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…
Thrill Jockey, Stop Smiling and The Velvet Lounge are celebrating the release of the new album from Fred Anderson and Hamid Drake, From The River To The Ocean, over the course of two evenings in June.
The first show will be hosted June 12 by Stop Smiling magazine at its Chicago headquarters and will be moderated by artist John Corbett, who will interview the players between songs.
The second show will be at Anderson’s club, The Velvet Lounge, on June 13 in Chicago. Anderson and Drake will be joined by Harrison Bankhead, Jeff Parker and Josh Abrams, who all contributed to From The River To The Ocean.
The June 12 event is free, but Stop Smiling is requesting that guests RSVP to rsvp@stopsmilingonline.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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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.
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Every April for the past quarter century, something remarkable has happened across the United States and far beyond.…
