Sep 22, 2026 12:26 PM
Hyde Park Jazz Fest on Chicago’s South Side to Present 20th Edition
The Hyde Park Jazz Festival will take place for the 20th time on the final weekend of September 2026. Beginning half…
Bluesman David Kearney — known and beloved by fans worldwide as Guitar Shorty
(Photo: Courtesy Alligator Records)Bluesman David Kearney — known and beloved by fans worldwide as Guitar Shorty — died on April 20 in Los Angeles of natural causes. He was 87. Credited with influencing both Jimi Hendrix and Buddy Guy, Shorty electrified audiences worldwide with his unpredictable, slashing guitar work, gruff vocals and supercharged live shows, during which he would often do back flips and somersaults while playing.
While still in his early 20s, Shorty toured with blues and R&B luminaries including Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, B.B. King, Guitar Slim and T-Bone Walker. Over the first 30 years of his career, he recorded only a handful of singles for a variety of labels and an LP for a small British label. He had released 10 full-length solo recordings since then. Shorty continued to tour and perform well into his 80s. His most recent album was 2019’s Trying To Find My Way Back, produced by Jerry “Swamp Dogg” Williams.
Guitar Shorty is survived by his sister Gertrude Kearney Williams, his four children (Sean Kearney, Edmond Kearney, Tamara Kearney and Rodney Kearney), and nieces Sheena Kearney and Estalita Williams.
Funeral arrangements are pending. DB
A solo concert by saxophonist Joshua Redman will close the first night of the Hyde Park Jazz Festival on Sept. 26.
Sep 22, 2026 12:26 PM
The Hyde Park Jazz Festival will take place for the 20th time on the final weekend of September 2026. Beginning half…
“It was just that suddenly … I could hear it,” Ravi Coltrane said of an epiphany he experienced during his late teens regarding his father’s music. “And it was almost like a calling, like something saying, ‘Hey, man, come on. It’s time to get serious.’ And the first time you really tune in and dial in and focus like that, it can be very life-changing.”
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Editor’s Note: Tomorrow, Sept. 23, is the 100th anniversary of John Coltrane’s birth. In honor of the tenor and…
Camille Thurman took to the stage alongside bassist Kenny Davis and drummer Tommy Campbell for a rendition of Johnny Mercer’s “I’m An Old Cowhand” that recalled Rollins’ epochal 1957 trio outing Way Out West.
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As emcee Mark Ruffin noted at the commencement of an epic tribute to saxophonist Sonny Rollins at the Cathedral of Saint…
Record producer Bob Thiele’s classic photo that became the cover of John Coltrane’s landmark album A Love Supreme.
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A tribute to John Coltrane is one thing, but there is much more to the iconic saxophonist’s 100th anniversary…
Ravi Coltrane (right) makes a point during a live Blindfold Test at the Umbria Jazz Festival while pianist Greg Burk (far left), journalist Ashley Kahn and trumpeter Terence Blanchard listen.
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The pairing of Terence Blanchard and Ravi Coltrane was billed as “The Miles/Coltrane Legacy,” a tour celebrating the…
