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…
The Duke Ellington Jazz Festival (DEJF) kicks off its fall festival countdown on April 26 in Washington, D.C., with its annual concert at Lincoln Theatre celebrating Ellington’s birthday (April 29) and Ella Fitzgerald’s birthday (April 25).
At the concert, Charlie Fishman, DEJF founder and executive producer, will announce the 2008 festival lineup for Oct. 1–7. Those in attendance will be able to purchase festival tickets before tickets are available to the public on May 1. In addition, $5 of the $20 concert admission fee will be designated to the Duke Ellington Jazz Festival Education Fund to support the organization’s education efforts.
Musicians scheduled to perform include Nasar Abadey, George Botts, Buck Hill, Steve Novosel, Antonio Parker, Michael Thomas, Debra Tidwell, Larry Willis, Will Smith & the W.E.S. Group, Cynda Williams and the D.C. Bass Choir.
More info: dejazzfest.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…
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