Mar 2, 2026 9:58 PM
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…
Art Blakey (1919–1990)
(Photo: DownBeat Archives)
Charlie Parker (1920–1955)
(Photo: William P. Gottlieb/Ira and Leonore S. Gershwin Fund Collection, Music Division, Library of Congress)
Dave Brubeck (1920–2012)
(Photo: DownBeat Archives)
Clark Terry (1920–2015)
(Photo: DownBeat Archives)
Drummer Shelly Manne’s work as a leader and sideperson exhibits his refusal to be pigeonholed.
(Photo: Dave Pell/DownBeat Archives)
Yusef Lateef (1920–2013)
(Photo: DownBeat Archives)The musical similarities among all the folks below might be in short supply, but each of these performers irrevocably changed jazz. Whether it was through Art Blakey’s (he was actually born in 1919, but that’s pretty close) tutelage and encouragement of the best jazz composers ever to record or Dave Brubeck’s chart success, the music is better—and dramatically different—than it would have been otherwise.
Below, DownBeat salutes six iconic artists who were born 100 years ago. DB
Art Blakey, the Mightiest Mentor
The Sound and Myth of Charlie Parker at 100
Dave Brubeck’s Legacy Enters a New Era
Clark Terry Fostered Generations of Performers
Shelly Manne Cultivated a Unique Brand from Behind the Kit
Yusef Lateef, The ‘Evolutionist’
Hammond came to the blues through the folk boom of the late 1950s and early 1960s, which he experienced firsthand in New York’s Greenwich Village.
Mar 2, 2026 9:58 PM
John P. Hammond (aka John Hammond Jr.), a blues guitarist and singer who was one of the first white American…
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