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 newest album from Frank Kimbrough, Play, will be released on May 16, on Palmetto Records. Touted as “spontaneous and improvisational,” Play features performances by bassist Masa Kamaguchi and legendary drummer Paul Motian.
Recorded in just five hours at Palmetto’s Maggie’s Farm on April 26, 2005 with no rehearsal, the album is the follow-up to 2004’s Lullabluebye. On the recording experience, Kimbrough said, “We played on a beautiful, sun-dappled spring afternoon in the country, set up in the same room…the day was intense, but comfortably so, the atmosphere friendly and enhanced by a true generosity of spirit.”
The album includes the tracks “Beginning,” “Lucent,” and “Little Big Man,” among others, all of which are original compositions by Kimbrough, with the exception of the album title track and “Conception Vessel,” both composed by Motian.
In support of the new album, Kimbrough will perform music from Play with Motian and Jay Anderson at the Jazz Standard on July 12 and 13. He will also appear at Merkin Hall in a piano concert with Paul Bley on May 22.
For more information visit www.frankkimbrough.com or www.palmetto-records.com.
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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