DJ Hairy Larry Presents NJHB Playing El Amor Cubano La Mujer O El Caballo
From The Archives Of Something Blue May 5, 2024

Thanks Marty, today we’re going to hear a Cuban love song written and performed by the Dean of Fine Arts.

When Don Bowyer came to ASU he was looking for someone to play music with so, of course, everybody mentioned me. I was a student in the music department at the time and I played out a lot, including at our monthly New Jazz In Jonesboro show with NJHB, the New Jazz House Band.

We played all original songs and Don Bowyer is an outstanding jazz composer, so he fit right in. On February 2, 2013, he brought music for a song he wrote called “El Amor Cubano: La Mujer o el Caballo?” roughly translated as who is your true love, your woman or your horse? So the title’s funny but the song is actually quite beautiful.

DJ Hairy Larry Presents Copyright Infringement Playing Stella By Starlight
From The Archives Of Something Blue 2024-04-21

Thanks Marty, today we’re going to hear a band of young musicians play a jazz standard.

It was my great good fortune to be able to work with high school jazz musicians at the Delta Jazz Workshop for several years. I enjoyed the workshop sessions and listening to rehearsals but my favorite job was rehearsing small groups made up of workshop attendees, mostly high school students.

In July of 2018 I was given some amazing musicians including a rhythm section of young musicians who were already playing at a professional level. So this was a great opportunity to show these students the whole process, selecting songs, creating instrumental sections, writing arrangements, and rehearsing for a concert.

And we had five days to make all this happen.

DJ Hairy Larry Presents Michael Ward Playing An Aperitif
From The Archives Of Something Blue 2024-03-10

Thanks Marty, today we’re going to hear an uptempo jazz standard performed by ASU students in the Fine Arts Recital Hall.

I met Michael Ward at the Delta Jazz Workshop when he was in high school. I was immediately impressed with his tenor sax playing and his improvisational approach. When he started at ASU he played with me in the Jazz Recital Band. And then, after the pandemic, he played with Bebop Beatniks on the twitch porch. I’ll post links to these performances on the Something Blue website at sbblues.com.

Then there I was reading the Monday Morning Music Memo and what do you know. It’s Michael Ward’s Senior Jazz Recital. I just had to go.

Bebop Beatniks
Livestream
August 20, 2023
Arkansas State University
Fine Arts Recital Hall

Song List

00:00 Hairy Intro ...
00:31 African Violet
09:13 The Blue Crane Intro ...
09:19 The Blue Crane
16:33 Low Earth Orbit Intro ...
16:36 Low Earth Orbit
24:58 Sail Boats Lyrics ...
25:21 Sail Boats
30:32 Freddy's Blues Intro ...
31:14 Freddy's Blues
36:38 We've got time for one more ...
36:48 Malaysia
44:24 Outro - Band Introductions ...

All songs by Larry Heyl licensed CC BY

Personnel

Hairy Larry - piano, vocals
Jeremy Jackson - bass
Conley Hunt - percussion, vocals

DJ Hairy Larry Presents Brian Henkelmann Playing Bop Soup
From The Archives Of Something Blue April 23, 2023

Thanks Marty, today we're going to hear a solo piano composition performed in the Fine Arts Recital Hall.

When I wrote "Bop Soup" I was taking piano lessons from Harriet O'Neal and Dr. Tacke was my composition instructor. So thanks to both for helping me prepare this piece.

On November 8, 2013, Brian Henkelmann performed the song at my Senior Recital. He did such a great job playing it that I made it the title track on my album, "Bop Soup", consisting of all ten songs played at my recital. The song holds up after repeated listenings over the years. Both my work, writing the piece, and Brian's performance, live and recorded, are excellent.

This is Hairy Larry inviting you to enjoy Something Blue every Saturday night at ten. This week we’re featuring Hayley Jane, Steve Kimock, and Stanton Moore. 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.

Hayley Jane and the Primates Live at Northlands Live on 2022-06-25
archive.org/details/hayleyjane2022-06-25.tcca-flac16

Stanton Moore Live at Chelsea’s on 2003-03-21
archive.org/details/SMoore2003-03-21

Steve Kimock Live at Park City Music Hall on 2022-06-18
archive.org/details/sk2022-06-18.skf.dpa4011.steinthal.buzzeo.flac16

Jazz Writers Big Band
July 9, 2018
Delta Jazz Workshop
Riceland Hall
Arkansas State University
Jonesboro, Arkansas

01 Hardly Groovin' - Joseph Curtis
02 I've Never Been In Love Before - arr. Tom O'Connor
03 Elegy - Joseph Curtis
04 The Blues Done Found Us Again - Tom O'Connor
05 That's All - arr. Tom O'Connor
06 Mercy, Mercy, Mercy - arr. Tom O'Connor
07 More Better Days Than Yesterday - Tom O'Connor
08 Downpour - Joseph Curtis

Thanks Marty, this week on From The Archives we’re featuring more jazz recorded right here in Jonesboro.

Caprice was a student band at ASU and I had been recording their recitals. When they decided to record an album they asked me and I was very excited to record these great songwriters and musicians. After all the work they had put into developing their band sound it was important to me to get their songs down before Tim Moore and Brandon Moore left ASU to continue their jazz education at North Texas State.

Playing in Caprice were Tim Moore, piano; Brandon Moore, sax; Alex Ditto, guitar; Matt Bounds, bass; and Addison Boling, drums.

Here they are now playing a Brandon Moore composition, “Papa Samba”.