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…
Vocalist Ledisi is one of the artists featured on International Jazz Day from Australia, a concert special that premieres on PBS on Friday.
(Photo: Steve Mundinger/Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz)With the concert industry at a complete halt due to the coronavirus pandemic, jazz fans are turning to their computer screens and TVs to see performances.
Typically, fans look forward to an annual all-star concert to celebrate International Jazz Day. This year, however, the April 30 event will be a “virtual” one that takes place online. Fans can visit the International Jazz Day website for more information.
On Friday, the PBS network will premiere the special International Jazz Day from Australia, which was filmed during last year’s International Jazz Day celebration. The special features footage shot during the All-Star Global Concert at the Melbourne Arts Centre’s Hamer Hall in Australia on April 30, 2019.
This new special will include performances by UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador Herbie Hancock, Joey DeFrancesco, Kurt Elling, Ledisi, Jane Monheit, James Morrison, Antonio Sánchez, Somi, Ben Williams, Lizz Wright and John Beasley, who served as musical director.
The special also will be streamed at pbs.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…
“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…
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…
New Orleans Trad Jazz Camp
Feb 19, 2026 10:39 AM
Jazz camps have exploded around the globe as a summertime tradition for working on your chops and making new friends.…
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…
