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…
Bassist Alain Perez will release his upcoming disc En El Aire (AYVA) in January 2007. The 29-year-old musician, who was born in the Cuban small town of Manaca Iznaga, brings together a range of Latin rhythms with his conservatory training and experience as a jazz improvisor.
“I try to compose for my muse, but when she doesn’t come, I search for colors and images that will suggest a certain path,” Perez said. “Harmony is food for the melody and as I am a rumbero, the end comes through the clave. Very humbly, I consider myself to be versatile, and life has given me proof that one has to be subservient to their instincts.”
Other musicians on En El Aire include pianist Ivan “Melon” Gonzalez Lewis, saxophonist Roman Filiu and trumpeter Carlos Sarduy.
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…
Vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater will be among the headliners at this year’s DC JazzFest.
Mar 2, 2026 9:48 PM
The first wave of artists scheduled to perform at the 2026 DC JazzFest have been announced. This year’s headliners…
“These days, with curated news, where people only get half the story, people can’t even speak to family members anymore,” Schneider laments.
Mar 10, 2026 1:43 PM
Maria Schneider is doing her part to try to fix what ails America. Which got her thinking about crows, specifically,…
Each of the 25 JAMs has delivered a poster featuring a jazz legend that is sent out to schools across the nation. This year’s poster features Tony Bennett.
Mar 30, 2026 10:20 PM
Every April for the past quarter century, something remarkable has happened across the United States and far beyond.…
