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…
Fresh Sound Records has issues Breathing Room, the debut
recording as a leader by trumpeter David Weiss. Weiss came to the
attention of Fresh Sound Records as the co-leader of the critically
acclaimed New Jazz Composers Octet, who recently collaborated with
trumpet legend Freddie Hubbard for the album New Colors (Hip Bop
Records). In addition, Weiss recently won the Chamber Music America
Doris Duke Jazz Ensembles Project: Creation and Presentation grant for
his compositions.
For Breathing Room, Weiss called on his New Jazz Composers Octet co-leaders pianist Xavier Davis and bassist Dwayne Burno and introduces a pair of talented and young musicians, tenor saxophonist Marcus Strickland and drummer E.J. Strickland. The music has its roots in the ’60s Blue Note sound with the inclusion of a few lesser-known Wayne Shorter compositions and a variation on the classic Joe Henderson composition “The Kicker.” While obviously influenced by Shorter, his compositions for sextet prove he has his own unique and distinct voice.
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.…
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…
