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…
Onaje Allan Gumbs (1949–2020)
(Photo: Facebook)Pianist Onaje Allan Gumbs passed away April 6 at the age of 70, according to WBGO. A cause of death has not been specified.
In a career that stretched back to the 1970s, the pianist recorded with a range of players from across the jazz spectrum—James Moody, Norman Connors, Cecil McBee, Jimmy Owens and Avery Sharpe—as well as rapper Kurtis Blow in addition to leading dates on SteepleChase and HighNote.
“I was 8 years old, watching Peter Gunn and Mr. Lucky,” he told WBGO during a 2017 interview, “and I fell in love with the music I heard on these TV shows.”
In 2013 he released the album Bloodlife: Solo Piano Improvisations Based On The Melodies of Ronald Shannon Jackson (Ejano), where Gumbs displayed the range of his influences and the reach of his artistic expression.
In 2017, he released Two, The Top, a collaboration with vocalist Mem Nahadr.
Gumbs, whose career including teaching stints at The New School in New York City and at the Litchfield Jazz Camp in Connecticut, was profiled in the September 2014 issue of DownBeat. Regarding his status as an educator and role model, he told journalist Eric Harabadian, “It’s important to talk to students about why we do this. Yes, we try and pay bills, but there is a reason we do music. Our mission is to heal. Once we have the mechanics down, what does it mean for us and the listener? That’s what I’ve tried to do with the groups I work with and produce.” DB
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,…
