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…
Craig Taborn joins recent jazz-musician MacArthur Fellows Tomeka Reid (2022), Cécile McLorin Salvant (2020), Mary Halvorson (2019) and Tyshawn Sorey (2017).
(Photo: Courtesy John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation)Pianist, keyboardist and composer Craig Taborn has received many accolades over his 30-plus-year career, but none quite so lucrative as his latest. Taborn, 55, is one of the names on the list of 2025 MacArthur Fellows.
Often called a “genius grant,” the fellowship is a prestigious award of $800,000 given annually by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation to scientists, artists and others as an investment in their potential. In the foundation’s words, the cash award goes to “extraordinarily talented and creative individuals.”
“In performances and recordings as a soloist, bandleader and sideman, Taborn brings a fearless and sophisticated approach to music making,” the foundation said in a statement announcing his fellowship. “He draws from musical traditions as varied as traditional and contemporary jazz, contemporary classical, experimental, electronic, rock, metal and hip-hop. His constant exploration of genre and style informs his own distinct musical intelligence and voice.”
Taborn is one of 22 new fellows announced for 2025 and the only musician in the new class. He joins such recent jazz-musician fellows as Tomeka Reid (2022), Cécile McLorin Salvant (2020), Mary Halvorson (2019) and Tyshawn Sorey (2017).
He is currently preparing for a European tour in November. Taborn is also a member (with guitarist Nels Cline and drummer Marcus Gilmore) of Trio of Bloom, whose self-titled album was released on Sept. 26 by Pyroclastic Records. Trio of Bloom is featured in the November issue of DownBeat. DB
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.
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John P. Hammond (aka John Hammond Jr.), a blues guitarist and singer who was one of the first white American…
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