Album Notes

In an area of the country most noted for loads of country music and classic rock, four musicians got together to indulge in each other’s love of jazz music.

Guitarist Chuck Herdrich has been a favorite among country bands in this area, mostly because of his reputation of sneaking in major seventh and raised 9th chords into various songs originally played by country artists. Joining the North Missouri Jazz Band finally gave him the ability to indulge in this with no restrictions. He also is an accomplished vocalist and his cover of the Van Morrison tune “Moondance” is always a big request at jazz shows.

Vocalist Kenna Herdrich, Chuck’s daughter, was a mere 18 years old when she first took the stage with the North Missouri Jazz Band. Her main training was in classic and modern choral music but her true love is the sultry styles of Billie Holiday and Julie London, as well as a hearty respect of the care-free scatting of Ella Fitzgerald. Now a college student in Kirksville, Missouri, Kenna still pursues new singing styles and also explores swing dancing in an effort to expand her understanding and appreciation of jazz.

Drummer Corky Hesler is a veteran of mainly rock and blues bands but always harbored a penchant for swing. With thirty years of playing in bands in this rural area of Missouri Corky has played in nearly every venue and with every musician that the green hills have to offer. Teaming up with The North Missouri Jazz Band finally gave him a place to use the latin rhythms and shuffle beats that he only occasionally got to explore previously. A collector as well as a musician, Corky has one of the more extensive collections of vintage drums and amplifiers in the area and chooses to use those instruments exclusively when he plays with this band.

Bass player Jeff Newlin was raised in the Las Vegas, in an era where the strip was filled with top quality musicians who were always available to give lessons to young musicians. In the 1970s a music student could take private lessons from a first-quality musician for $7 per hour. Jeff took advantage of this and pursued his interest in jazz music at a very young age. Eventually settling in Southern California, Jeff played in a number of bands that fused jazz with underground music and created truly unique sounds. But the North Missouri Jazz Band allows him to get back to the basics of his younger years.

Be-bop, swing, latin are what they like and “What The Hay” is an offering that lets them inject just a bit of their rural persona into the music of great composers like Duke Ellington and Dizzy Gillispie – much to the delight – and sometimes confusion – of their audiences.