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…
In honor of Jazz Appreciation Month, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra is holding its inaugural DSO Jazz Symposium, which will welcome a panel of jazz educators and musicians led by Branford Marsalis on April 11 to The Music Box at the Max M. Fisher Music Center.
The DSO Jazz Symposium—which is free and open to the public—will discuss critical issues relating to the present status and future growth of jazz.
“We feel it is important to take an in-depth look at the state of jazz in our culture with some of the finest experts in the field,” said Anne Parsons, DSO president and executive director. “Our hope is that this symposium will help clarify the challenges and opportunities in jazz today, which will help the DSO, music educators, [members of] the media and the public take the steps necessary to insure that jazz continues to flourish in Detroit.”
In addition to Marsalis, the panel will include Geri Allen, Dr. John Edward Hasse, A.B. Spellman Jr., Al Pryor and Rodney Whitaker. Mark Stryker, classical and jazz critic for The Detroit Free Press, will moderate the panel.
To make reservations, call (313) 576-5599 or e-mail wwilliams@dso.org.
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.…
