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…
Dates for Chicago’s fourth annual summer jazz series at Millennium Park have been released. The series is sponsored by the Department of Cultural Affairs and will be held at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in the downtown park each Thursday from
July 24 to Aug. 21, with the final show on Monday, Aug. 25. Admission for
the shows is free.
The series will feature:
July 24: 50 years of Bossa Nova, featuring Paulinho Garcia’s Orquestra Brazzilli
July 31: Chicago Afro-Latin Jazz Ensemble, featuring Steve Turre, Brian Lynch, and others
Aug. 7: Amir El Saffar’s Two Rivers Large Ensemble, featuring Rudresh Mahanthappa, Jeb Bishop, Dave Rempis, and others
Aug. 14: Kelan Phil Cohran and The Legacy of Sun Ra
Aug. 21: Celebrating Nat King Cole, featuring Freddy Cole
Aug. 25: Mike Reed’s People Places and Things Octet, featuring Ira Sullivan, Julian Priester and others
More info: millenniumpark.org
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.”
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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.
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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,…
