REVIEWS / Testimonials
One thing that makes the very entertaining Larry Hunt unique is his amazing versatility as a pianist-- It seems that he has actually mastered EVERY style of piano playing ever invented! All piano styles of Jazz (of which there are many), as well Classical (he was a classical piano major at The Manhattan School of Music for 2 years), Blues, Rock, Country, Latin / Brazilian, Boogie-Woogie, - you name it!
Larry also exudes joy and humor when he performs; he loves to tell jokes & one liners during his concerts, as well as to intelligently inform his audiences about the history of much of music's origin--. In that sense, he's also an entertaining story teller.too..
Sometimes also during his show, he invokes profound emotion as well.. Some folks said to me after his recent Sept. 24, 2022 concert in his hometown in NJ, that they were fighting off tears during Larry's rendering of the song "Home Town" by Joe Jackson. And as author /jazz historian Grange Rutan stated last year in her review-- "Mr. Hunt is not only a virtuoso musician, but is also a consummate entertainer!"... * So when you get the chance, make sure that u get to see the consummate Mr. Larry Hunt live 'in person' in this lifetime!..
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Screenwriter/author Prof. Jon Bono {www.GoldenFlowerNetwork.com}
Larry also exudes joy and humor when he performs; he loves to tell jokes & one liners during his concerts, as well as to intelligently inform his audiences about the history of much of music's origin--. In that sense, he's also an entertaining story teller.too..
Sometimes also during his show, he invokes profound emotion as well.. Some folks said to me after his recent Sept. 24, 2022 concert in his hometown in NJ, that they were fighting off tears during Larry's rendering of the song "Home Town" by Joe Jackson. And as author /jazz historian Grange Rutan stated last year in her review-- "Mr. Hunt is not only a virtuoso musician, but is also a consummate entertainer!"... * So when you get the chance, make sure that u get to see the consummate Mr. Larry Hunt live 'in person' in this lifetime!..
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Screenwriter/author Prof. Jon Bono {www.GoldenFlowerNetwork.com}
Piano Man Larry Hunt started his concert on 04/30/22 by telling some jokes delivered in a very "dry" manner, which created a comfortable atmosphere right away. He then performed an original "Jazz Mambo" instrumental piece called "Get Real", which he explained was inspired by some of the compositions of Horace Silver. He was accompanied by Ruben Ariola on drums. Mr. Hunt performed on piano without a bass player at this concert. He played/improvised very strong riffs with his left hand on the keyboard throughout the concert that would without a doubt impress any professional Jazz bassist. There was huge applause after this first tune. Next he set the audience up again with another "dry" style humor joke and then dove into a nice medium tempo swing version of Rogers & Hart's 1939 classic "I Didn't Know What Time It Was", adding his rich bluesy singing voice. The audience loved it.
Next he sang and played an original song called "The Eternal Now", with chord changes and melody reminiscent of compositions by Duke Ellington and Charlie Mingus. After he performed it, an audience member called out "Beautiful!". It was.
Next up was another original piano piece called "The Ocean of Love", which he dedicated to his old friend Raphael Rudd, a composer and performer who had worked & recorded with the rock band The Who. Larry visually impersonated Raphael during this piece, which made the audience chuckle. After this Mr. Hunt performed an original high energy medley of songs from The Who's "Tommy". The audience Loved it. They loved EVERY piece and song of this concert, evidenced by Larry performing 4 encores.
Next Larry sang and played a very soulful and bluesy James Booker and Fats Domino style original version of Buck Ram's "Only You", a song made famous in the 1950's by The Platters. He followed this up by a virtuoso performance of Chopin's famous "Minute Waltz"!
After a short humorous improvisation on Beethoven's "Fur Elise" Larry proceeded to sing and play, with Ruben on drums, 2 medium tempo songs by classic rock group The Doors. He played the piano like Ray Manzarek (complete with Manzarek's strong left-hand bass style of course) while at the same time singing and sounding almost exactly like Jim Morrison!
Other extremely impressive styles of vocal and piano music in the concert included a blistering up-tempo Brazilian samba, and a really swinging boogie-woogie medley.
To end his show Mr. Hunt performed a tongue-in-cheek but dead-on impersonation of Jerry Lee Lewis, which just brought the house down with applause and laughter.
To sum up, the highly versatile, soulful, and entertaining musical journey which Piano Man Larry Hunt took us on during this concert was truly a "Killer" performance! I loved every minute of it.
- William Ruswick, Orlando, FL, USA.
