, the New Jazz House Band, is a live act hosting the New Jazz In Jonesboro concerts. We did, however, release two studio albums, our first album, “Circular Logic” was recorded at HairyLarryLand in Jonesboro in 2012. And then, on July 20, 2018, we recorded “Quantum Blues” at my new studio, outside of Brookland.

I wrote all three songs on the album, “Cold Fusion”, “Quantum Blues”, and “Entanglement”. All named for concepts in nuclear physics at the frontiers of science. And for NJHB, the songs are short with the longest one just under eight minutes.

Also unique in the NJHB repertoire the band is a jazz trio featuring Tyler Remagen on tenor sax; Spencer Rawlins, bass; and Hairy Larry, piano. Having fewer musicians playing did not stop us from engaging in the NJHB trademark group improvisation.

The debate on how old is too old to lead a government settled on a figure that (remarkably!) all sides agreed was reasonable.

Problem solved, gerontocrats out at mandatory retirement age.

"I spent several years as a swan," said the tall, graceful visiting prince, "You?"

The slightly shorter prince, broader and more rugged ran a shy hand through his red, braided hair, "If it wasn't for my sister, I'd probably still be a bear..."

The cat stepped through the doorway, the one humans can't see, appearing between the witch's ankles. She purred as the witch stumbled and swore, clutching at his spell ingredients.