#fromthearchive

Thanks Marty, today we’re going to hear an original blues song written by two Arkansas musicians and played by an Arkansas band.

When I met Ben Ben Adler, way back in the nineties, he talked to me about bringing Mack Self and the Silver Dollar Band to Blues Fest. Well Mack was an American rockabilly singer, who recorded for Sun Records in the 1950s and that was a perfect fit for Blues Fest. It was great, Mack Self sang his rockabilly hits with his band including Ben Ben on drums.

When they came back again Ben Ben said he had a band too, and they would like to play, next year if posible. So I booked Ben Ben and when it was time for his set he got all spiffed up and came out with a guitar. After delivering a sizzling R&B set with his band and guest musicians I was a fan.

Well, I saw Ben Ben at the Levon Helm Down Home Jubilee last year and I talked to him about playing with Delta Legends. He was up for it and we got together at John Shepherd’s WhatEverLand studio outside of Wynne, Arkansas. We recorded in November and December and released two albums, “Mr. John B. Shepherd” and “Hog Jowl Blues”.

To close this circle, “Hog Jowl Blues” is a song that Ben Ben wrote with Mack Self. So we’re getting the Arkansas Roots all the way down. Just like turtles.

Thanks Marty. Today we’re going to hear a Miles Davis song recorded right here at ASU at the Delta Jazz Workshop.

“All Blues” was written by Miles Davis and was first released in 1959 on the most popular jazz album of all time, “Kind Of Blue”. “All Blues” is a blues with it’s own sound, in 6/8 instead of 4/4, and using all 7th chords with an off chord at the turnaround. Jazz musicians love to improvise on “All Blues”. It’s so familiar and so interesting.

On July 12, 2016, Jay Shepherd played “All Blues” in the ASU Fine Arts Recital Hall as part of the jazz department’s Delta Jazz Workshop. Featured on piano on this song we will hear Jay’s partner in crime, Shane Chastain.

Now, Shane and Jay are back together again in a new band, Silver Wings, and I hope to record them again for Something Blue.

In December, 2025, I released this concert as a live album, “Jay Shepherd Live At The Delta Jazz Workshop”. It’s great, all the way through. I’ll post a link to it on the Something Blue website at sbblues.com.

Playing at the concert were:

Jay Shepherd – guitar Tyler Worsham – piano Shane Chastain – piano Terrell Montgomery – bass and Keyven Dunn – drums

All of them are from Northeast Arkansas.

So now, recorded on July 12, 2016, here’s Jay Shepherd Playing “All Blues”.

DJ Hairy Larry Presents Lady Bird Featuring Paul Lessard On Alto Sax From the Archives Of Something Blue 2025-12-21

Thanks Marty, today we’re going to hear some amazing alto sax work recorded at HairyLarryLand.

So part of this equation is Paul Lessard playing alto sax with me while he was teaching at ASU. He’s an absolutely fantastic player who thinks on his feet and took a lot of the load off of me by cueing transitions in the songs, keeping the band tight.

Another part of the equation was Chris Isom and Spencer Rawlins. I played with them when we were taking jazz together at ASU but more importantly they played in the working band, Common Time, and developed a tight drums and bass lock while paying their dues.

And the third part of the equation, I was a math student and I do realize that I’m stretching my metophor, is Craig Collison, former Director of Percussion at ASU, former Bebop Beatnik, and, most importantly, my friend and teacher.

… more at link above

From The Archives Of Something Blue 2025-12-28

Thanks Marty. Today we’re going to hear my favorite song recorded at my favorite place, HairyLarryLand.

In the fall of 2024 I saw Eliecer Tamez at Gamer’s Haven when I was there for my Thursday Night D&D campaign. Eliecer played with me in the Jazz Recital Band at ASU and he expressed an interest in getting together and playing agian.

Then at Blues Fest I saw Danielle Russell. She’s been the singer in many rock and blues bands in Northeast Arkansas and she sang with The Flying Hungarians every year at Blues Fest. I asked if she would be interested in singing jazz and she started in on all of her favorite jazz composers.

Continue at link …

From The Archives Of Something Blue 2025-11-16

Thanks Marty, today we're going to hear an original jazz song recorded right here, in Jonesboro.

In my sixties I started attending the Jazz Alliance concerts, enjoying the music and eventually recording an album of Ron Horton originals. Ron was on trumpet and Craig Collison played vibraphone. They were both teaching at ASU at the time so they were my gateway back into the Music Department where I took Marimba from Mr. C and Jazz Improv from Dr. Horton.

I already knew Craig Collison because he played drums on the Joe Lee album, "Boppin' At The Forest", that I recorded in 2001.

You've heard of one name celebrities like Cher or Drake. Well, Craig is a one letter celebrity known to all his students as Mr. C.

And I'm still playing with Mr. C. He played vibes on my 1625 Groove Street album and he is currently playing with my new band, #jazz #blues #fusion.

From The Archives Of Something Blue 2025-08-24

Thanks Marty, today we’re featuring a song named after one of the seven wonders of the world.

And that would be “Colossus”, named after the Colossus of Rhodes, which is appropriate because on the NJHB album, “Colossus”, I’m playing a Fender Rhodes.

“Colossus” was first recorded on December 29, 2012, and released on the “Circular Logic” album. The album “Colossus” was our third album recorded on February 2, 2013.

Now I’m bringing back some of the NJHB songs from over 10 years ago and Bebop Beatniks played “Colossus” at KASU New Jazz In Jonesboro on May 24, 2025. The band included the incomparable Paul Lessard on alto sax. Every time I get to play with him it’s a treat.