Mr. Ruswick has a Masters Degree in Music Education, and has been a professional musician & singer and Public School Music Educator for over 30 years.
Piano Man Larry Hunt: a Review by author / Jazz music historian Grange "Lady Haig" Rutan:
As the published author of “Death Of A Bebop Wife”, the official biography of Nutley, New Jersey’s own Al Haig, the chosen pianist of the Innovators and titian’s of Bebop - Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Bud Powell - and later Stan Getz - after listening to Nutley’s Larry Hunt, I am convinced - although born 33 years apart - that they both drank water from the same cup! Al Haig graduated from Nutley High School in 1939, and Larry Hunt (born Lawrence Hoogerhyde) in 1973 (Larry legally changed his name to "Hunt" in 1983).
I had never heard - nor saw - Hunt perform until I attended his performance on 4-30-2022. He opened his show by telling some dry jokes and then launched into one of his original compositions: a provocative and subtlety aggressive Jazz mambo called “Get Real” - inspired by the music of Horace Silver. I loved it.
Ruben Ariola, Larrry’s percussionist extraordinaire, with his superb drumming, was a pleasure to watch and hear. They both exuded to the packed audience the sheer love of playing their instruments; for the stimulus of exchanging ideas, for the pleasure of speaking and communicating through the
“Piano” and the “ Stix!”
Larry’s dialogue with the audience was unique, witty, pithy and charming, enhanced by his straight ahead enthusiasm, so classy and smooth through each tune, convincing me he was truly the consummate entertainer, never letting up on us, igniting our energy to a fevered pitch - augmented by percussionist Ruben Ariola’s dynamic intensity.
Although I had a front row center seat in the beautiful and historic Philhower Chapel of the Vincent United Methodist Church, on Saturday afternoon April 30, 2022, listening to an afternoon of music featuring Nutley’s own prodigy Larry Hunt, I might as well have been up on the odd-numbered side of 52nd Street to Six Avenue in New York City, where elevated trains thundered by - where every night in the 1950's and '60's was Jazz & Blues music celebrity night, because, when Larry Hunt began his Boogie-Woogie Medley, I realized he had talent beyond the pale, beyond all my expectations, as he romped and rode that piano as if he was in a rodeo; Hunt’s mastery of the 88’s and singing was excitingly absurd like a tiger who rode the jungle with no fear - with the heel of his own foot (wearing a blue suede shoe) on the upper register, then standing in finale, knocking over the seat he sat on! The audience was at a fevered pitch standing and clapping with pure unadulterated joy.
An afternoon like this, in the year 2022, was not supposed to happen, but the halcyon days of Manhattan's 52nd Street invaded my sadly faded wonderful memories, because this talented duo ignited my emotional gamut - from longing and “world-weariness” to a “one-for-my-baby-one more-for/the-road” gaiety, transporting us to those smokey cramped quarters of the
postage stamp sized tables, melting ice cubes and
crowded to the gills clubs, because Nutley’s son Larry Hunt, like Nutley’s son Al Haig,
gave that piano a workout that created magical mayhem and a beautiful chaos like no other! Bravo!
Next he sang and played an original song called "The Eternal Now", with chord changes and melody reminiscent of compositions by Duke Ellington and Charlie Mingus. After he performed it, an audience member called out "Beautiful!". It was.
Next up was another original piano piece called "The Ocean of Love", which he dedicated to his old friend Raphael Rudd, a composer and performer who had worked & recorded with the rock band The Who. Larry visually impersonated Raphael during this piece, which made the audience chuckle. After this Mr. Hunt performed an original high energy medley of songs from The Who's "Tommy". The audience Loved it. They loved EVERY piece and song of this concert, evidenced by Larry performing 4 encores.
Next Larry sang and played a very soulful and bluesy James Booker and Fats Domino style original version of Buck Ram's "Only You", a song made famous in the 1950's by The Platters. He followed this up by a virtuoso performance of Chopin's famous "Minute Waltz"!
After a short humorous improvisation on Beethoven's "Fur Elise" Larry proceeded to sing and play, with Ruben on drums, 2 medium tempo songs by classic rock group The Doors. He played the piano like Ray Manzarek (complete with Manzarek's strong left-hand bass style of course) while at the same time singing and sounding almost exactly like Jim Morrison!
Other extremely impressive styles of vocal and piano music in the concert included a blistering up-tempo Brazilian samba, and a really swinging boogie-woogie medley.
To end his show Mr. Hunt performed a tongue-in-cheek but dead-on impersonation of Jerry Lee Lewis, which just brought the house down with applause and laughter.
