Indianapolis Jazz Hero
WFYI-Indianapolis broadcasters Kyle Long and Herman “Butch” Slaughter were recently elated to learn their show “Echoes of Indiana Avenue” which documents and showcases Naptown jazz, won a prestigious regional Edward R. Murrow award. “Neither Herman or myself have any training in broadcasting, so we were shocked to receive this great honor,” said Kyle.
While neither is formally educated, both Long and Slaughter have real world credentials and a passion for Indianapolis’ rich musical legacy, including jazz which more than makes up for it.
A well known local dj and passionate record collector, Kyle left high school at age 16, continuing his education in the public library, reading liner notes and old copies of DownBeat. Discovering “In This World” — particularly the Latin track “Chicango” — recorded by Indianapolis vibraphonist Billy Wooten for a quarter at the Speedway Library book sale was life-changing. His researching of new and little known music led to work as a journalist at NUVO, Indy’s alternative weekly. From there, he became a music curator for institutions including the Indianapolis Museum of Art, The Indianapolis Mayor’s Office of International and Cultural Affairs, and a 2018 Scholar-in-Residence at the IUPUI Arts and Humanities Institute, where he researched music educator Erroll “Groundhog” Grandy, considered the Godfather of Indianapolis jazz.
Herman Slaughter grew up near Indiana Avenue’s famed Crispus Attucks School, recording radio hits on an RCA stereo tape recorder at home, and absorbing the music at his grandfather’s church. Later, his mother-in-law and mentor was Indiana Avenue vocalist Flo Garvin, who recorded with Jimmy Coe on the King Records label and
broke racial barriers by hosting her own television show, Sentimental Journey on WFBM, In the 1970s, he put together a soul band called “Words of Wisdom” which toured with James Brown, Bettye Swann, Brook Benton and Solomon Burke.
Decades later, as a retiree who felt his work had long been forgotten, Slaughter met Long, who was curating concerts with jazz musicians including saxophonist Rob Dixon (2022 Indianapolis JJA Jazz Hero) at the Sidney & Lois Eskenazi Hospital. They discovered a mutual ambition to reclaim and share the musical heritage of jazz, soul and R&B.
“Like me, Herman had a real interest in educating people about our local music history,” says Kyle. “He immediately started connecting me with his colleagues and contacts to record interviews.” Like Herb Miller, the founder of Lamp
Records, “Naptown’s Motown” which had recorded Herman’s albums.
The pair collaborated on Kyle’s WFYI broadcast “Cultural Manifesto” until COVID-19. With nightclubs shuttered, Kyle’s dj gigs dried up so he had more free time. When an NPR cancellation left a hole in WFYI’s schedule, management was open to a new Indiana Avenue-centered show.
Kyle realized Herman’s programming contributions deserved formal recognition, and he had demonstrated talents in gospel-genre spoken word. The Echoes of Indiana Avenue pilot episode, with Kyle producing and Herman narrating, was taped in 2020; broadcast and podcast, it gained international support. New audiences discovered Leroy Vinnegar, Sarah McLawler, Scrapper Blackwell, Phil Ranelin, Bessie Smith and others associated with Indiana Avenue.
Although he’s resumed his dj work, Kyle Long says his primary focus now is on research and radio.
Say Herman Slaughter, ““This thing is a new opportunity for me to continue where I left off. Music is a lifelong endeavor for me, as a performer and a bandleader. As a thinker, this has given me a stage to promote what I wanted to promote all along. Jazz is the foundation. Get it right over here, and it will be right over there.”
By Leslie Lynnton Fuller
