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…
University of Idaho Lionel Hampton International Jazz Festival was among the recipients of the 2007 National Medal of Arts presented today by President George W. Bush and Laura Bush in a ceremony at the White House.
Other recipients included guitarist Les Paul and arts patron Henry Steinway, great-grandson of Henry Engelhard Steinway.
It takes place at the university campus in Moscow, Idaho, and celebrated its 40 anniversary in 2007.
The National Endowment for the Arts manages the National Medal of Arts nomination process and notified the artists of their selection to receive a medal, the nation’s highest honor for artistic excellence.
More info: arts.gov/news/news07/Medals.html
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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Lettuce, from left: Eric Coomes, Adam Deitch, Ryan Zoidis, Eric Bloom, Adam Smirnoff and Nigel Hall
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New Orleans Trad Jazz Camp
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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…