To sum up, the highly versatile, soulful, and entertaining musical journey which Piano Man Larry Hunt took us on during this concert was truly a "Killer" performance! I loved every minute of it.
- William Ruswick, Orlando, FL, USA.
Mr. Ruswick has a Masters Degree in Music Education, and has been a professional musician & singer and Public School Music Educator for over 30 years.
Piano Man Larry Hunt: a Review by author / Jazz music historian Grange "Lady Haig" Rutan:
As the published author of “Death Of A Bebop Wife”, the official biography of Nutley, New Jersey’s own Al Haig, the chosen pianist of the Innovators and titian’s of Bebop - Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Bud Powell - and later Stan Getz - after listening to Nutley’s Larry Hunt, I am convinced - although born 33 years apart - that they both drank water from the same cup! Al Haig graduated from Nutley High School in 1939, and Larry Hunt (born Lawrence Hoogerhyde) in 1973 (Larry legally changed his name to "Hunt" in 1983).
I had never heard - nor saw - Hunt perform until I attended his performance on 4-30-2022. He opened his show by telling some dry jokes and then launched into one of his original compositions: a provocative and subtlety aggressive Jazz mambo called “Get Real” - inspired by the music of Horace Silver. I loved it.
Ruben Ariola, Larrry’s percussionist extraordinaire, with his superb drumming, was a pleasure to watch and hear. They both exuded to the packed audience the sheer love of playing their instruments; for the stimulus of exchanging ideas, for the pleasure of speaking and communicating through the
“Piano” and the “ Stix!”
Larry’s dialogue with the audience was unique, witty, pithy and charming, enhanced by his straight ahead enthusiasm, so classy and smooth through each tune, convincing me he was truly the consummate entertainer, never letting up on us, igniting our energy to a fevered pitch - augmented by percussionist Ruben Ariola’s dynamic intensity.
Although I had a front row center seat in the beautiful and historic Philhower Chapel of the Vincent United Methodist Church, on Saturday afternoon April 30, 2022, listening to an afternoon of music featuring Nutley’s own prodigy Larry Hunt, I might as well have been up on the odd-numbered side of 52nd Street to Six Avenue in New York City, where elevated trains thundered by - where every night in the 1950's and '60's was Jazz & Blues music celebrity night, because, when Larry Hunt began his Boogie-Woogie Medley, I realized he had talent beyond the pale, beyond all my expectations, as he romped and rode that piano as if he was in a rodeo; Hunt’s mastery of the 88’s and singing was excitingly absurd like a tiger who rode the jungle with no fear - with the heel of his own foot (wearing a blue suede shoe) on the upper register, then standing in finale, knocking over the seat he sat on! The audience was at a fevered pitch standing and clapping with pure unadulterated joy.
An afternoon like this, in the year 2022, was not supposed to happen, but the halcyon days of Manhattan's 52nd Street invaded my sadly faded wonderful memories, because this talented duo ignited my emotional gamut - from longing and “world-weariness” to a “one-for-my-baby-one more-for/the-road” gaiety, transporting us to those smokey cramped quarters of the
postage stamp sized tables, melting ice cubes and
crowded to the gills clubs, because Nutley’s son Larry Hunt, like Nutley’s son Al Haig,
gave that piano a workout that created magical mayhem and a beautiful chaos like no other! Bravo!
"I had the distinct privilege of attending the Larry Hunt Concert on April 30, 2022. Larry was able to navigate Jazz, Rock, Pop, and Classical piano playing with great skill and sensitivity. His prowess on the keyboard was captivating and his sense of style and mood of each genre was perfectly captured by his excellent vocal renditions. His choices of pieces also reflect his love for people. I was particularly struck by his beautiful medley Lean on Me/He Ain't Heavy/You've Got a Friend and Larry's touching original composition, My Love Is With You. It was a great, highly entertaining afternoon of music."
- Gerard DeMatteo, MA, LPC, Rutherford, NJ, USA.
- Gerard DeMatteo, MA, LPC, Rutherford, NJ, USA.
A Review of Larry’s Hunt's Concert on 4/30/22 and a Brief Biography:
I met Larry Hunt (formerly Lawrence Hoogerhyde) while we were both awaiting our turns to audition for a piano accompanist position at Nutley High School about 40 years ago. I was a sophomore in high school and Larry was in 8th grade at the time. He would not enter high school until the following year. Nonetheless his reputation for pianistic prowess preceded him to that moment. That made me a bit apprehensive. I knew he would be a force to be reckoned with. And, so it was. He was the best pianist I ever knew.
