Jan 13, 2026 2:09 PM
More Trump-Kennedy Center Cancellations
The fallout from the renaming of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts to include President Donald…
Chicago harmonica ace Little Arthur Duncan died Aug. 20 at Kindred Hospital in Northlake, Ill. He was 74.
Born Feb. 5, 1934, in Indianola, Miss., Arthur moved to Chicago at age 16, where he heard and befriended Little Walter, who inspired him to take up the harmonica. While holding down a construction day job, he began performing around Chicago with John Brim, Floyd Jones, and Hip Lankchan. He would later own and operate the Artesia Lounge on Lake Street, which moved to West Madison Street and reopened as Backscratcher’s Social Club. Owning a club gave Arthur a regular place to perform, and he became a popular neighborhood attraction on the West Side. Twist Turner produced some of Arthur’s first recordings, which appeared first on cassette and then on Cannonball Records’ Blues Across America series.
As Arthur’s stature grew in Chicago, he recorded more, cutting two CDs for Delmark (Singin’ With The Sun and Live At Rosa’s Blues Lounge
Belá Fleck during an interview with Fredrika Whitfield on CNN. Jan 13, 2026 2:09 PM The fallout from the renaming of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts to include President Donald… Peplowski first came to prominence in legacy swing bands, including the final iteration of the Benny Goodman Orchestra, before beginning a solo career in the late 1980s. Feb 3, 2026 12:10 AM Ken Peplowski, a clarinetist and tenor saxophonist who straddled the worlds of traditional and modern jazz, died Feb. 2… The success of Oregon’s first album, 1971’s Music Of Another Present Era, allowed Towner to establish a solo career. Jan 19, 2026 5:02 PM Ralph Towner, a guitarist and composer who blended multiple genres, including jazz — and throughout them all remained… Rico’s Anti-Microbial Instrument Swab Jan 19, 2026 2:48 PM With this year’s NAMM Show right around the corner, we can look forward to plenty of new and innovative instruments… Richie Beirach was particularly renowned for his approach to chromatic harmony, which he used to improvise reharmonizations of originals and standards. Jan 27, 2026 11:19 AM Richie Beirach, a pianist and composer who channeled a knowledge of modern classical music into his jazz practice,…
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