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…
Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival on April 22.
(Photo: Adam McCullough)Traditionally taking place over two weekends in late April and early May, the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival is an occasion for music lovers from around the world to gather in the birthplace of jazz and celebrate the art form’s rich past and promising future.
During the first weekend of this year’s edition, the festival lineup featured an exceptionally broad range of artists and groups. Zydeco artists and brass bands shared the stage with blues guitarists and Latin ensembles, and jazz fixtures like Brian Blade, Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter rubbed shoulders with pop acts like The Red Hot Chili Peppers, J. Cole and Nick Jonas.
In the slideshow below, DownBeat presents a selection of photos from the festival’s rousing first half, captured in striking detail by photographer Adam McCullough. We’ll have even more photos and a critical recap later this week.
—Brian Zimmerman
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…
Vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater will be among the headliners at this year’s DC JazzFest.
Mar 2, 2026 9:48 PM
The first wave of artists scheduled to perform at the 2026 DC JazzFest have been announced. This year’s headliners…
“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,…
Each of the 25 JAMs has delivered a poster featuring a jazz legend that is sent out to schools across the nation. This year’s poster features Tony Bennett.
Mar 30, 2026 10:20 PM
Every April for the past quarter century, something remarkable has happened across the United States and far beyond.…
