Art Porter – Art Porter Music Education
DJ Hairy Larry Presents Art Porter Playing Lay Your Hands On Me
From The Archives Of Something Blue March 2, 2025
Thanks Marty, today we’re going to listen to Arthur Lee Porter Jr.
Born in 1961 he started playing drums in his father’s band, The Art Porter Trio, at the age of nine. When he was a teenager he picked up the saxophone. He went to school at the Parkview Arts and Science Magnet High School in Little Rock.
This is where it gets interesting. He was barred from playing in clubs because he was under 21. He was arrested and charged with working under-age in a nightclub serving alcoholic beverages.
Bill Clinton was Arkansas Attorney General at the time and he got the charges against Art Porter dropped. Later Clinton got the law changed to allow under-age musicians to appear in adult facilities as long as their legal guardians accompanied them. This law became known as “The Art Porter Bill”.
In the eighties Porter moved to Chicago where he played with Jack McDuff and another Arkansas saxophonist, Pharoah Sanders, who also played with Art Porter in Little Rock. Pharoah Sanders, Art Porter Jr. and Art Porter Sr. are all recognized in the Arkansas Jazz Hall Of Fame.
Porter and his father performed for President Clinton during his 1993 inauguration, playing Amazing Grace at a prayer breakfast.
In 1996 Porter died in a boating accident after playing at the Thailand International Jazz Festival. He was only 35 years old when we all suffered this great loss to jazz music.
Go to the Something Blue website at sbblues.com for links to more about Art Porter and his music.
Today we’re going to hear Art Porter play the title track of his last album, “Lay Your Hands On Me”.
Art Porter Jr. – Straight To The Point | North Sea Jazz (1993)
Art Porter Jr.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_Porter_Jr.
Art Porter Jr., 35, A Jazz Saxophonist Aided by Clinton
Art Porter; Saxophonist Changed Law
www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-11-27-mn-3491-story.html
Arkansas Jazz Hall of Fame
1994 Candidates
Pharoah Sanders
www.arjazz.org/artists/hof/1994/94_pharoah_sanders.shtml
Arkansas Jazz Hall of Fame
www.arjazz.org/artists/hof/hof_list.shtml
Art Porter Music Education – Art Porter Jr.
www.artporter.org/art-porter-jr
Something Blue Archives – List Of Concerts
archive.org/details/somethingbluearchives?sort=-publicdate
music
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Art Porter – Lay Your Hands On Me
And that’s Art Porter playing the title track from his 1996 release, “Lay Your Hands On Me”. Don’t miss Something Blue, Saturday night at 10:00, to hear Steve Coleman and Dave Holland.
Dave Holland Quintet – Seeds Of Time
DJ Hairy Larry With The Dave Holland Quintet Playing Double Vision
Something Blue – Elders – 29 second spot
This is Hairy Larry inviting you to enjoy Something Blue every Saturday night at ten. This week we’re featuring Dave Holland and Steve Coleman. 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.
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