Fortunately, instead of becoming rivals, Larry and I became very good friends as I got to know him and we could exchange ideas on arranging music with strings and horns, and playing music by ear on the piano. We also had a very similar sense of humor.
My parents and our family took Larry in to live with us for several months, and off and on for 5 years, starting when he was 16. He had had to run away from home due to his father's growing mental illness, which had turned him into an extremely abusive & violent alcoholic schizophrenic. He punished and gave Larry regular beatings for 4 years for no reason! Larry's presently writing a book, an autobiography. He told me recently that Chapter 1 is entitled "Daddy Dearest". Ring a bell? Anyway, when Larry lived with us I then learned more about the extent of his talents. As he practiced on our Everett studio piano, he could execute the classics of Chopin, the rags of Scott Joplin or just about anything by George Gershwin with equal proficiency. Larry had actually taught himself how to play and had memorized the entire "Rhapsody in Blue - the piano AND condensed orchestra score - a 22 minute long piece by the age of 13 or 14, and performed it many times on different stages in Nutley when he was in the 8th grade!. There's an old Nutley Sun newspaper article about it. He was without a piano teacher between the ages of 12 and 17, as his father refused to pay for lessons, even though Larry had been The De Jon Studios' prize student for 4 years up until then, and famous throughout Nutley for his piano playing, etc! Again - "Daddy Dearest"....
At his high school graduation ceremony Larry received 5 local scholarships, money which enabled him to then attend the prestigious Manhattan School of Music. He majored in Classical piano music performance, with a minor in Voice/Singing. He was accepted at Juilliard but could not financially afford to attend there.
At that time the overwhelming majority of music colleges and conservatories were staunchly directed toward teaching Classical music and theory, not much in the way of jazz or even symphonic music that contained elements of Jazz, like Larry's favorite composer George Gershwin’s “Concerto in F” and “Rhapsody in Blue”, etc. In fact, they looked down their noses at Jazz and Gershwin! Larry, becoming very fascinated with Jazz music, quit the Manhattan School after 2 years, opting to try to teach himself how to play Jazz piano. He also was composing his own pieces and songs at this time. At one point Larry met Oscar Peterson, and Jaki Byard, and had asked them for advice about taking lessons as opposed to teaching oneself how to play Jazz music. That's a story in itself....
In 1976 my family moved away from Nutley to Pennsylvania. It was about that time when Larry quit The Manhattan School of Music and moved to Boston. In 1977 he started performing full time, primarily in night spots, for a living. During the following years Larry moved around a lot, performing in many different American cities, on cruise ships and in 7 European countries. I heard very little from him for about 35 years. A few years ago we were re-united and communicate with each other often. So of course, I just had to be on hand for his April 30th, 2022 concert in Nutley. Regardless of expectation, I was beguiled by Larry’s flawless execution of a huge variety of music genres with grace and a stage presence that let his audience know he was enjoying playing and singing to them. Astute observers would notice inspirational styles of the likes of Jazz artists Horace Silver, Duke Ellington, Dave Frischburg, Jaki Byard, Mose Allison, Chet Baker and Johnny Hartmann (vocally), New Orleans Blues artist James Booker, and even comedic pianists such as Victor Borge,and even Jerry Lee Lewis and Chico Marx(!) while still maintaining his own unique style.
Larry was ahead of his time back when we were in high school. Back in those days besides performing piano concertos / classical music on stage frequently, he was in a popular local Rock band AMU (the Amalgamated Musicians Union!) with my brothers and I. We were a "horn band", playing songs by Chicago, Blood, Sweat & Tears, Jimi Hendrix, and others (we had to learn them by ear as there was no printed music available for this stuff back then)! Larry also fronted and conducted a Rock band in high school called New Vintage, which specialized in performing the music of Procol Harum, as well as many Beatles White album covers!
Today, the great compositions by composer George Gershwin are often heard and fit right in with Mozart and Brahms on the few remaining classical music radio stations. Larry's concert in Nutley was a resounding success and a delightful & unforgettable musical experience for all attendees. I hope to be on hand for a series of upcoming performances by Mr. Larry Hunt!
- T. David Zimmermann, BSEE, Music Director and keyboardist at Thomas Presbyterian, Eighty Four, PA
I met Larry Hunt (formerly Lawrence Hoogerhyde) while we were both awaiting our turns to audition for a piano accompanist position at Nutley High School about 40 years ago. I was a sophomore in high school and Larry was in 8th grade at the time. He would not enter high school until the following year. Nonetheless his reputation for pianistic prowess preceded him to that moment. That made me a bit apprehensive. I knew he would be a force to be reckoned with. And, so it was. He was the best pianist I ever knew.
