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…
Steven Bernstein will release Diaspora Hollywood on Sept. 21. The trumpeter and composer borrowed from early Jewish-American film composers for the album, which is the third installment of his Semitic Diaspora series for Tzadik,
Bernstein recorded the album in Hollywood at engineer Woody Jackson’s home. His band comprises drummer Danny Frankel, reedman Pablo Calogero, vibraphonist D.J. Bonebrake and bassist David Piltch.
Diaspora Hollywood contains originals, traditional numbers and cantorial 78s like “V’Shamru” and “B’rich Sh’me.” Featured composers include Franz Waxman and Alfred Newman.
“All these Jewish cats moved from Poland and Germany to Hollywood,” Bernstein said. “Dig it, man. Have you ever been to Poland? It’s pretty dark. Can you imagine being in Hollywood?”
In his arrangements, Bernstein tried to embody that combination of dark melodies and sunny environment, which resulted in, according to Bernstein, “Counterlines, melodic drumming and soft palettes. The improvised mellismatic sections heard in Diaspora Blues combined with the multi-voiced through-composed sections heard on Diaspora Soul.”
For more information, visit www.tzadik.com
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…
“Cerebral and academic thought is a different way to approach music,” Flea says of his continuing dive into jazz. “I’ve always relied on emotion and intuition and physicality.”
Mar 30, 2026 10:30 PM
In the relatively small pantheon of certifiable rock stars venturing into the intersection of pop music and jazz, the…
Lettuce, from left: Eric Coomes, Adam Deitch, Ryan Zoidis, Eric Bloom, Adam Smirnoff and Nigel Hall
Feb 17, 2026 11:05 AM
They were Berklee misfits. Neither jazzy enough for the straightahead crowd at Boston’s highly prestigious College of…
New Orleans Trad Jazz Camp
Feb 19, 2026 10:39 AM
Jazz camps have exploded around the globe as a summertime tradition for working on your chops and making new friends.…
Blindfold Test proctor Ted Panken, left, with the Grammy-winning Nicole Zuraitis.
Feb 24, 2026 12:00 PM
After earning the 2024 Best Jazz Vocal Album Grammy for her seventh album, How Love Begins (La Reserve), comprising 12…
