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…
In late May, The California Clipper, a Chicago club that hosted local jazz, announced its closure.
(Photo: californiaclipper.com)The National Independent Venue Association says that up to 90 percent of its members in the United States could close as a result of lost revenue during the pandemic, according to a survey of its 2,000 constituents.
The organization—which was founded following the closure of the U.S. economy to promote the needs of clubs across the country—released a document June 8 collecting data from its members and describing federal action that it supported.
The dour news outweighed the positive.
NIVA cited Pollstar data from early April that expects “the live industry would lose up to $8.9 billion of revenue” during 2020 if venues remain closed. To contextualize the impact, the organization referenced a Chicago Tribune story that said arts programing brings in billions each year to major metro centers and used the city’s Loop area as a reference point.
NIVA goes on to voice its support of tax credits and the RESTART Act—which has been proposed by U.S. Senators Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) and Todd Young (R-Ind.)—while adding that it believes current Paycheck Protection Program funding will be insufficient. RESTART, which focuses on small- and mid-sized businesses, aims to expand payroll assistance for six months, allows more flexibility for allocation of those funds by businesses and provides a seven-year payback plan.
“This is the first and only bipartisan proposal that supports the hardest-hit businesses by fixing the Paycheck Protection Program and providing relief through the rest of the year,” Bennet said in a separate press release. 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
Feb 17, 2026 11:05 AM
They were Berklee misfits. Neither jazzy enough for the straightahead crowd at Boston’s highly prestigious College of…
Lovers of the big band experience, clockwise from top left, John Clayton, Leigh Pilzer, Ted Nash, David Pietro and Christine Jensen.
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The popularity of big band music might have peaked in the 1930s and ’40s, but despite the many changes on the jazz…
New Orleans Trad Jazz Camp
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Sullivan Fortner continues a winning streak with his third Grammy for Jazz Album of the Year after earning the Gilmore Larry J. Bell Artist Award last October.
Feb 10, 2026 10:48 AM
The 68th Annual Grammy Awards presented a marathon of winners, tributes and music on Feb. 1. Kendrick Lamar added five…