Fortunately, instead of becoming rivals, Larry and I became very good friends as I got to know him and we could exchange ideas on arranging music with strings and horns, and playing music by ear on the piano. We also had a very similar sense of humor.
My parents and our family took Larry in to live with us for several months, and off and on for 5 years, starting when he was 16. He had had to run away from home due to his father's growing mental illness, which had turned him into an extremely abusive & violent alcoholic schizophrenic. He punished and gave Larry regular beatings for 4 years for no reason! Larry's presently writing a book, an autobiography. He told me recently that Chapter 1 is entitled "Daddy Dearest". Ring a bell? Anyway, when Larry lived with us I then learned more about the extent of his talents. As he practiced on our Everett studio piano, he could execute the classics of Chopin, the rags of Scott Joplin or just about anything by George Gershwin with equal proficiency. Larry had actually taught himself how to play and had memorized the entire "Rhapsody in Blue - the piano AND condensed orchestra score - a 22 minute long piece by the age of 13 or 14, and performed it many times on different stages in Nutley when he was in the 8th grade!. There's an old Nutley Sun newspaper article about it. He was without a piano teacher between the ages of 12 and 17, as his father refused to pay for lessons, even though Larry had been The De Jon Studios' prize student for 4 years up until then, and famous throughout Nutley for his piano playing, etc! Again - "Daddy Dearest"....
At his high school graduation ceremony Larry received 5 local scholarships, money which enabled him to then attend the prestigious Manhattan School of Music. He majored in Classical piano music performance, with a minor in Voice/Singing. He was accepted at Juilliard but could not financially afford to attend there.
At that time the overwhelming majority of music colleges and conservatories were staunchly directed toward teaching Classical music and theory, not much in the way of jazz or even symphonic music that contained elements of Jazz, like Larry's favorite composer George Gershwin’s “Concerto in F” and “Rhapsody in Blue”, etc. In fact, they looked down their noses at Jazz and Gershwin! Larry, becoming very fascinated with Jazz music, quit the Manhattan School after 2 years, opting to try to teach himself how to play Jazz piano. He also was composing his own pieces and songs at this time. At one point Larry met Oscar Peterson, and Jaki Byard, and had asked them for advice about taking lessons as opposed to teaching oneself how to play Jazz music. That's a story in itself....
In 1976 my family moved away from Nutley to Pennsylvania. It was about that time when Larry quit The Manhattan School of Music and moved to Boston. In 1977 he started performing full time, primarily in night spots, for a living. During the following years Larry moved around a lot, performing in many different American cities, on cruise ships and in 7 European countries. I heard very little from him for about 35 years. A few years ago we were re-united and communicate with each other often. So of course, I just had to be on hand for his April 30th, 2022 concert in Nutley. Regardless of expectation, I was beguiled by Larry’s flawless execution of a huge variety of music genres with grace and a stage presence that let his audience know he was enjoying playing and singing to them. Astute observers would notice inspirational styles of the likes of Jazz artists Horace Silver, Duke Ellington, Dave Frischburg, Jaki Byard, Mose Allison, Chet Baker and Johnny Hartmann (vocally), New Orleans Blues artist James Booker, and even comedic pianists such as Victor Borge,and even Jerry Lee Lewis and Chico Marx(!) while still maintaining his own unique style.
Larry was ahead of his time back when we were in high school. Back in those days besides performing piano concertos / classical music on stage frequently, he was in a popular local Rock band AMU (the Amalgamated Musicians Union!) with my brothers and I. We were a "horn band", playing songs by Chicago, Blood, Sweat & Tears, Jimi Hendrix, and others (we had to learn them by ear as there was no printed music available for this stuff back then)! Larry also fronted and conducted a Rock band in high school called New Vintage, which specialized in performing the music of Procol Harum, as well as many Beatles White album covers!
Today, the great compositions by composer George Gershwin are often heard and fit right in with Mozart and Brahms on the few remaining classical music radio stations. Larry's concert in Nutley was a resounding success and a delightful & unforgettable musical experience for all attendees. I hope to be on hand for a series of upcoming performances by Mr. Larry Hunt!
- T. David Zimmermann, BSEE, Music Director and keyboardist at Thomas Presbyterian, Eighty Four, PA