hensley farms

Sorry to report the passing of an old friend, Jim Gerard, a radio and television personality from Indianapolis. 

For five years, up until the time I moved to Los Angeles in 1970, I played piano on Jim’s daily TV show…

Fifty years ago, early in 1970, my “weird band,” the Masters of Deceit, performed in concert at Hanover College in Madison, Indiana. It didn’t go well. but it went well.  

That is to say, we played quite well, I thought…

I was going to write about something else, but I learned of the passing today from pneumonia of the great alto saxophonist Lee Konitz, and with all that’s going on, I want to acknowledge him. 

Look him up, listen to…

There's a not-so-new new video posted, logically, on the videos page at Hensley Farms. It's called "Sing Joy," and the artist called Tony, Tom and Ludwig.

Tony, Tom and Ludwig is not, as you might have expected, a new…

Okay, the worst president in our history has brought us to the worst point in our history. I got that, but I can't do anything about that. That's up to all of us. What I can do is play the…

Here’s a photo of me, taken at the Broad Museum in downtown Los Angeles. I am shown exchanging greetings with  a sculpture by artist Jeff Koons, one based on a publicity still from a 1923 Buster Keaton film called “Our…

I love technology almost as much as I hate technology. Even thought it wasn't really necessary, we kept up with all the latest tools of our touring trade. We were one of the first bands to use in-ear monitoring, doing…

I never met Neil Peart. Never even heard him play, since we worked different sides of the street. But over the years I’ve lost so many friends who also happened to be excellent drummers that I might have some understanding…

Today is Diane Keaton’s birthday, so I’m wishing her a happy one, and I’ll tell you the story about Diane and me. 

By 1974, I was pretty busy with studio work, which I enjoyed, so I turned down most other…

Phil Spector's birthday today is not a happy one, one might guess. I did a bunch of recording sessions for Phil back in the day, and mostly enjoyed a lot of things about them: the cast of characters who would…

Today was David Baker’s birthday, and everyone who knew him is posting a picture of themselves in his company, so I’ll join the party. When he passed away, I posted this: 

You can find plenty online describing his greatness, his…

We made it to the screening of Ford V Ferrari the other night, and I’m happy to report that my minuscule  contributions to the soundtrack music did not ruin the movie at all. Films nowadays are such a free-for-all battle…