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In Memoriam: John Hammond Jr., 1942–2026
John P. Hammond (aka John Hammond Jr.), a blues guitarist and singer who was one of the first white American…
“If we travel to Europe or if we go play gigs around the States, I call it a ‘playcation,’” says guitarist Steve Masakowski, center, of his family band with daughter Sasha, left, and son Martin.
(Photo: Noé Cugny)Guitarist, composer and educator Steve Masakowski has racked up an impressive list of credentials in his storied career. A Blue Note recording artist during the mid-’90s (releasing What It Was in 1994 and Direct AXEcess in 1995), he’s been a member of the postmodern New Orleans juggernaut Astral Project since 1987 (the band just recorded its eighth album, Secret Sky, scheduled for a summer release). In 1991, he was hired as a full-time faculty member at the University of New Orleans by his mentor and former musical partner Ellis Marsalis and went on to replace the Marsalis patriarch as chair of jazz studies at UNO in 2004, a position he held until his retirement in 2022. He subsequently received the Lifetime Achievement Award in Music Education by OffBeat Magazine, a publication dedicated to New Orleans music and culture.
All those accolades aside, Masakowski is perhaps most proud of his collaboration with his wife, German concert pianist and visual artist Ulrike Antonie Sprenger, and their two offspring, Sasha and Martin, both UNO grads and onetime students of dear ol’ Dad. Sasha, an accomplished singer, sonic explorer and charismatic performer with a gifted ear for layering harmony vocals, has toured and recorded with trumpeter Nicholas Payton and has five recordings as a leader, including 2018’s adventurous Art Market on Ropeadope Records and 2021’s experimental electronic EP Exist by Tra$h Magnolia, which she calls her “alter ego project.”
Sasha’s younger brother Martin, who remains in hometown New Orleans, is currently a first-call double bassist on the fertile Crescent City scene while also developing a reputation as a local luthier.
The Masakowskis have been a working family band for a while now, with three recordings under their belt. Now comes Two Worlds, under the billing of Steve Masakowski Family & Friends. Produced by Sasha and featuring Honduran-born, New Orleans-based pianist Oscar Rossignoli, New Orleans-based saxophonist Rex Gregory and drummer extraordinaire Brian Blade, it’s truly a family affair, with Ulrike pitching in the strikingly impressionist artwork for the album cover.
“I’m very happy with the record,” said the Masakowski patriarch. “Sasha and Martin were really instrumental in helping push things along, because as I get lazier in my old age, I’m a bit lax about getting everything done. And it was also great to have our friends on it, especially Brian, who was a student of mine back when I was teaching at Loyola. And of course, he sounds amazing on this album.”
Sasha heartily concurred: “What a magician Brian is! He’s like a painter. It’s like working with Picasso. He’s just really special.”
Sasha, whose gossamer voice often doubles her dad’s fluid warm-toned guitar lines throughout Two Worlds, added, “Everyone thinks of my dad as being this like masterful technical guitar player. But to my mind, not only is he a great guitarist but he is a deep, deep songwriter. He has such an incredible way of composing tunes that I feel will become Real Book songs in the future, like his songs ‘Sidewalk Strut’ and ‘Stepping Out.’ They play those all the time at the Bayou Bar [located in the Pontchartrain Hotel in the Garden District], and I’m always seeing these Instagram videos of young musicians playing other Steve Masakowski songs.”
Masakowski showcases his lyrical side on two lovely waltz-time originals, the hauntingly beautiful title track and his evocative “Sweet Dreams,” a tune he previously recorded on his 1991 album Friends with pianist Ellis Marsalis, bassist Bill Huntington, tenor saxophonist Rick Margitza and drummer Herlin Riley. Sasha’s lyrics and ethereal vocals breathe new life into this old tune.
Elsewhere on Two Worlds, the seven-string-guitar ace breaks out his bop-fueled chops on the burning “Ya Know They Know,” which has Blade flowing over the bar line in Elvin-esque fashion while also featuring potent solos from Gregory and Rossignoli. Sasha’s flawlessly executed wordless vocals on this uptempo romp blend brilliant with Steve’s guitar lines on the challenging head to this aggressively swinging piece.
Sasha’s dreamy ballad “Origin Of Sin” includes an overdubbed choir of diaphanous vocals, while her catchy “Shine” showcases her sophisticated pop songwriting instincts, highlighted by an elegant guitar solo from Masakowski and a glistening piano solo from Rossignoli. Martin’s Latin-tinged “Las Sonrisas del Mar” is buoyed by Sasha’s stirring wordless vocals on the engaging melody and her uplifting overdubbed choir on the dynamic bridge. Sasha, who had penned lyrics for Kenny Wheeler’s “Gentle Piece” on her 2007 debut, Musical Playground, also wrote new lyrics to James Black’s “A Love Song,” a luxurious ballad penned by the late, legendary New Orleans drummer who also appeared Masakowski’s adventurous 1983 debut, Mars.
From their childhood days of sitting on the piano bench at home next to Daddy, learning to pick out notes of a scale and other invaluable ear training exercises, which he invariably disguised as games, the Masakowski siblings have inherited a great connection to music from both their gifted parents. As Masakowski recalled, “I would play chords and say, ‘What’s the ninth of this chord?’ and sort of test them on certain things. You have to make it a game because I didn’t want to make it like, ‘Hey, I’m trying to teach you something.’”
The Masakowski siblings ended up taking their father’s class when he was teaching at UNO. “I used to get annoyed because they’d always call me ‘Dad’ in front of all the other students. But I feel like the tables have turned now that they’ve gotten older, and I’ve got older, too. Now they’re teaching me all this stuff, especially about the way people consume music these days and the way you have to do social media and all that kind of stuff. So I definitely have to get with it.”
Meanwhile, Steve Masakowski Family & Friends (with special guest Blade) and Tra$h Magnolia are both looking forward to a performance at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival on April 30. “It’s nice to travel as a family,” said the patriarch. “When we go on the road, if we travel to Europe or if we go play gigs around the States, I call it a ‘playcation.’ It’s like a vacation, but we’re playing, too.” DB
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