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 Wayne Escoffery/Jeremy Pelt Quartet kicked off the spring outdoor series on April 4.
(Photo: Jimmy & Dena Katz)Giant Step Arts and Keyed Up! have launched a spring performance series called “Walk With The Wind” honoring politician, statesman and civil rights activist John Lewis.
The concerts, which take place at pop-up locations in Central Park in New York, have served as a way for jazz musicians to perform live — safely — outdoors. When the pandemic hit, Jimmy and Dena Katz, photographers and founders of the not-for-profit Giant Step Arts, looked for a way to help the jazz community they have been documenting for decades.
Last fall, they launched the series to glowing reviews for the music and the mission with acts including the Leap Day Trio (drummer Matt Wilson, bassist Mimi Jones and saxophonist Jeff Lederer), the Joel Ross Quartet, drummer Nasheet Waits with saxophonist Mark Turner and bassist Rashaan Carter, and Chris Potter with Waits and bassist Joe Martin.
The spring season kicked off April 4 with the Wayne Escoffery/Jeremy Pelt Quartet. Twelve other shows have been booked:
April 10: William Parker Trio, Robert Lotreck Quartet
April 11: Melissa Aldana Trio with Pablo Maneras and Kush Abadey, Steve Slagle Trio, Robert Lotreck Quartet
April 17: Chris Potter Trio with Joe Martin and Nasheet Waits.
April 18: Antonio Sanchez Trio with Donny McCaslin and Matt Brewer.
April 24: Marquis Hill Quartet
April 25: Michael Thomas Quartet
May 1: James Brandon Lewis, Freed Style Free Trio, Aaron Burnett Quartet
May 8: Marika Hughes: The New String Quartet
May 15: Jason Palmer Quartet
May 23: Jonathan Blake Trio, Nasheet Waits Quartet
May 29: Abraham Burton Trio
May 31: Jason Palmer Quartet
To learn more, find the location for each show or to donate, go to giantsteparts.org. 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…
Lettuce, from left: Eric Coomes, Adam Deitch, Ryan Zoidis, Eric Bloom, Adam Smirnoff and Nigel Hall
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