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…
Herbie Hancock will spend the spring and summer receiving honorary degrees, performing with pianist Lang Lang, and appearing as a guest with the American Ballet Theater.
On May 9, the pianist will receive a doctor of music from Loyola University in New Orleans, and on May 16 Hancock will deliver the commencement address to the Bentley University/McCallum Graduate School of Business in Waltham, Mass., and be awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters.
Prior to the Bentley address, Hancock will perform with Lang Lang on May 14 at the Classical Brit Awards at Royal Albert Hall in London. Other U.S. shows in the Hancock-Lang Lang Dueling Pianos Tour (which will go to European festivals in July) include:
July 28: Ravinia Festival, Highland Park, Ill., with Chicago Symphony
July 30: Mann Center, Philadelphia, with Philadelphia Orchestra
Aug. 1: NJPAC, Newark, N.J., with New Jersey Symphony
Aug. 7-8: Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles, with LA Philharmonic
On May 18, Hancock will be the guest artist performing at American Ballet Theatre’s 2009 Spring Gala at the Metropolitan Opera House.
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…
Blindfold Test proctor Ted Panken, left, with the Grammy-winning Nicole Zuraitis.
Feb 24, 2026 12:00 PM
After earning the 2024 Best Jazz Vocal Album Grammy for her seventh album, How Love Begins (La Reserve), comprising 12…
“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,…
